Odd that over 100 cultures scattered throughout the World (Australia, the South Pacific, North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, etc) have a similar story: Mankind wiped out due to a flood, with only a handful of people surviving on a boat/ark/log.
It is a story based on fact. And given that the promise after-wards was that the world would never again be destroyed in a Flood (Genesis 8:21b And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done)-- what is the 'scare' aspect?
'Hell' is the story that you may have wanted to reference as a scare tactic. In this case, reasonably based fear (e.g., 'I am afraid to jump in that blazing fire. It might hurt a bit').
How could 100 different cultures scattered throughout the world have the same story if the only people that survived were from just one of those cultures?