Well, they usually have a strong element of mystery. The reader is left with questions that are often more terrifying than answers. In 'The Lottery', the reason behind the lottery is not fully explained and the whole ritual is so mysterious and cruel. They also use simple yet effective settings. A dark road in 'The Hitchhiker' or a creepy old house can set the mood very quickly without a lot of description. And they can have a sudden and shocking ending, like the unexpected death in 'The Monkey's Paw'.
One popular story could be about a haunted house. There might be strange noises at night, like creaking floors and whispering voices. The children in the story might go to explore the house out of curiosity and then encounter spooky apparitions. Another could be a story of a cursed object, like a doll that seems to move on its own and causes bad luck to whoever possesses it.
There was a boy staying at an old, haunted inn. As he lay in bed, he heard a soft whispering. He couldn't make out the words, but it sounded menacing. He turned on the light, but it flickered and went out. He closed his eyes tight and kept repeating positive thoughts. Eventually, he fell asleep out of exhaustion. In the morning, he learned that the whispering was just the old pipes in the inn making noise.
Well, often it's the unknown. For example, in many of these stories, there are elements like the supernatural that we can't fully understand. It scares us because it's outside of our normal experience.
In most cases, they are suitable. The 'book of short scary stories' probably contains a variety of tales, some with more psychological scares and others with more traditional horror elements like ghosts or monsters. As long as the teenager has an interest in the horror genre, they should be able to enjoy these stories without being overly traumatized.
Yes. 'The Yellow Wallpaper' is a good example of a scary short story. It tells the story of a woman who slowly descends into madness while being confined in a room with yellow wallpaper. In terms of scary fictions, Stephen King's works are great. For instance, 'Carrie' is a famous one. A bullied girl discovers she has telekinetic powers and uses them for revenge in a very bloody and scary way.
😋I don't recommend reading overly scary short stories, but if you really want to read them, the following books might satisfy your needs:
Crafty House, The Ring, Dark Specter, Haunted House, and I'm About to Come Out. I hope you like this fairy's recommendation. Muah ~😗
One scary short story could be 'The Tell - Tale Heart' by Edgar Allan Poe. It's about a man who kills an old man because he can't stand the old man's 'evil eye'. After hiding the body under the floorboards, he starts to hear the old man's heart still beating, which drives him insane. Another is 'The Monkey's Paw'. A family gets a magical monkey paw that can grant wishes, but every wish comes with a horrible price. For example, they wish for money and their son dies at work so they get a compensation payment.
In another story, a man was carving pumpkins on Halloween. As he was about to finish, he heard a scratching sound at the window. He thought it was just a branch, but when he looked up, he saw a face with long, sharp teeth pressed against the glass. He dropped the carving tool and ran to his bedroom, locking the door behind him, and spent the rest of the night in fear.