One common element is the inhumane treatment. Captors often use physical and psychological abuse against the prisoners of war. Another is the lack of basic necessities like food, water, and proper shelter.
Well, in pow horror stories, a frequent element is the power imbalance. The captors hold all the power, and the prisoners are completely at their mercy. There are also often tales of cruel experiments, where the prisoners are used as guinea pigs. And the environment is usually very harsh, with either extreme cold or heat adding to the prisoners' misery.
Common elements in pow horror stories include isolation. Prisoners are often cut off from the outside world, making them feel hopeless. Also, there is the threat of death at all times, whether it's from direct violence, disease, or starvation. The captors' complete disregard for the prisoners' human rights is also a typical aspect.
Another aspect was the lack of communication. POWs were cut off from the outside world. They didn't know if their families knew they were alive or what was happening in the war. This isolation added to their sense of hopelessness and made their captivity even more of a horror.
A pow horror story might involve a situation where the pow camp was in a disease - ridden area. The prisoners were constantly exposed to various deadly diseases due to the lack of proper sanitation. There were no medical supplies to treat the sick, and the captors didn't care if they lived or died. The prisoners watched helplessly as their comrades succumbed to the diseases one by one.
Fear of death is a big element in horror stories. The threat of death, whether it's from a serial killer or a supernatural force, is always present. Also, there's often a sense of helplessness. The characters find themselves in situations where they seem to have little control over what's happening to them. For instance, in 'The Blair Witch Project', the characters are lost in the woods and being hunted by an unknown entity. There's also the use of suspense. Writers build up the tension by delaying the reveal of the horror, making the readers or viewers more and more anxious as the story progresses.
Horror stories often feature a protagonist who is in over their head. They might start out as an ordinary person, like in 'Rosemary's Baby' where Rosemary is just a normal woman, but then they are thrust into a terrifying situation. Settings also play a big role. Abandoned asylums, cemeteries, and old mansions are common settings in horror stories as they have an air of mystery and danger already associated with them.
Isolation. Often, in IT horror stories, the characters are isolated. For example, a lone system administrator might be the only one in the server room when something strange starts to happen with the servers. Another common element is the loss of control. The technology that is supposed to be under human control suddenly starts acting on its own, like a self - driving car going berserk in an IT - related horror scenario.
One of the best pow stories could be about a small community that came together to build a sustainable power source. They might have used renewable energy like solar or wind power. The people in the community learned new skills, and it not only powered their homes but also brought them closer together as they worked towards a common goal.
Food quality issues are common. For example, finding bugs or foreign objects in the food.
Another is the discovery of strange or disturbing behavior during the date. Like the person having extreme mood swings or being overly possessive. For example, suddenly getting angry for no reason or acting like they own the other person right away.
Some common ones could be 'Pow! You're outta here!' or 'Pow! That was a knockout punch.'
Misleading language. For example, using words like 'free' or 'unlimited' in the CTA but then having restrictions later.