Dark and eerie settings play a big part. Think of an old, abandoned house in the middle of a forest at night. The creaking floors, the howling wind outside, and the dim light create a perfect backdrop for a very very very scary story.
One very scary ghost story is about an old, abandoned asylum. People say that at night, you can hear the screams of the patients who once suffered there. A group of teenagers once decided to explore it. As they walked through the dark corridors, cold hands seemed to touch their necks, and they saw shadowy figures moving around. They ran out in terror and never went back.
Use vivid descriptions. For instance, describe the monster in detail - its rotting flesh, its blood - red eyes, and its sharp claws. This will make the reader's imagination run wild.
A really scary ghost story involves an old cemetery. There's a particular grave there that is always cold, even on the hottest summer days. A groundskeeper once claimed that he saw a pair of glowing eyes emerging from the ground near that grave at night. He also heard a deep growling sound, as if something was trying to claw its way out from the underworld.
One very scary horror story is about a haunted house. People who enter it start to see apparitions of a family that was brutally murdered there long ago. They hear the screams of the victims and feel cold hands touching them in the dark.
One night, I heard a strange scratching at my window. I peeked out, but saw nothing. Then I heard it again, closer. Suddenly, a pale face stared back at me.
One example could be the story of 'The Bloody Mary'. It's about a girl who died in a tragic way. Legend has it that if you say her name three times in front of a mirror at midnight, she will appear and bring doom. Another is the story of the 'Headless Horseman'. He rides through the night looking for his lost head, and if he spots you, he might chase you down. And there's also the tale of the haunted asylum, where patients were tortured and their spirits still linger, causing strange noises and apparitions.
The sense of being watched. When a character in a ghost story feels like there are eyes on them, but they can't see anything, it creates a lot of tension. Also, the idea of something being out of place, like a cold spot in a warm room. It gives the feeling that there is an otherworldly presence. Ghost stories often play on our basic fears of the dark and the afterlife, making them very terrifying.
Unexpected twists can make a story very scary. For instance, when you think the main character has found safety, but then suddenly something even more terrifying happens. Also, the presence of malevolent entities like ghosts, demons, or monsters, especially when they have the ability to harm the characters, can make a story extremely scary.
Once upon a time, in an old, abandoned mansion on the outskirts of a small town, there was a creaking sound that could be heard every midnight. A young girl, curious about the place, decided to explore it one night. As she entered, the door slammed shut behind her. She heard whispers in the dark. Suddenly, a cold hand touched her shoulder. She turned around but saw nothing. The air grew colder and colder as she made her way through the dark corridors. Every step she took, the floorboards groaned as if they were alive. Then she saw a figure in the distance, a pale figure with glowing eyes. Terrified, she ran towards the front door, but it was locked. She was trapped with the unknown horror in that mansion.