A man was walking alone in the forest. The moon was full but the trees were too thick to let much light in. He heard rustling behind him. He started to run. But then he realized the rustling was all around him, closing in.
One: 'The mirror showed my reflection, but when I blinked, it didn't.' Another: 'I heard a knock at the door. When I opened it, no one was there, but the doorknob was cold as ice.'
One sentence horror story: The last person on earth sat alone in a room. Then there was a knock on the door.
One could be 'I entered the abandoned asylum. A cold hand grabbed my ankle.' Another is 'She thought she was alone. But the eyes in the mirror said otherwise.' These short horror stories create a sense of dread quickly with just two sentences.
One 'two sentance horror story' could be 'I always sleep with a nightlight. Last night, I woke up to find it was still on, but I was in complete darkness.' It's terrifying because the contradiction between the nightlight being on yet in complete darkness creates a sense of the unknown and a break in the expected reality.
One '2 sentance horror story' could be 'I woke up in the middle of the night. There was someone standing at the foot of my bed.' It's terrifying because the sudden realization of an unknown presence in your most private and vulnerable space, your bedroom at night, sends shivers down your spine. You don't know who it is or what they might do.
One night, I heard scratching at my window. I peeked out and saw a faceless figure. It vanished when I blinked.
I woke up in the middle of the night, and there was a figure at the foot of my bed with no face.
Well, it's all about the pacing. In a '5 sentence horror story', each sentence has to move the horror forward. The first sentence sets the scene, the second adds a bit of unease, the third builds more tension, the fourth takes it to a peak, and the fifth leaves you with a sense of dread. This tight structure doesn't give your mind a chance to relax, and that's what makes them so effective at sending shivers down your spine.
They are effective because they create immediate shock. Just one sentence can paint a very disturbing picture in your mind. For example, 'My reflection didn't move when I did.' It makes you wonder and feel unease right away.
I woke up in the middle of the night and saw a shadowy figure standing at the foot of my bed.