The origin of the hair used in the braid weave can be a very spooky element. If there's a suspicion that the hair came from an unethical or even a cursed source, it adds a whole new level of horror. Maybe it was taken from a person who met a tragic end, and now their negative energy is somehow transferred to the person wearing the braid weave.
One horror story could be about a girl who got a braid weave done cheaply at a dodgy salon. At night, she felt something crawling in her hair. When she looked in the mirror, she saw small bugs emerging from the weave. It was a nightmare as she tried to rip it out in a panic.
One way to weave horror stories is to start with a spooky setting. For example, an old, abandoned mansion on a dark and stormy night. Then, introduce a strange or menacing character, like a shadowy figure that lurks in the corners. Build suspense by having unexplained events occur, such as strange noises or objects moving on their own. You can also play with the psychological fears of the characters, like their deepest secrets being exposed or their sanity slowly slipping away.
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 sudden movement of the LPS toys when they're not supposed to be able to move is really scary. It goes against what we know about them as inanimate objects.
The unknown and the supernatural. Take the Black Shuck for instance. A huge, black spectral dog just appearing out of nowhere is terrifying. There's no rational explanation for such a thing, and that's what makes it so spooky in UK horror stories.
The loss of control. When someone is hypnotized, they are in a vulnerable state. In horror stories, this often means they can be made to do things against their will, like harming themselves or others, which is really scary.