They are common because they play on our fears of the unknown. Little girls can seem unpredictable, and in these stories, they often have some hidden or supernatural element. In many horror movies with scary little girl characters, like 'The Conjuring' series, the little girl's actions are often linked to some dark force that we don't fully understand. It's this mystery combined with the vulnerability that little girls are supposed to represent that makes these stories so prevalent. Also, it could be related to the idea that children are closer to the spiritual world in some beliefs, so a little girl being involved in something spooky seems more believable.
One popular scary little girl story is 'The Ring'. There's a little girl named Samara who has a very disturbing presence. She crawls out of the TV in a really creepy way. Another is 'The Grudge', where the little girl Toshio's sister, Kayako, is part of a terrifying curse. Her appearance with long black hair covering her face is quite spooky. And 'The Orphan' also has a rather unnerving little girl character. Esther seems sweet at first but has a dark secret.
Darkness is a prevalent element. In most of these stories, it's often at night when the scary things happen. The lack of light adds to the mystery and fear. For instance, the little girl seeing the glowing eyes in the attic in the dark. Darkness hides things from our view, and our imagination fills in the blanks with all kinds of terrifying possibilities.
One story is about a little girl who died in a house fire. Her ghost haunts the ruins of the old house. People passing by at night often hear her sobbing and see a small figure in the ashes.
One little girl scary story is about a girl who moved into an old house. Every night, she heard strange scratching noises coming from the attic. When she finally went up to check, she saw a pair of glowing eyes in the dark. She ran out of the attic, but the noises followed her. She was so scared that she didn't sleep well for weeks.
One element is the feeling of being alone and not really belonging in a new place, like a foster home. For example, if the girl is in a big, old house and she's the only one who hears strange noises, it makes the story scary. Another element could be secrets in the house. Maybe there are locked rooms or hidden objects that hold some dark past related to the house or previous residents.
Well, often in these stories, the little girl's death was tragic, like being murdered or dying in a horrible accident. So, the idea of her spirit being trapped in this world, full of pain and confusion, is really scary. Also, the image of a small, vulnerable figure that can appear and disappear at will adds to the fear. For example, if you see a grown - up ghost, it might be less creepy in a way compared to a little girl's ghost because we expect adults to be more capable. But a little girl's ghost seems more helpless yet also has this otherworldly power, which is a terrifying combination.
I once heard a story about a fostered little girl who moved into an old, creaky house. At night, she would hear strange whispers coming from the attic. One day, she found an old diary up there that told of a tragic event that happened in the house long ago. It was so spooky that she could hardly sleep at night.
Maybe the little girl discovers that her foster parents are not what they seem. At night, they lock her in her room and she can hear strange chanting coming from downstairs. When she tries to peek through the keyhole, she sees them performing a ritual around a pentagram drawn on the floor. She realizes that they are planning to use her as a sacrifice in some sort of dark magic ritual, which is extremely terrifying.