For novels like 'Salem's Lot', it's the transformation of a normal town into a place full of vampires. The slow takeover, the people you know turning into blood - sucking creatures, and the feeling of being trapped in a place where evil is spreading. Also, King's vivid descriptions make it seem so real, as if it could be your own town that gets infected.
For his scariest novels like 'It', the ability to tap into universal fears is key. Fear of the unknown, fear of something lurking in the shadows. Pennywise represents that unknowable evil that can be anywhere. Also, the detailed descriptions of the town and the sewers where It hides make it seem more real and thus scarier.
For his scariest novels like 'It', the fear of the unknown is a big factor. We don't fully understand the true nature of It. Also, the vulnerability of the children characters makes it scarier as we naturally want to protect the young. And the fact that It can be anywhere, hidden in the sewers or disguised as something friendly, is truly terrifying.
In 'The Shining', the setting plays a huge role. The large, empty, and haunted hotel. The long corridors and the feeling that something is always watching. Also, Jack's transformation from a normal father and husband to a crazed killer adds to the horror. It shows how isolation and the power of the hotel's evil can break a person.
For many of his scariest stories, it's the way he taps into our deepest fears. Like in 'It', the fear of the unknown and of things that go bump in the night. He also creates really vivid and disturbing characters. In 'The Shining', Jack Torrance's transformation is both believable and horrifying.
The way he creates a sense of unease. His vivid descriptions of ordinary places turning into something menacing. For example, in some stories, a simple small town becomes a place full of hidden horrors.
The psychological depth. Stephen King has a knack for getting into the minds of his characters. In his scariest short stories, he often explores the darkest corners of the human psyche. For example, in 'The Mist', the fear of the unknown and the breakdown of society under extreme circumstances play on our deepest insecurities.
In 'Pet Sematary', it's the distortion of something as natural as death and the afterlife. We expect death to be final, but when that's subverted and the dead return in a wrong way, it messes with our fundamental beliefs. King is a master at taking normal things and making them into sources of horror. He also has a great way of creating a sense of unease and building suspense throughout the story. For instance, in 'The Shining', the slow descent of the father into madness as they are isolated in the hotel is a gradual build - up of horror that keeps the readers on the edge of their seats.
Stephen King is a master at creating psychological horror. In novels like 'Misery', he gets into the minds of his characters and the reader. The sense of helplessness and the slow build - up of tension are what make his books so terrifying. He also doesn't shy away from the dark and disturbing aspects of human nature, which adds to the horror. For instance, in 'Carrie', the bullying and the resulting revenge are both very dark elements. He also has a great ability to create monsters that are both physical and symbolic, like Pennywise in 'It', which represents the fears of childhood and beyond.
Take 'The Boogeyman'. It's terrifying because it taps into a very common childhood fear - the fear of the monster in the closet. King has a way of taking these simple, relatable fears and making them seem very real. The way he describes the boogeyman's presence, the sounds it makes, and the sense of helplessness of the characters makes it a truly scary read.
The idea of being trapped in a small room with an inescapable horror. You can't just run away easily.