Its unexpected movements. Like in the department store story, when the mannequin moved closer to the girl, it was very unexpected and that's what made it scary.
Once there was a girl who worked in a department store. One night, she was closing up and noticed a mannequin in the corner. As she walked by, it seemed like its eyes followed her. She ignored it at first. But when she turned around again, the mannequin had moved closer. She ran out of the store, scared out of her wits, and never went back.
There was a small tailor shop with a single mannequin in the corner. The tailor often worked late. One night, as he was sewing, he noticed the mannequin's head had slightly turned. He thought it was odd but ignored it. However, the next night, it was in a completely different position. He started to feel uneasy. Then, one day, he found scratches on the mannequin as if it had been in a fight. He decided to get rid of it, but when he tried to move it, it seemed to resist, and he swore he heard a faint whisper coming from it.
In a small town museum, there was a display with a mannequin dressed as a colonial-era woman. Legend had it that the mannequin was cursed. One day, a new curator started working there. He noticed that every morning, the mannequin's dress was slightly askew, as if it had been moving during the night. One night, he decided to stay late to watch. As the clock struck midnight, the mannequin started to twitch and move, as if it was coming to life. The curator fainted from fright and never went back to the museum at night again.
A Japanese antique shop had a very unique mannequin. It was said to be made from an old ritual item. The owner of the shop started to notice strange things. Papers in the shop would be scattered around the mannequin every morning as if it had been moving during the night. Customers who entered the shop also felt an eerie chill whenever they got close to the mannequin. Eventually, the owner decided to get rid of it, but strange things still happened in the shop until it finally closed down.
There was a mannequin woman in a small, dusty antique shop. A young girl visited the shop one day. As she was looking around, she noticed the mannequin woman. It had a very realistic face but a cold, lifeless stare. Later that night, the girl had a nightmare. In the dream, the mannequin woman came to life. She walked with a stiff gait towards the girl's bed. The girl woke up sweating and scared. From that day on, she always avoided that antique shop.
Mannequins are inherently creepy because they look like humans but lack the essence of life. They have a still, lifeless appearance which can be disturbing. In a scary story, this lack of life can be subverted, making them seem to have a malevolent life of their own. It plays on our fear of the uncanny, things that seem almost human but not quite.
There was a old, abandoned theater. Inside, there were some mannequins left from an old production. A group of teenagers decided to explore. As they walked around, they heard strange noises. When they turned to look at the mannequins, it seemed like their eyes were following the teens. It was a truly terrifying experience.
Well, mannequins lack the warmth and life of a real person. Their cold, lifeless appearance can be quite menacing, especially when they are arranged in a way that seems to suggest some sort of hidden intention. For example, a group of mannequins all facing one direction in an empty room can make you wonder what they are 'looking' at, and that unknown factor is what makes these stories so frightening.