The old doll in the attic blinked. Now it's sitting on my bed.
One 'Shitty 2 Sentence Horror Story' could be 'I woke up to find a handprint on my window. It was on the inside.' The horror here is the sudden realization that something or someone was inside the room, close enough to leave a handprint on the window, which is a very private and supposedly safe space. It gives a feeling of violation and immediate danger.
These stories work well as they often play on common fears. Things like the unknown, the dark, and things that seem out of place. Such as 'The clock stopped at midnight. Then I heard ticking from inside the walls.' It taps into our fear of something being wrong in a familiar place.
Story 1: I woke up to a cold hand on my face. When I turned on the light, no one was there.
I heard a baby crying in the attic. When I went up, I saw my old doll with a knife in its hand.
They're effective because they rely on the power of suggestion. For example, 'The doorbell rang at 3 am. No one was there when I opened it.' It makes your mind fill in the blanks. You start to wonder who or what rang the bell and why they disappeared so quickly. It's that sense of the unknown that scares us.
Here's another: 'The old doll in the attic blinked. I ran out and never went back.' This creates a sense of unease with the simple and unexpected actions. The blinking of the doll, which is an inanimate object, is very creepy.
One story could be: 'I woke up to a strange noise in the attic. When I went to check, a pair of glowing eyes stared back at me.'
I woke up in the middle of the night. A cold hand touched my face and whispered 'you're not alone'.
I woke up with a strange taste in my mouth. Looking in the mirror, I saw my teeth were gone, replaced by jagged shards of bone.
She heard a knock at the door. Opening it, she saw her own face staring back at her with empty eyes.