The idea of mummies coming back to life. Mummies were once living people, and the thought that they could rise from their tombs with some sort of dark magic or curse is really scary.
The supernatural entities are very scary. For example, the Rakshasa. They are often depicted as having grotesque forms with fangs and claws, and they have an insatiable appetite for human flesh. Just the idea of such a creature lurking in the shadows is terrifying.
The mummies. Their preserved and often desiccated forms, wrapped in ancient bandages, are quite spooky. They represent the dead coming back to some form of existence, which is a classic horror trope.
The unknown is the scariest. In 'as is horror stories', things are often left in their natural state, so you don't really know what's lurking in the shadows or what's causing those strange noises. It's that sense of not having all the answers that makes it terrifying.
Isolation is also a key element. When characters are alone in a spooky place, like an abandoned asylum in one of the stories. They have no one to turn to, and that makes the situation even more terrifying as the horror unfolds around them.
The unknown is one of the scariest elements. When things are not clearly defined, like a strange figure in the fog in some stories from '1001 horror stories', it makes our imagination run wild. We start to create the most terrifying scenarios in our minds.
The scariest element could be the sense of the unknown. For example, in many stories, there are strange noises or happenings that the characters can't explain. It's that not - knowing what is causing the fear that really gets to you.
The isolation in many of the stories is really scary. Like when a character is alone in an old, abandoned building, cut off from the outside world, and they start to feel like they're being watched by something malevolent. There's also the fear of the supernatural, such as ghosts or demons that defy the laws of nature. This makes the characters, and the readers, feel powerless against them.
The idea of curses is really scary. Just like the curse associated with Tutankhamun's tomb. People thought that if you messed with the mummy, bad things would happen to you, and that's super spooky.
One well - known ancient Egyptian horror story involves the mummy's curse. It was said that those who disturbed the tombs of the pharaohs would be cursed. For example, when Howard Carter opened Tutankhamun's tomb, there were rumors of strange deaths among those involved. Some believed it was the wrath of the ancient Egyptian deities protecting the dead.
There was a story about a ghost that inhabited an old temple. This ghost was not of a human but of a demon - like entity that was accidentally released during a ritual gone wrong. It had the form of a shadowy figure with glowing eyes. Those who entered the temple at night were at risk of encountering this terrifying apparition. It was said to have the power to drain the life force of anyone it touched, and the screams of its victims could be heard echoing through the temple corridors.