The 10 Most Overused Scary Movie Cliches You Need to Know About

Do you know that sequence in many horror movies where the protagonist is being haunted and they head to the library or open their computer to investigate? Horror fans claim this is unrealistic because if the main character is scared for their life, they don't have the time or freedom to research the very entity that's constantly watching them.

This trope was demonstrated by Candyman (2021).

While creepy kids can be done very well in horror, some classic tropes make viewers roll their eyes. One example is when a kid has an "imaginary friend" that ends up being an evil spirit. It's so overdone that, at this point, that trope can give away too much too early in a horror film.

This trope was demonstrated by Paranormal Activity 3.

When kids' drawings reveal the ghostly figure in a film, that's an overused trope that often falls flat. "They should at least make it look like actual children's art, and not very obviously an adult's simplistic crayon drawing," one horror lover argues.

This trope was demonstrated by Silent Night, Deadly Night.

Kids ask their parents tons of questions, but sometimes in horror, these seemingly innocent questions are dead giveaways that something evil is happening. One commenter shares a humorous example: "Mommy, does the dark man come to visit you at night when the walls are oozing with blood, and the hole in the mirror opens up, too?"

This trope was demonstrated by Candyman (2021).

The racial trope of the black man being the first to die brutally in a horror film is overdone. Luckily, things are shifting, and in today's horror scene, this trope is challenged and made fun of more often than it's upheld.

This trope was demonstrated by A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master.

In almost every paranormal horror film, a family with a traumatic past moves into a new home to start anew, only to face even more horrendous circumstances. Many horror fans are tired of this cliche and hope horror filmmakers can move on.

This trope was demonstrated by The Disappointments Room.

Imagine this: you're a young woman sitting in your living room all by yourself, watching the news about a deranged killer on the loose, when you hear a clanging noise in your basement.

If you were in any number of horror movies, you'd get off the couch and yell, "Hello? Who's there?" as loud as possible while you investigate the sound. I don't know about you, but if this happened to me, I'd sprint out my front door to the nearest neighbor and call the police immediately.

This trope was demonstrated by House on Haunted Hill.

Even when the car has been working correctly for the entire movie, it seems like exactly when the knife-wielding killer is approaching is when the vehicle suddenly won't start. It's a lazy way to add some suspense to the film that takes viewers out of the experience.

This trope was demonstrated by When A Stranger Calls.

The death of a pet is a trope used in some horror movies to show the audience that there is more gore and murder to come. But many horror fans didn't sign up to see an innocent pet die and much prefer the drama be saved for the actual characters in the film.

This trope was demonstrated by Cannibal Holocaust.

Do you agree with the forum? Can you think of any more overused horror tropes you’d add to this list?

This thread inspired this post.

While some jump scares are well-earned and memorable, others feel like they're there because the movie's story isn't scary enough. "Scare me. Don't startle me. There's a big difference," writes one horror buff.

This trope was demonstrated by The Nun.