The genre of horror, at least the early versions of film and stories, seemed to play off the human fear and anxiety of suspense. Conventionally, horror stories have a great tendency to build up their climax by addressing what people fear either in the societal sense or personal sense. For instance, the ideas of monsters under the bed, giant spiders, and reanimated corpses would all be examples of personal fears whereas seeing something odd that most don't understand would be more societal in it's un-acceptance to strange phenomenons. To further heighten the sense of anxiety film directors will play with lighting, camera angles, and dramatic looks from the actors. Hidden details or mystery are almost always included as well. Books do the same but more use language to hide the details until the precise moment instead of fancy camera tricks. I believe the one of the greatest film directors to introduce these methods was Hitchcock playing off the great original horror writers such as Mary Shelley who's book we're reading now.
And of course we have all of the "stereotypical" devices that show up in traditional horror:
-monsters
-fog/thunderstorms
-candlestick/candlelight
-hidden passageways
-angry villagers
-old castles/ruins
-bookcases
-portraits with moving eyes
-classic music
-electricity
-spooked animals
-mysterious noises (chains, echoes, loud thumping)
-cobwebs (so odd....an indication of time perhaps?)
-skeletons/dead bodies
-bugs
-disappearance
-elongated shadows
-odd instruments
-cloaked figures
-glowing eyes in the dark
-grotesque sidekicks
-dismemberment
-coffins
-burial grounds
-basements/dungeons
-romance/beautiful lady
-deep/dense/dark forest
...we get the point.
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