What makes a good scary story?

A good horror story aims to scare, shock, or repulse the audience, and can include many elements to achieve this: Atmosphere and tone: The setting, imagery, and choice of words can create an unsettling mood from the start. Suspense and tension: Keep the audience guessing about what will happen next. Vulnerable characters: Make the characters empathetic and relatable so the audience can worry for them when danger arises. Creative monsters or villains: Create original and frightening antagonists that are credible threats but not silly. Blurring reality: Make the line between reality and unreality unclear so the audience questions what's happening. Psychological elements: Explore the minds of the characters as they deal with fear and madness. You can use unreliable narrators to keep readers guessing about what's real and what's imagined.