On my first day of school, I entered an empty classroom that was supposed to be mine. But as soon as I sat down, the door slammed shut on its own. I tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge. Then, I heard a strange scratching noise on the blackboard. I turned around and saw some words being written by an invisible hand. It said 'Leave now'. I was so scared that I started banging on the door until a teacher finally heard me.
Well, imagine on the first day of school, you find an old diary in your locker. As you start reading it, you realize it's from a student who disappeared years ago. The diary contains dark secrets about the school. It talks about a hidden room where something evil lurks. And suddenly, you start feeling like you're being watched. You look around, but there's no one there. Then, strange things start happening around you, like books falling off shelves by themselves and cold breezes when all the windows are closed.
One key element could be suspense. It builds up the tension, like when you hear strange noises but don't know what's causing them. Another might be a sense of the unknown. If there's a mystery figure in the story, not knowing who or what it is makes it scarier.
The first scary story could be a tale of a werewolf. In a small village, a man transforms into a werewolf under the full moon. He prowls the woods, hunting for prey. The villagers live in fear, not knowing who among them is the beast. They hear his howls at night and barricade themselves in their homes, hoping to survive the night.
A family decided to go camping in a remote forest. At night, they sat around the campfire sharing stories. Suddenly, they heard a long, drawn - out howl. They thought it was just a wolf, but then they saw pairs of glowing eyes in the darkness. The father tried to keep everyone calm, but as the eyes got closer, they realized it was something far more menacing. They quickly got into their tent, but the thing outside started scratching at the fabric. They huddled together, terrified, until morning when the strange presence finally disappeared.
Well, in a family first scary story, there are often complex relationships within the family that add to the tension. For example, a conflict between family members might be exploited by the scary element. Also, family settings like a family home are familiar places that become distorted in the story, which is both strange and captivating. The idea that the people you trust the most in a family might also be the ones most affected by the horror makes it really engaging.
Dracula was scary when it first appeared because it introduced new and terrifying elements like blood-sucking and the idea of the undead. Also, the way it built suspense and tension was very effective.
The unknown. When there are things that are not fully explained or shown, it scares people. For example, in a haunted house story, if you just hear strange noises but don't see the source clearly, it creates a sense of fear. You start imagining all sorts of terrifying things.
What makes a scary story truly scary is the element of the unknown. When there are things that are left to the imagination, it scares people more. For example, in a story where there's a strange noise in the attic but you don't know what's causing it. It could be anything, and that uncertainty is terrifying.