7 Horror Movie Tropes That Prove You’re in a Horror Movie
After having watched and reviewed the plots of about 25 Horror Movies in the month of October, some good, some so… so, bad, I noticed several common horror movie tropes popping up that really should’ve been red flags for the characters.
Here are 7!
Imaginary Friends
This one is a classic when it comes to horror movies involving children. Say you just moved into a new home and little Jeremy starts talking to some new “friends” that aren’t there, well then you got yourself a ghost. Or say you bring some new antique or item that once belonged to a now-dead person and little Megan starts talking to someone who isn’t there; that’s a ghost guaranteed.
As seen in: Ouija: Origin of Evil and Sinister
Bonus points if you move into a new home, find antiques, and then leave them in your home or use them yourself.
As seen in: The Conjuring
What you should do instead:
Tell your kids to stop talking to strangers including imaginary strangers and burn your house down.
“Mom, my new friend says he’s going to kill us.”
“That’s nice sweetie, make them help you clean your room.”
2. First Night Alone
This is another classic, usually for low-budget horror movies or when the film has only one main character as opposed to a group of victims characters. If it’s your first day on a job alone, usually an overnight job, and you start hearing strange sounds or lights turning on or off in the distance— you’re probably in a horror movie.
Bonus points if you really need the job because of your tragic backstory and you can’t just quit.
As seen in: The Boy, Possession of Hannah Grace
What you should do instead:
Quit.
“Hmm I just heard threatening voices and angry footsteps in this empty office…. I’m sure it’s fine.”
3. Camping Ghost Story
We all know a fun thing to do while camping is telling ghost stories around a roaring fire late at night. That in itself is not horror movie material, but if the friend who brought you to the campsite decides to tell you the tale of a series of murders, caused by an uncaptured person that happened years ago right on that site, then you’re in a horror movie.
As seen in: Friday the 13th
What you should do instead:
It’s too late, the killer is already behind you.
“And they never caught him… hey where did Jimmy go?”
4. Throwing Out Cursed Items
This one is real bad news. Say you find out an item in your home is cursed and you think the smart thing to do is to throw it out or even set the item on fire but the very next day, that thing is back. No one in your home knows how it got back and you’re pretty sure no one is pranking you. Well then, you got yourself an angry spirit or evil Pagan entity.
As seen in: Annabelle, Ouija, Sinister
What you should do instead:
Like being stuck in the campgrounds of a serial killer, it’s probably too late for you. The best you can hope for is that it’s an angry spirit because you’ll have a slight chance of survival. But you’ll have to find the body of the spirit and burn it along with the object. This works about 50% of the time
This is also an option…
5. Weird Sounds; No Phones
A lot has to go wrong for this one to happen but somehow horror movie writers find some contrived ways of doing it. Say you find yourself in a cabin isolated from civilization, if your cell phone has no service or you forgot to charge it and then the phone lines go down, that might not be enough to say you’re in a horror movie. It’s when you start hearing weird sounds, like banging on walls, or seeing things have moved from where you left them, then you’re in a horror movie.
As seen in: The Strangers, Evil Dead
Bonus points if you’re in a city or building and you have no service for no reason.
As seen in: Escape Room
What you should do instead:
Go buy a portable power bank right now and don’t go to isolated cabins! If you find yourself in this situation, keep the phone and charger with you and barricade yourself in a room. Start praying your attackers are human and were not summoned by a weird book no one should have touched.
“Never going to catch me with no phone.”
6. “I think there’s a ghost.”
This one is a bit different because, in this case, you know you’re being haunted by something but no one believes you. Everyone you tell either laughs in your face, tells you it’s all in your head, or that you need rest, but you’ve seen the ghost/demon/spirit. If they somehow manage to convince you it is all in your head, then you’re in a horror movie.
As seen in: Woman in Black, Insidious, Pet Sematary, Oculus
Bonus point if there is a killer on the loose and you’ve seen them but no one believes you despite the increasing body count in the area
As seen in: Friday the 13th, Halloween, Child’s Play
What you should do instead:
Hope you’re not the main character, leave town, move immediately, and get new friends, preferably ones that believe in ghosts and the supernatural.
“3 people died and I saw a demon but maybe I just need a solid 8 hours sleep.”
7. Recording for No Reason
A significant other just got a new fancy camera and wants to prove how fancy it is by recording every moment of your lives, including private conversations and arguments. They also apparently found a way to have an unlimited battery and never actually review the footage until it’s too late.
Bonus points if you or someone else has told them to stop recording and they don’t stop.
As seen in: Paranormal Activity, Devil’s Due, Afflicted, The Gallows
What you should do instead:
Destroy the damn camera.
Those movies suck anyway.
