The world's shortest horror novel was written by a Japanese author with only 99 words. The name of the novel was " The Beheaded Queen ". It told the story of a queen who killed someone out of jealousy and was killed by her own beheaded queen. The short story of a creepy story left a deep impression on everyone.
One example could be 'I opened my eyes. They were still there.' It gives a sense of something menacing that persists even when the person wakes up, creating a quick jolt of horror.
Another way to look at it is that these short horror stories play on our primal fears. Consider 'The mirror showed no reflection.' Mirrors are often associated with self - identity, and not seeing a reflection is against our normal experience, which makes it very scary. It could symbolize a loss of self or the presence of something supernatural that blocks the reflection.
One example of 'the world shortest horror story' could be 'She opened the closet. Eyes stared back.' It's short but effective. The image of eyes staring from the closet is a classic horror trope. It invokes the fear of what might be hidden in the dark, enclosed space of the closet, and the unknown entity behind those eyes.
The simplicity. It can quickly jolt your mind. For example, if it's something like 'The last man on earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock on the door.' It plays on our fear of the unknown. Who could be knocking when there's supposed to be no one else? It leaves a lot to our imagination and that's what makes it so terrifying.
One interpretation could be that it creates a sense of dread in a very concise way. For example, if the story is just 'The last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock on the door.' It makes you wonder who or what could be knocking when there's supposedly no one else left. It plays on our fear of the unknown and isolation.
One possible interpretation could be that it refers to a horror story that is extremely concise in terms of length. Maybe it's just a few words that manage to convey a truly terrifying concept, like 'The last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock on the door.' It leaves a lot to the imagination and creates horror through the unknown and the sense of impending danger.
Well, it might be related to a sense of impending doom. In a really short horror story, it could be something like 'She woke up. Her reflection was missing in the mirror.' This plays on our fear of the unknown and the abnormal, leaving a lot to the imagination.