The use of suspense. By keeping the readers in the dark about what will happen next, it creates a sense of unease.
The unknown. In 'Tailypo', the strange creature is not fully understood. It creates fear because we don't know what it can really do. Also, the idea of something coming back for revenge, like in the 'Tailypo' story, is scary.
The mystery. For 'Bloody Mary', not knowing if the ritual will actually summon something is scary. In other stories too, the unknown elements are frightening. Like in a haunted house story, we don't know what's making those noises.
She's frightening because she first pretends to be loving and then turns out to be extremely controlling and menacing. She wants to trap the main character in a false world, which is a very scary concept as it means losing one's freedom and being in a place that seems nice but is actually full of danger.
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 scary stories in unit 522 often involve elements that are out of our control. For example, a malevolent spirit or a cursed item. We can't easily get rid of these threats, and that makes the stories really frightening. The sense of powerlessness against the unknown horrors makes the fear more intense.
The power of the ocean itself. It can be so violent and unpredictable. In these stories, the ocean is often a backdrop for disasters like shipwrecks and drownings, which makes them more terrifying. For example, a story about a ship being caught in a sudden, huge storm in the middle of the ocean where there's no hope of rescue is really scary.
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.