In an old city, there was a girl named Alice. She often heard strange sounds and footsteps around the city, but she did not know where they came from. Until she found a masked man who had been following her and seemed to be trying to invite her to join a secret organization.
I opened the fridge and saw a severed finger among the vegetables.
My reflection waved at me. This is extremely creepy because our reflection is supposed to be just that - a reflection. When it takes on a life of its own and waves, it shatters the normal perception we have of ourselves in the mirror. It makes you question what is really on the other side of the mirror, as if there is an alternate and perhaps malevolent version of you.
She always sleeps with one eye open. Tonight, she realized she was the only one in the house.
The first one: I woke up in the middle of the night to a noise downstairs. When I looked down from the top of the stairs, I saw my own face staring back at me. Another one: She heard a knock on the door. When she opened it, there was nothing but a cold handprint on the doorknob.
One factor is the element of the unknown. For example, in the story 'I heard a knock at the door. No one was there when I opened it.', not knowing who or what made the knock creates fear. It plays on our natural curiosity and fear of the unexpected.
I entered the empty school building at midnight and heard the sound of a child crying from an empty classroom. It sent chills down my spine. I didn't dare to go closer to find out what it was.
I find 'The photo on the wall changed. My dead grandmother was now smiling.' quite disturbing. It combines the normalcy of a photo on the wall with the unexpected and eerie change. A photo is supposed to be a static memory, but when it changes in such a strange way, it makes you feel like there are forces at work that we can't understand.
They're effective because they leave a lot to the imagination. For example, 'The old doll in the attic turned its head.' It makes you wonder what will happen next, and your mind fills in the blanks with all kinds of terrifying scenarios.
I was alone in the school gym. A cold hand touched my shoulder, but when I turned, there was no one there.
The idea that an ordinary object like a see - saw can be possessed or cursed is quite terrifying. It subverts our normal perception of the world. We expect see - saws to be harmless playthings, but in a horror story, it can become a source of great fear. Also, any physical sensations like a cold touch while on the see - saw, or a feeling of being watched by something unseen that is somehow connected to the see - saw.