The feeling of isolation. Usually, these stories take place on lonely roads, far from help. The driver is alone with this strange hitchhiker, and there's no one around to turn to if something goes wrong. It adds to the overall sense of dread and vulnerability.
The sudden and unexplained disappearances or strange happenings. For example, in many hitchhiker stories, the hitchhiker might vanish suddenly, or objects in the car start behaving oddly like the radio going haywire or the engine stopping without reason. This creates a sense of the supernatural and the feeling that there's some malevolent force at work.
The unknown and the sense of impending doom. In the story with the truck driver and the strange noises and the apparition, the hitchhiker had no idea what was going to happen next. The fear of the unknown, like whether the driver was a threat or if there were really ghosts, is a very scary aspect in these types of stories.
One common element is the strange appearance of the hitchhiker. They might have a pale face, wild eyes or disheveled hair. For example, in many stories, the hitchhiker looks like they've been through something traumatic. Another element is the eerie behavior. They could be silent for a long time and then suddenly start acting strangely, like mumbling or making odd noises. Also, there's often something abnormal about the situation, such as things in the car malfunctioning, like the radio going crazy, when the hitchhiker is present.
One common element is the lonely setting, like a dark, empty road. Another is the unexpected appearance of the hitchhiker. And of course, the sudden vanishing of the hitchhiker is a key element.
The hitchhiker in the story is so frightening because they seem to be connected to something otherworldly. There's an air of mystery around them. They might make references to things that the driver has no knowledge of, like strange places or events from the past or future. Their very existence seems to defy the normal order. For instance, they could disappear and reappear in the car, or leave behind strange marks or objects that have no explanation. All these things combined make the hitchhiker a very scary character in the story.
Well, in these stories, there's often an element of the unknown. For example, the hitchhikers usually have some strange behavior like disappearing suddenly or acting very oddly. In one of the stories, the hitchhiker's sudden vanishing from the back seat is really spooky. It gives this feeling of the supernatural being involved.
Relatability can also be a key factor. If a scary story touches on common fears like the fear of death, the dark, or being alone, it can be scarier. For instance, stories about being home alone at night and hearing strange noises play on our real - life fears. We can easily put ourselves in the shoes of the characters, and that makes the horror more palpable. It makes the scariest scary story one that really gets under our skin.
There was a girl who stopped for a hitchhiker. As the hitchhiker got in, it was freezing cold but she noticed he wasn't wearing any warm clothes. He had a pale face and long, straggly hair. He didn't say a word as they drove. Then, the radio started to go haywire, making strange noises. The girl looked over at the hitchhiker and saw that his face seemed to be changing, becoming more distorted. She quickly pulled over and told him to get out. She didn't look back as she drove away, fearing what might be following her.
A woman was driving cross - country and saw a hitchhiker. She decided to be kind and pick him up. He was wearing old - fashioned clothes. As they drove, he told her that he'd been hitchhiking for decades. He then began to describe the people he'd met in a very eerie way. When she finally stopped to let him out, she looked in the rear - view mirror and saw that he was gone, but there were handprints on the window that couldn't be wiped off.
Well, one scary element could be the unpredictability of the hitchhiker. You don't know who they are or what their intentions are. Maybe they turn out to be a serial killer or a ghost.
The feeling of being powerless against whatever is in the water is quite scary. You're just a person with a fishing rod, and if there's a huge and powerful force in the water, you're at its mercy. And when there are elements that seem to defy logic, like hearing whispers from the water that seem to be calling your name, it adds to the overall scariness of the fishing story.