A good ghost story depends upon the creation of atmosphere and the build up of suspense. Show how these two ingredients are important in at least two ghost stories Ghost stories are popular with people because we enjoy being frightened. This feeling is created by the build of suspense and tension in the stories, making us excited and jumpy, letting our mind Create mysterious thoughts and what will happen next. An example of this is in the "Blair Witch Project". It is set at night in an eerie forest and the characters are surrounded by trees, so someone...
mind still wonders, but if it shows you the very end, it sort of spoils it, as your mind is cleared of these thoughts, so there isn't as much excitement and it makes the story less scary.

My imagination is triggered by mysterious happenings and ghosts coming back to haunt people. If the story is set In this day and age, it adds to the realism. A good example of this is in the film "What Lies Beneath". Other people may think differently about this, as they have their own, different opinions, but these are what I think.