What makes really weird ghost stories so captivating?

It's also the element of fear. These stories tap into our primal fear of the supernatural. They make our skin crawl and give us a thrill that we don't get from normal stories. For example, a story about a haunted house where things move on their own makes us feel a sense of unease and excitement at the same time. And we keep thinking about it long after we've heard it.

The element of truth. Since they are true, it makes them more spine - chilling. We know these things actually happened to someone.

Fear factor. Ghost stories play on our primal fear of the unknown. We don't know what ghosts are exactly, and that uncertainty makes them scary and thus captivating.

The fascination with weird ghost stories lies in their ability to break the boundaries of our normal perception. They introduce a world where the laws of physics and reality as we know them don't seem to apply. Ghosts can pass through walls, appear and disappear at will, and communicate in strange ways. This departure from the ordinary is both scary and captivating. Moreover, these stories often carry cultural and psychological elements. They can reflect the fears and beliefs of a particular society or era, making them not just spooky tales but also windows into different cultures and ways of thinking.

One thing that makes really weird short stories interesting is their ability to break the rules. They don't follow the typical narrative structures. Take 'The Lottery' for example. It starts off like a normal small - town story but then takes a dark and unexpected turn. They also allow for a lot of interpretation. Different readers can take different things from these stories, like in 'The Masque of the Red Death' where the symbolism can be interpreted in various ways, which makes the story rich and engaging.

The long history of the place. Exmoor has been around for centuries, and with all that time, many strange and unexplained events have occurred. These events have been passed down through generations as ghost stories, and they are captivating because they are part of the area's rich heritage. For example, the old buildings and ruins on Exmoor have their own spooky tales associated with them, which add to the overall allure of the ghost stories.

The history. Galena has a rich past, and the ghost stories are often intertwined with historical events and people. For example, the stories about old buildings like the DeSoto House are connected to the many different types of people who passed through in the past.

The history of Savannah. It has a long and rich past filled with battles, tragedies, and love stories. All these historical elements provide a fertile ground for ghost stories. For example, the old buildings that have witnessed so much over the years seem like perfect places for spirits to linger.

The vivid descriptions. Mrballen really has a way of painting a picture with words. When he describes the spooky settings, like a dark and creaky old attic or a fog - filled forest, it makes you feel like you're actually there, experiencing the creepiness. Also, the characters in the stories seem so real, whether they are the witnesses of the supernatural or the supposed ghosts themselves. All these elements combined make the stories very captivating.

It's the element of the unknown. We don't know for sure what lies beyond death, and these stories in 'the real ghost stories' explore those possibilities. They are often based on real - life experiences or at least what people claim to be real - life experiences, which makes them more engaging.