The lack of modern forensic techniques back then also adds to the scariness. In the Black Dahlia case, without the advanced DNA analysis and other tools we have today, it was much harder to solve the case. The killer could have gotten away with it more easily, and that thought is quite frightening as it makes you realize how vulnerable people were back then.
One common element is the element of mystery. Often in these stories, the identity of the killer is unknown or hard to figure out, like in the case of Jack the Ripper. Another is the brutality of the murders. For example, in the Lizzie Borden case, the use of an axe to brutally kill her father and stepmother was very shocking. Also, the fear it spreads among the community. In the Zodiac Killer case, the whole of California was on edge, as people didn't know who could be the next victim.
The idea of the afterlife being so closely intertwined with our world in these stories. The shaman often bridges the gap between the living and the dead. When a shaman says that a ghost is lingering because it has unfinished business, it makes us think about our own lives and what might keep us in this world after death. It's a disturbing thought that makes these stories so scary.
Isolation can be a really scary part. Take the camping story, for example. When the man was alone in the woods with no one to help him if something bad happened, it made the situation much scarier. The feeling of being alone with a potential threat is very frightening.
The unknown is often the scariest element. In old creepy stories, things like a strange noise in the dark or a shadow that moves on its own. You don't know what's causing it, and your mind fills in the blanks with all kinds of terrifying possibilities.
Isolation is often a part of it too. For example, in stories where a person is alone in a haunted castle or a dark forest. They have no one to turn to for help, and that makes them more vulnerable to the creepy things that are going on. It gives a feeling of helplessness. Moreover, the idea of the supernatural breaking into the normal world is quite frightening. When a ghost or a monster shows up in an ordinary place, it disrupts the sense of safety we usually have in our daily lives.
The Jack the Ripper murders in London in 1888 are extremely crazy old murder stories. Jack the Ripper targeted prostitutes in the Whitechapel area. He killed at least five women in a very brutal way, often slashing their throats and mutilating their bodies. The mystery of his identity has never been fully solved. The police at the time received numerous letters, some supposedly from the killer himself, which added to the macabre and mysterious nature of the case.
The sense of being watched. In many of these stories, like the ones about haunted houses, people often feel like they're being watched by an unseen presence. It gives you a creepy feeling all over, like something is constantly observing you, waiting for the right moment to do something. And this feeling can be really intense, especially when you're alone in a supposedly haunted place.
A sense of the past coming back to haunt is quite terrifying. If there are secrets from the past between you and your old friend that resurface in a spooky way. For instance, if you had a shared experience as kids that was supposed to be forgotten but now seems to be causing all these strange occurrences. It makes you feel like you can't escape your history, and it's now taking a dark turn.
The shape - shifting nature of the Pooka is quite scary. You never know what form it will take and when it might lead you astray in the dark.
The mystery often makes them terrifying. Like in the case of the Zodiac Killer, his unknown identity and the unsolved ciphers he left behind create a sense of unease. Also, the brutality of the murders. Jack the Ripper's gruesome killings of women in London are shockingly violent.