scary short story scary fiction

One factor is the atmosphere. A dark, gloomy and tense atmosphere can immediately put the reader on edge. For example, in 'The Tell - Tale Heart', Poe uses descriptions of the old man's room at night and the slow, stealthy movements of the narrator to create a sense of dread. Another is the element of the unknown. When the reader doesn't know what's going to happen next or what the true nature of the horror is, it's much scarier. Like in 'The Call of Cthulhu', the vast and incomprehensible nature of the cosmic horror is what makes it so effective.

One night, I was walking alone in the forest. The moon was hidden by the thick clouds, and the only sound was the wind whistling through the trees. Suddenly, I heard a low growl behind me. I turned around, but saw nothing. As I quickened my pace, the growling grew louder. I started to run, my heart pounding in my chest. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a pair of red eyes following me. I knew I had to get out of the forest alive.

Once upon a time, in a small, isolated town, there was an old, abandoned house at the end of a dark alley. One night, a young girl named Lily was dared by her friends to go inside. As she entered, the door slammed shut behind her. The air was cold and stale. She heard strange whispers and the creaking of floorboards as if something was slowly approaching. In a panic, she tried to find a way out, but every door she opened led to a darker, more terrifying room filled with shadows that seemed to move on their own. Finally, she found a small window and managed to squeeze through just as a cold hand brushed her ankle.

A girl finds an old, mysterious diary in the attic of her new home. As she starts reading it, she discovers that it was written by a girl who lived in the house decades ago. The diary reveals that the girl was into some dark magic and made a deal with an evil entity. Now, as the current girl reads the diary, she starts experiencing strange events. Things in her room move on their own, and she has nightmares of the entity from the diary coming to get her.

Late at night, I was driving on a lonely road. Fog was starting to roll in. My radio started to act up, making strange noises. Up ahead, I saw a figure standing in the middle of the road. I slammed on the brakes. As the fog cleared a bit, I could see it was a woman in a white dress, but she had no face. She started walking towards my car and I quickly reversed and sped away, my heart pounding in my chest.

One idea could be a story about an old, abandoned house at the end of a dark lane. A young girl, curious about the rumors surrounding it, decides to enter. Once inside, she hears strange whispers and feels cold hands on her shoulders, but when she turns around, there's no one there. As she explores further, she discovers a locked room with a faint red glow seeping from under the door.

There was a cemetery at the end of a long, winding road. A young man, curious about the old tombstones, decided to visit at midnight. As he walked among the graves, he heard a soft scraping sound. Looking around, he saw a figure in a tattered white dress emerging from an open grave. Her face was pale and her eyes were empty. She slowly moved towards him, moaning. The man tried to run, but his feet felt like they were stuck in the mud. The ghostly figure got closer and closer, until he could feel her cold breath on his neck.

The use of atmosphere can make a short story really scary. If you set the scene in a dark, abandoned place like an old cemetery or a deserted house, it immediately gives off an eerie feeling. Additionally, having relatable characters who are in danger makes the reader more invested in the story. When bad things start to happen to them, the reader can imagine themselves in that situation, which is terrifying. For instance, a story about a person alone in a haunted forest at night, lost and hearing strange howls. The combination of the setting, the vulnerability of the character, and the mystery of the howls all contribute to the scariness.

Often, they have a quick - paced plot. Since they are short, they need to get to the scares fast. For instance, they might start with a strange event right at the beginning to hook the reader.

One characteristic is the quick build - up of suspense. Since they are short, they need to draw the reader in fast. For example, in 'The Monkey's Paw', the idea of the magical paw and the immediate wish - making start the suspense right away. Another is the use of vivid and disturbing imagery. In 'The Tell - Tale Heart', the description of the old man's eye is very creepy. Also, they often have unexpected endings, like in 'The Lottery' where the whole concept of the lottery being a death sentence is a shock.