The uncertainty of what will happen next. In real intruder stories, once you discover the intruder, you don't know if they will run away or attack you. There have been cases where intruders have turned violent when confronted. It's a very dangerous and scary situation, and it can leave long - lasting psychological effects on the victims.
The feeling of helplessness. In many cases, the intruder has the element of surprise. If you're unarmed or alone, like a single person living in an apartment and an intruder comes in, you might not know what to do. You could be frozen in fear, which is really scary. Also, not knowing the intruder's intentions. Are they just there to steal, or do they have more sinister motives?
The sudden realization that someone is in your space without permission. It's like your safe haven is invaded. For example, when you wake up in the middle of the night and hear strange noises that you know are not normal, it sends chills down your spine.
The suddenness is really scary. You're just going about your normal day or night and then suddenly there's someone where they shouldn't be. For example, if you're in your living room watching TV and you hear a noise in the hallway and realize it's an intruder.
The suddenness of it all. In most intruder horror stories, the intrusion happens without warning. One moment everything is normal, and the next, there's a threat in your midst. It's like a shock to the system. It can be something as simple as hearing a noise that shouldn't be there and then realizing there's an intruder. This sudden disruption of normalcy is what makes these stories so terrifying.
The idea of curses is really scary. Just like the curse associated with Tutankhamun's tomb. People thought that if you messed with the mummy, bad things would happen to you, and that's super spooky.
The feeling of vulnerability. When an intruder is in your home, your safe space is violated. In many stories, the victims are often alone or outnumbered, like a single mother with young children facing an intruder. It's terrifying because they might not be able to protect themselves fully.
In the Amityville Horror, the scariest part was the presence of the demonic figure. Just the thought of seeing a pig - like, demonic entity in your own home is terrifying. The slime on the walls and cold spots were also very creepy, but the idea of an evil being in the house really takes the horror to another level.
The scariest part is Pennywise's ability to take on different forms. It can be whatever your deepest fear is, whether it's a monster from your nightmares or a person who has hurt you in the past. This makes it extremely difficult to anticipate what he will look like when he appears.
In the first story, the scariest part is when the boy saw the red eyes staring at him from the attic window. It was a sudden and menacing encounter. In the second story, the cold hand grabbing the girl's ankle was terrifying as it was unexpected and she was all alone. For the third story, the dark figure lunging at the family when they opened the hidden door was the scariest moment as it was a direct threat.
In some of the stories, the sudden appearance of the supernatural entities is the scariest part. Like in the haunted house story, when a ghostly figure just pops up in front of you out of nowhere. It gives you an instant shock.
The immediate deaths of the plant workers due to extreme radiation exposure are very scary. They were just doing their jobs and suddenly faced a horror they couldn't escape.
One of the scariest parts is getting caught in bad weather. When strong winds and large waves hit, it's a fight for survival. Just like in that story where the kayaker was in the middle of a lake during a storm and the kayak could easily flip.