The history of the hotel. Many times, hotels in these stories have a dark past. Maybe there was a murder there long ago, or a series of disappearances. The thought that the place is tainted by these events makes it a perfect setting for a scary story. We start to wonder if the past is somehow still present, if the victims' spirits are still trapped in the hotel, waiting to make their presence known to the new guests.
The isolation in the hotel. When you're in a big, empty hotel, it gives a sense of being cut off from the outside world. The long, dimly lit corridors with doors that seem to lead to unknown places can be really scary. And the idea that there could be something lurking in the shadows, perhaps an old guest who never left or a malevolent spirit that haunts the place.
The element of surprise. He often shows up unexpectedly in the story, popping out when the characters least expect it. This catches both the characters in the story and the readers off - guard, heightening the sense of fear.
The unknown aspect makes the dark Harold scary stories so scary. We don't really know who or what Harold fully is. Is he a ghost, a demon, or something else? This mystery creates fear.
The unknown elements in 21 scary stories often make them frightening. When we don't know what's lurking in the dark or what will happen next, it creates fear.
Often, it's the combination of elements. It could be the setting, like a dark and isolated place in the stories. And the characters' vulnerability. If the main character in one of the 7 stories is all alone in a spooky old mansion with no way to escape, that's pretty frightening. Also, the use of suspense, like when the story builds up to a big scare moment but keeps you in suspense for a while.
The unknown. In dark stories, there are often things that are not fully explained. It's like a shadow in the corner of your eye that you can't quite make out. That uncertainty is what sends shivers down your spine.
The unknown. In a scary story, not knowing what's going to happen next or what the strange thing really is makes it scary. For instance, if there's a noise in the attic, but you don't know if it's a ghost or just a rat, the mystery creates fear.
The element of the unknown. In these stories, things happen that can't be easily explained. It's like a strange noise in the middle of the night with no obvious source. That makes our minds race with all kinds of scary possibilities.
The element of the unknown. For example, when there are strange noises in a story but no clear explanation of what's causing them. It makes the reader's imagination run wild, which is a big part of what makes it scary.
The way they play on our fears. A lot of the stories in '50 scary stories' involve common fears such as the fear of the dark, being alone, or something evil lurking just out of sight. They build up the tension slowly, making you feel more and more on edge until the big scare comes. For instance, there are stories where a character is home alone at night and starts to notice small, unexplainable things happening around them, like doors opening slightly by themselves. This gradually makes the reader or listener feel very uneasy. Another aspect is the use of vivid descriptions. When the author describes a spooky location, like a decrepit old cemetery with broken tombstones and mist swirling around, it really sets the mood and makes it scarier.
The stories in '67 scary stories' are often frightening because they play on our deepest fears. Fears of the dark, of being alone, of the supernatural. For instance, a story where a person is alone in a big, empty building at night and starts to feel that there are other 'things' there with them. It builds up the tension and makes our hair stand on end. Also, the vivid descriptions in the stories make the scary scenes seem real. They describe the coldness of a haunted place, the creepy sounds, and the menacing atmosphere in such detail that it's easy to get scared just by reading it.