Perhaps it was the strange noises that came from the cellar. Every night, they would hear a deep, rumbling sound, as if something huge and angry was trapped down there. And when they went to investigate, the door to the cellar would slam shut behind them, leaving them in complete darkness with that terrifying noise getting louder.
The scariest thing could be the feeling of being watched all the time. Even when they were alone in a room, they had this sense that there were eyes on them from every corner of the house.
The scariest thing could be seeing something that's not supposed to be there, like a strange face or a menacing figure. It gives a sense of invasion of privacy and immediate danger because it's so close, right on the other side of the door.
Shadows can change shape in a way that defies logic in a scary story. Imagine you're in a room and the shadow on the wall starts to twist and contort into grotesque forms. It could start as a simple human - like shape and then transform into a monster with long claws and a gaping maw. And there's no physical thing that seems to be causing this transformation. It makes you question reality and what could be lurking in the unseen, which is extremely frightening.
Once upon a time, there was a group of friends who decided to visit the old house they used to live in. As they entered, the air was thick with a musty smell. The creaking floors seemed to groan louder than they remembered. In the attic, they heard strange scratching noises. Suddenly, a cold wind blew through the hallway, and they saw a shadowy figure at the end. They ran out of the house as fast as they could, never to return again.
The scariest thing could be seeing unexplained apparitions. Just imagine seeing a figure that looks like a patient who passed away long ago suddenly appear in front of you in a dim hospital corridor. It gives you the chills.
The scariest thing could be the feeling of being watched when you're all alone in a strange hotel room. It gives you this sense of unease and makes you constantly look over your shoulder.
Her eyes. In a scary story, the girl's eyes in the photograph could be the scariest thing. They might seem to follow you around the room, or they could be filled with an unearthly glow, like she knows all your secrets and is judging you. It gives a feeling that she's not just a picture but has some sort of power over you.
The fact that it's an inanimate object coming to life. We expect toys like sock monkeys to just sit there, so when it starts to move on its own, it goes against all our normal expectations and is really creepy.
The unknown. In a dark dark house, not being able to see what's making those strange noises or seeing those fleeting shadows can be the scariest. It plays on our fear of the unknown, making our minds imagine all sorts of terrifying things.
The isolation. If something bad happens in a mountain top hotel, you're far from help. There's no easy way to escape, like if there are monsters or ghosts. You can't just run out onto a busy street. You're stuck up there with whatever is haunting the place.
Encountering a supernatural being. For example, a ghostly figure that haunts the woods. The hunter might see it out of the corner of his eye at first, thinking it's just his imagination. But as it gets closer and he realizes it defies all logic, like floating above the ground or having no face, it would send chills down his spine. This is something that goes beyond his understanding of the natural world.