The scariest part is the idea of the vengeful spirit in the story. It represents something that cannot be reasoned with and has malicious intent towards the innocent child. Also, the cliff itself being a cursed place adds to the overall scariness. It gives the impression that the land itself is out to harm the child.
The most terrifying element is often the loss of a child's innocence. For example, when a child starts to show signs of extreme fear or paranoia that are not typical for their age. It's scary to see them so affected.
The 'Child of the Cliff' story goes like this. There was a small child in a village near a cliff. The cliff was said to be cursed. One evening, the child felt an irresistible pull towards the cliff. When the child reached the edge, a figure emerged from the mist below. It was a ghostly form of a previous child who had fallen off the cliff years ago. The new child was so frightened that they ran all the way home and never went near the cliff again.
Relatability can also be a key factor. If a scary story touches on common fears like the fear of death, the dark, or being alone, it can be scarier. For instance, stories about being home alone at night and hearing strange noises play on our real - life fears. We can easily put ourselves in the shoes of the characters, and that makes the horror more palpable. It makes the scariest scary story one that really gets under our skin.
The unknown is often the scariest element. In a crybaby scary story, when the crybaby starts crying and strange things happen, not knowing what will come next or what is causing those things can be really terrifying. For example, in the story where the crybaby's crying summons a shadow - not knowing what the shadow will do or if it can harm the crybaby.
The scariest elements often include the unknown. For example, in a Janna story, strange noises in the dark can be terrifying. You don't know what is making those noises, whether it's a monster or something supernatural.
The scariest element could be the sense of the familiar turned strange. For example, when Mickey's usual happy - go - lucky environment like a park or a castle becomes dark and haunted. It's unexpected and makes the fear more intense.
The sudden appearance of a coyote can be terrifying. When you least expect it, like when you're alone in a desolate area and suddenly see a coyote's eyes in the dark or its form emerging from the bushes. Also, their aggression. If a coyote decides to attack, it can be very menacing with its sharp teeth and quick movements.
The unexpected change in the sister's behavior can be really scary. For example, if a sister who is usually kind and gentle suddenly becomes cold and menacing. Another scary element is when the sister is involved in something supernatural like seeing ghosts or being possessed. It gives a sense of dread because it's something that's out of the ordinary and often beyond our understanding.
The feeling of being watched. When you hear a knock, you might get the sense that there is someone or something out there observing you, just waiting for you to open the door. This can be extremely unsettling. For example, if you look out and see nothing, but then feel a presence, it plays on our primal fears of the unknown.
The unknown is one of the scariest elements. We don't really know what happened around dolmens in the past, so it's easy to imagine all sorts of spooky things. For example, they could be places where ancient rituals took place, and that sense of mystery makes it scary.