The main characteristic is brevity. With just two sentences, they can create a sense of horror. For example, they often introduce a spooky situation or an unexplainable event very quickly. Like 'I opened the attic door. A cold hand grabbed my wrist from the darkness.'
They rely on creating mystery. For instance, they might mention a strange sound or an unexplained sight, leaving the reader to fill in the blanks. This makes the reader's imagination an important part of the horror experience. It's not about spelling out every detail but rather giving just enough to make you shiver. For example, a story could say 'The cellar door was ajar. A strange smell wafted from within.' You immediately start to wonder what's in the cellar and what could be causing that smell.
They are concise. Just two sentences can convey a lot of fear.
They are concise. For example, 'I saw a face in the window. It grinned as I ran away.' They quickly set a spooky mood in just two sentences.
They often rely on the unexpected. Like 'The painting on the wall changed. It showed my future death.' The sudden and strange event in the first sentence is then made even more disturbing by the second sentence. This makes the reader's mind race with questions and a feeling of dread.
They are concise. Each story gets straight to the point of being scary without a lot of extra details.
One that stands out is 'The footsteps followed me up the stairs. When I reached the top, I heard them right behind me.' This story builds tension as the footsteps keep getting closer. It gives the feeling of being hunted, and the reader can easily put themselves in the shoes of the person in the story, imagining the panic of being chased up the stairs with no escape in sight. The simplicity of the two sentences makes it even more effective in creating fear.
Here is another one. 'The old house was empty for years. When I entered, I heard a child's laughter that chilled my bones. It was just me there.'
One effective one is 'I was home alone. Then I heard a voice whispering my name from the empty basement.' It gives an immediate sense of dread as being alone at home is a common situation and an unexplained voice is very creepy.
Most scary horror short stories often have a sense of the unknown. They leave a lot to the imagination. For example, in 'The Tell - Tale Heart', the narrator's madness is not fully explained, and the reader is left to wonder what really drove him to such extremes. Another characteristic is a build - up of suspense. In 'The Monkey's Paw', the wishes are made one by one, and with each wish, the tension rises as the characters don't know what horror will befall them next.
As I passed the cemetery at midnight, a hand reached out from behind a gravestone, trying to grab my ankle.