It's possible that there is a group of friends. Each friend has their own personality, like one being the skeptic, one being overly superstitious, and they all get drawn into the scary situations together. As they face the horrors, their relationships are tested and they learn more about themselves and each other.
Maybe an old hermit who has some knowledge about the dark secrets in the stories. He could be a bit of an enigma, with a past that is slowly revealed as the story progresses.
There could be a brave young girl who ventures into the unknown to solve the mystery of the spooky happenings.
Perhaps there is a story about a forest that is rumored to be haunted. People who enter it often disappear without a trace. The descriptions of the dark, foreboding forest and the mystery surrounding the disappearances make it a great story. The author might use vivid language to describe the spooky atmosphere, like how the trees seem to reach out with their gnarled branches as if to grab the unwary traveler.
One scary sleepover story could be about a haunted doll. A group of friends at a sleepover found an old doll in the attic. During the night, they heard strange giggling coming from the doll. When they looked at it, its eyes seemed to follow them around the room. They were so scared that they locked the doll in a closet, but the giggling continued until morning.
One such story is 'The Haunted Mirror'. A girl bought an old mirror at a thrift store. Every night, she would see a faint figure in the mirror that seemed to be getting closer. One day, she noticed scratch marks on the mirror from the inside. Terrified, she threw the mirror out, but that night, she saw the figure standing at the foot of her bed.
There are many different main characters across the stories. In one story, it's a young girl who discovers a strange portal in her attic.
The isolation. When you're on night shift, there are often fewer people around. So if something strange happens, you feel like you're all alone and there's no immediate help. It's like being in a bubble of fear.
The use of atmosphere in the one scary stories is a big factor. Dark, gloomy settings, like an abandoned asylum or a fog - covered cemetery, immediately set a spooky mood. Also, the characters' helplessness against the scary elements adds to the spookiness. When they can't find a way to escape the horror, it makes the reader or listener feel on edge.
I'm not sure specifically as I haven't read every single story in it. But usually in scary stories, there are often victims or protagonists who find themselves in the middle of the horror.
I'm not entirely sure as I haven't read every story in detail, but often in scary stories like these, there are likely to be ordinary people who find themselves in extraordinary and terrifying situations. Maybe a hiker who encounters something strange in the woods, or a family who moves into a haunted house.
Since the title mentions the stars, there could be a character who is an astronomer or someone with a deep fascination for the cosmos. This character might be on a quest related to the stars, using the night train as a means to reach their destination or fulfill their dreams.
The main character is Greg Heffley. He's the one through whose eyes we experience all the spooky events. His family, especially his older brother Rodrick who likes to play pranks that sometimes turn into really spooky situations for Greg, are also key characters. Additionally, his friend Rowley, who often gets dragged into Greg's adventures, whether spooky or not, is another important character in 'Wimpy Kid Spooky Stories'.