What are the most terrifying elements in dark creepy stories?
Isolation is also a key element. When a character is alone in a big, old, spooky place, like a mansion in the middle of nowhere. There's no one to turn to for help, and the feeling of being watched intensifies. It makes the character, and the reader, feel vulnerable. For example, a girl staying alone in a haunted house and hearing footsteps approaching but having no way to escape.
Supernatural elements are very terrifying. In many dark creepy stories, there are ghosts, demons, or otherworldly creatures. These entities often defy the laws of nature. For instance, a spirit that can pass through walls or a demon that can possess a person's body, making them do things against their will. These elements create a sense of dread and unease as they are outside of our normal understanding of the world.
The unknown is often the most terrifying. In dark creepy stories, things like strange noises in the middle of the night that you can't identify. It could be a creaking floorboard, but in the context of the story, it might be something much more sinister, like a ghostly presence.