Some of them are really scary. The way they are written, with detailed descriptions and a build - up of suspense, can send shivers down your spine. For instance, a story about a ghostly apparition in an old hospital. The description of the cold, damp corridors and the faint sound of a gurney moving on its own is quite terrifying.
Definitely. Think about it, you rent something from a common place like Redbox, expecting entertainment, but then it turns into a nightmare. The fact that it's so unexpected, like a movie that seems normal but has a hidden, evil presence that starts affecting your real life, is what makes 'redbox scary stories' truly scary.
Their brevity. They get straight to the point. There's no time for long - winded build - up. For example, in 'The Hitchhiker', the simple idea of a hitchhiker who keeps reappearing no matter what is terrifying in just a few pages.
Another one is 'The Lottery' by Shirley Jackson. In a small town, there is an annual lottery. At first, it seems like a normal event, but as the story progresses, it turns out that the 'winner' of the lottery will be stoned to death by the townspeople. It shows the dark side of human nature and blind adherence to tradition.
One element is the unknown. When things are not clearly defined, like in a story where there's a strange noise in the dark but you don't know what's making it, it creates fear. Another is the sense of isolation. If the character in the story is alone in a spooky place, like an old house in the middle of nowhere, it amps up the scariness. Also, the use of the supernatural, such as ghosts or demons, can be really terrifying.
One really scary story is 'The Tell - Tale Heart' by Edgar Allan Poe. It's about a man who kills an old man because he can't stand the old man's vulture - like eye. After hiding the body under the floorboards, he starts to hear the heartbeat of the dead man, which drives him to insanity. It's scary because it shows how guilt can haunt a person.
Yes, they can be. The stories often play on our deepest fears. They might be about being alone in a dark place with an unknown danger, or facing something that defies explanation. The atmosphere created in the stories, with details about the setting and the characters' growing sense of dread, makes them genuinely scary in many cases.
Yes, many of them are really scary. The combination of the unknown facts and fictional elements creates a sense of unease. For example, some stories might be based on real - life mysteries and then add a spooky fictional twist to it, like stories about haunted places that are said to have some basis in historical events but with added horror elements to make them truly frightening.