What makes things scary?

Question

Besides the unknown, what makes things scary? Vampires are scary. Dracula in general. Werewolves.
Death is scary because it's unknown.
But what makes certain things scary?
I know it's a HUGE question, but I'm looking for some interesting results. Nothing stupid, please!
Thanks all!

Answer 1

Death isn't just scary because it's unknown...it's also the loss of life. I think, we're intuitively programmed to perpetuate life (our own) and avoid death. Vampires, werewolves, psychotic murders, great white sharks-are all scary because they're trying to kill you and you know if they get close enough, they'll probably be successful.

Answer 2

In Soul of the Fire by Terry Goodkind (Spoiler-ish keep reading if you dont care) in the first hundred pages the villian is a chicken, but no body believes that the chicken is anything more than a chicken, but it keeps popping up and things are going wrong. One character is suspicious of it, but the others dont believe him (but the reader does). There was one of the scariest creature confrontations I've ever read based on that chicken, and it was all because I didnt know what it was, what it was capable of. Anything can be made scary if its a mystery. Why do you think the Salem witch trials happened? Because people are afraid of what they cant fathom! So if you want your story to be scary, have a big build up where the characters dont know what is stalking them, but they can hear hissing and the twisted brush breaking as something big comes at them, see dark shapes between barely discernible outlines of trees in the distance. But they dont know what it is, or dissmiss it as a trick of the light or the lateness of the hour, until it's too late. The creature I would be afraid of, though... I would think a giant mama boar would be one of the most dangerous, because she would be capable of anything and she would not see reason if she thought her piglets were threatened... but theres just something about a big cat with an interest in me that is just unnerving. But for a scary story, I think a human cannibal would be the scariest.

Answer 3

Usually the unknown is what makes things scary. Or things we don't don't very much about. The way things look can make us nervous. It depends on the person. But generally I think appearance, the unknown, and maybe even history is what can make things scary.

Answer 4

The unknown is what makes things scary. When you don't know what could happen, what harm could befall you, how much damage can be done, if someone will help you or can even hear you, it can be very intimidating. This applies to confrontations with animals, people and surprisingly enough, to relationships.

Answer 5

Scary is knowing the reality or the truth about things. When you know things are certain and you cannot change the outcome, that is a very scary thing.

Answer 6

Lack of education makes some things scary, lack of knowledge, superstition makes things scary,

Answer 7

Most people love to be scared at some time or another. You can make yourself scared of the simplest thing by using your imagination. If you look at an object that frightens you objectively, it doesn't scare you any more. How boring would that be?

Answer 8

That's a good question. I am deathly afraid of pigeons some have told me that it might be because of a past life. I really have no clue but I've seen some great answers here.

Answer 9

Things that go bump in the night.
And roaches and other creepy crawlies b/c they're gross, super fast, and they just terrify me!
The dark plays tricks on you so you start to imagine random crap that isn't there, and then you get scared of the "monsters in your closet!"

Answer 10

Dunno 'bout other people, but some things are scary simply because they really could happen... (like the guy in the crowded mall with a sharpened screwdriver under his jacket) and getting the attention of (a really drunk cop!)