The appearance of the supernatural beings themselves can be really scary. The ghostly figure in the story with the old tree, with its sad face and old - fashioned uniform, is an eerie sight. It gives a sense of something that doesn't belong in the normal world, and its sudden appearance can send chills down anyone's spine.
Isolation also plays a big part. When students are alone in a large, empty school building, like in the basement exploration story, they feel cut off from help. This makes every little sound or strange occurrence seem much more frightening because they have no one to turn to immediately.
The apparitions are really scary. Like the White Lady, just the sight of a ghostly figure in white can send shivers down one's spine.
Supernatural elements are really frightening. In high school horror stories, things like ghosts or curses add to the scariness. The idea that there are forces beyond our understanding at work in a place that should be safe and normal, like a high school, is quite disturbing. For instance, the cursed locker story shows how something as ordinary as a locker can become a source of great fear due to a supposed curse.
The unknown is the scariest. In 'as is horror stories', things are often left in their natural state, so you don't really know what's lurking in the shadows or what's causing those strange noises. It's that sense of not having all the answers that makes it terrifying.
Isolation is also a key element. When characters are alone in a spooky place, like an abandoned asylum in one of the stories. They have no one to turn to, and that makes the situation even more terrifying as the horror unfolds around them.
The unknown is one of the scariest elements. When things are not clearly defined, like a strange figure in the fog in some stories from '1001 horror stories', it makes our imagination run wild. We start to create the most terrifying scenarios in our minds.
The scariest element could be the sense of the unknown. For example, in many stories, there are strange noises or happenings that the characters can't explain. It's that not - knowing what is causing the fear that really gets to you.
The isolation in many of the stories is really scary. Like when a character is alone in an old, abandoned building, cut off from the outside world, and they start to feel like they're being watched by something malevolent. There's also the fear of the supernatural, such as ghosts or demons that defy the laws of nature. This makes the characters, and the readers, feel powerless against them.
For me, it's when there are supernatural - like elements in school trip horror stories. Say you're staying in an old inn on a school trip and you hear unexplained voices at night. Or you see strange apparitions. It makes you question what's real and what's not, and that's really terrifying.
There was an ace school where there was a strange old tree in the courtyard. Legend had it that if you walked around it thirteen times at midnight, a ghostly figure would appear. One brave student decided to test it. After walking around the tree the required number of times, a misty form emerged from the ground. The figure was dressed in old - fashioned school uniform and had a sad look on its face. It then started to float towards the student, who ran away in terror.
The sudden movement of the LPS toys when they're not supposed to be able to move is really scary. It goes against what we know about them as inanimate objects.