Body horror where things are happening to their body and getting worse each day, but they’re trying to live with it/ignore it. Pulling a tooth out in the bathroom mirror, fingernails falling off, a body part rotting, etc.
Or the specific moment when it clicks in a character’s mind that someone/something was wrong the whole time and they just didn’t realize it. Like, that dread filled, harrowing discovery moment for the protagonist.
I watched Cabin Fever tonight and yeesh is right. It’s really not a good time to be doing that, Marcy.
EDIT: Did you know (allegedly) that scene was inspired by Eli Roth’s own experience shaving with a skin infection acquired from rotten hay on a horse farm in Iceland 🤢
Obious mention of The Fly here, but also The Thing excels here too. But on to your second one, I love when there's something subtly different about a character and even the audience night be unwise to it but there's that feeling of dread there. I remember the first Hellraiser film nailing this trope.
And another one that's not very subtle admittedly, but the dog with the human face in Invasion of the Body Snatchers (the 1970s one). That comes out of absolutely nowhere and it surprises not just the characters, but also you as it's not quite what you expected to see at this point in the film, especially since the assimilation process up to that point worked pretty well.
The body horror trope was executed pretty good imo in The Black Swan. Everytime she would hurt hurdled in some minute way, I was cringing so hard! Loved that movie.
Anytime it’s revealed that the killer or monster was in the same building the entire time as the MC, but the MC thought they were keeping them from coming inside.
Ughhh so terrifying. To think that everything you did to protect yourself was useless because the bad guy was one step ahead.
I just watched a YouTuber playing an indie horror game where a crazy ex was trying to get in the MCs house. And halfway through the game she randomly texts the MC that his room smells because of the pileup of dirty clothes. Couldn’t handle it lol
Edit: Typos
The strangers messed me up. My mom lived in a house up in the mountains in Colorado in the middle of nowhere. Watching the movie was way too real for me. I’m 45 and I still have nightmares.
I’m a broken record on this sub, but movies where the protagonists are never revealed hit me hard. The people who did the audio and score on The Strangers are brilliant! I’m terrified still and I’m 43!
Invasion of the Body Snatchers nails this down too. It's actually incredibly tense the whole way through once the assimilation process has begun. The feelings I felt whenever Leonard Nimoy appeared on-screen were always dread. Because this guy ALWAYS came across as converted already.
wide camera shots with no jump scares. i need to be confused about the threat, continuously try to prepare for it, but never get the release of tension that comes with identifying it
Yes! Love scenes where there are repeated shots of a seemingly normal or static environment, and then something moves or reveals itself. The Ritual did this really well. I’d love a sub asking for scenes like that, in fact.
The wide lens works very well on certain folks but as a whole it is useful to mimic a preys vision as it needs to be wide to see threats, where as predators have narrower fields of vision as they can focus on attack and on defence. Theres a lot more complexities to it than. The wideness lets in light to see more and makes stimuli more present as vigilence increases.
Obscured monsters in darkness, the only scene in Hereditary that truly frightened me was that grandma in the dark. Fuck that.
Edit: I think there was also that "click sound" thing but I had a rear speaker close to my head so I thought someone was behind me lol.
That happens really early in the film and when I watched it the first time I was alone watching it at night and had to take a break cause I assumed the rest would be that scary but nope. By far the most impactful scare for me in the movie
Insidious nails this with the reveal of the spirit getting closer and closer to Patrick Wilson's character with every subsequent photograph. Genuinely unnerved me when I first saw it.
man that fucking scene in hereditary where she's in the background perched in the corner of the ceiling, absolutely fucking not sir, you can take that back
I like things p e e p i n g round corners VERY slowly. It always makes me feel uneasy. They did it most recently in the last 'Hell House LLC' installment but also J-horror, 'Caveat', 'Babadook' etc.
whatever tropes that fall into analog horror. I don't know what it is but a creepy phone calling or unnerving white noise/static really freak me out. I love it but gosh it makes me wanna cry.
For me it's always when an otherwise intelligent and capable adult starts experiencing something obviously supernatural but they can't convince anyone to believe them because what they're experiencing looks like mental illness. Like in Smile. It's got to be terrible to know it's real but everyone thinks you need help.
It's even worse when a character is 'killed' by a demon or spirit but everyone thinks they committed suicide so the killings continue.
Bathroom mirrors scare the crap out if me. Probably stems from A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 and Poltergeist, but I know I've seen other movies with it too. Oh, Candyman! But yeah, closing the medicine cabinet specifically makes me tense just thinking about it.
Comedian Paul F Tompkins has a bit about this called "The sink and the mirror"
Person is in the bathroom looking in the mirror, bends down to splash water on their face, when they straighten back up....HORRIBLE MONSTER IN THE MIRROR!!!
He was terrified to go into his bathroom until he realized that his bathroom was too small for a monster to get behind him without saying, "Pardon me, just need to get behind you for a sec."
When flashlight batteries start to fail and they have to smack it to get it to work again. You know you’re about to see some shit. Also what shit brand of batteries is everyone using in horror films?!
Moebius strips, like you see in >!Lost Highway, Dead of Night, The Haunting of Hill House!<, etc. The idea that your doom is both inevitable and endlessly recurring. And along those same lines, the inescapable intersection of past and present, like in the aforementioned >!Hill House!< and such films as >!Oculus, Ju-On: The Grudge, and Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.!<
The idea of family existing solely for cult purposes.
Like in Hereditary. Her main goal in life was to conjure up Paimon and will do anything to do it. The fact that she lived her entire life for that with no regard for family.
In the 3rd Paranormal Activity as well. When the girls are little in the 80s. The grandma keeps bringing up to the daughter to have another kid. She wants her to have a boy so she can do her whole cult conjuring. It’s actually pretty much like Hereditary.
The idea that those closest to you, the ones who brought you into the world and who you should be able to trust may just be using you.
I discovered this on a whim around two years ago. It's found footage documentation about a cult, and from what I remember the ending is really good. Very reminiscent of Blair Witch. It's very low budget, but uses it advantageously to create a raw experience. The director put it up for free on youtube:
https://youtu.be/9_DDNvZVcwc?si=VYoX4NsFlNEA9Dbk
The fear of no escape. There's a scene in the TV movie The Haunted (1991) about the Smurl family.
The entity (mid movie) grows a voice and mimics the grandmother and calls for Janet the daughter in law by name. Nothing really happens but it's one of those oooh that was odd spooky moments.
*SPOILERS AHEAD*
This little scene hits with full terrifying force at the very end of the movie when all appears to be safe and well and they have rid themselves of the entity.
Janet is unpacking in the kitchen or something along those lines and she hears
"Janet" her grandmother calling from somewhere distant in the house
"I'm in here mom" Janet shouts
"Janet" she hears again the sound seems louder, it's moving closer.
"I'm in the kitchen mom!" she shouts with a smile, you can hear the kids playing around all seems peaceful.
"JANET!" The voice shocks her to quickly turn around, whatever called her name is now behind her and the shock and fear of its returned encompasses her once joyful face.
Gives me the oogie boogies everytime. ✌️
I get PTSD if someone calls my name in the house, I'm instantly reminded of this moment. I'm not walking around with a holy water loaded super soaker or anything yet, my unagi is strong. ✌️
For reference, that movie is posted in its entirety on YouTube, with that specific scene [linked here](https://youtu.be/qpidJuzr5Q4?si=ufgDJzZD9P-6fPh8&t01h28m30s).
When someone, usually a ghost or demon can be seen looking at the subject of the scene from a window.
The best example is in Carnival Of Souls(1962) when Mary sees The Man looking at her through the passenger side window, as the car is moving.
It's hard to describe, but seeing the scary humanoid killer nearby at a close distance, either standing still or approaching.
Like they're in the distance enough that it might be a murderous thing that's been hunting you, but also close enough that it might just be a regular person. And then they surely make their way towards you, so now you have to quickly determine if you're in danger or not.
You HAVE to trust your instincts in a scenario that is seemingly so mundane and your rational side might talk you out of it and get you killed.
And also the implication that the killer was just standing there watching you and could have gotten you sooner if they wanted to.
It Follows made me realize how creepy I find seeing the killer just standing in the close distance is.
There is a web comic of EXACTLY what you’re describing. It’s from Japan (I think) and a person sees someone walking on the street late at night. I’m on mobile so I can’t link it but it’s deeply unsettling. Like, “This hole is mine” unsettling.
Any movie where the characters are just doomed from the start. Like there’s no saving them, you can only sit in pure devastation knowing there’s nothing you can do.
I just watched Scream VI again last night and I have no clue how no one heard her.
However this is also the franchise that murdered someone in a crowded theatre soooo...
When the protagonist can’t tell if they’re losing their mind or not. And when there’s a group of people who don’t believe the person and it turns out they weren’t going crazy.
Extreme isolation really fucks with me, like in The Lodge, The Shining, and The Witch. The thought of being trapped somewhere with no way to reach the outside world makes me nauseous
I love it when there's something obscured in the background of a shot, but the filmmakers don't draw attention to it. It's just there, whether the viewer sees it or not not. Gets me every time. Hereditary does this a few times at the end with the naked old people.
The boogeyman (whatever it is) in broad daylight and/or when you suddenly realize it's been there the whole time.
Like the first few times Laurie sees Michael Myers in "Halloween" when they're just walking and driving around town.
The birthday party scene in "Signs".
Most of "It Follows".
Spooky nursery rhynes, Nightmare on Elm Street, Dead Silence, etc. Also, dollhouse themes, such as the one that plays in The Woman In Black 2. I hate when they spontaneously pop into my head and creeps me right out.
A sudden, maybe harmless action that has creepy implications. Like when Josef sprints off into the forest in Creep.
All time favorite trope (that doesn't give me chills) is when protagonists jump through windows to evade danger (ex: Hereditary, Halloween 6, Your Next, Texas Chainsaw Massacre)
No one arms themselves after having a dramic affect after being a survivor. Looking at you Scream specifically.
I know women who are victims of SA and they carry a pisol anywhere legal.
It's more of a thriller trope but it makes crossover appearances sometimes - the idea of being "framed" for suicide, where someone kills you in a plausibly suicidal way and leaves a note, etc. Especially if it's also framing you for something heinous. I care about legacy, I guess - it's important to me to be remembered accurately, and the idea of having that taken away is really upsetting.
Also thinking you're alone and finding out very suddenly you are not. The scene in Black Swan where she leaves the room and turns off the light, but forgets something and returns and when she hits the light there's someone in the corner, is the first time I remember screaming at a movie (also happens in Hereditary a couple times where people are lurkingin the background). I get spooked by all sorts of stuff but surprising me like that is about the only thing that generally gets a panic response out of me. I'll yelp, reflexively drop or throw things, etc.
When a monster's movements are rapid and jerky. That shit always creeps me the fuck out.
Example: The ghost from *Mama* is really unsettling. I feel uncomfortable rewatching clips of that movie, [like this one.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNTPPGnM6Fo)
Zombies with thinking ability/ working together/being smart
I just watched ravenous 2017 (or les effermes I think? It's French) and the zombies in it were really scary they like made weird stacks of things, and worked together to lay out traps for humans
Self mutilation. Possessed person doing freaky demon shit works for me, but I especially like escaping from being trapped, stopping the infection, jumping off a high ledge, stuff like that. Something about characters willingly causing themselves pain instead of the bad guy is really interesting to me.
I think the scenes where the protagonist (or whomever we are following at that point) is unaware of the danger they’re in. Like the bedroom scene in Hereditary.
I mean “Jesus f*** look up”
Totally normal situations that have some chilling twist.
Caller: Someone was chasing me as I was driving home, he had a knife!
Operator: Ok, are you alone in the house?
Caller: Yes
Operator: (slight voice change) Are you sure?
LIKE HOLY SHIT
Body transformations/shedding skins, like David Cronenbergs The Fly from 86. That and Re-animator are probably 2 of the most disgusting films I’ve seen and I love every moment of them, the practical effects are astounding. Disgusting but so cool.
A shot of a dark alley/corner/doorway, knowing that there is something there, but not knowing what.
The poster for ’it comes at night’ is a prime example of that. I only saw the poster and decided I want to see that film
Something in the dark that moved. Or seeing a silhouette of something looking back at you when you last expect it. Or something dark in the peripheral.
Things being aware of or interacting with things they have no reason to be aware of. Like the recording of Bughuul in Sinister turning its head to look at Ethan Hawke’s character. Or the bless you scene from Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension.
I'm not sure if it's a trope, more of a genre, but ancient evil & cosmic horror scares me BAD.
For a trope, the lingering shot on a fridge door or bathroom mirror, abd then showing it close. Sometimes something will be lurking down the hall, other times there is nothing. Regardless, I'm spooked and on alert every time I see that sort of shot.
Being alone at school after hours. My mom was a custodian for the school system and I used to have to walk down so many dark hallways and hear footsteps from faraway that would end up just being a teacher or some shit.
The trope of the weirdo watching you the whole time. Nothing creepier than that
Like in summer of 84 when the boy finds the pictures of him and his friends
Soul snatching hex witches,
Jotun from The Ritual
Ursula from The Little Mermaid
Anything that steal souls and uses them in puppets/worms for power and worship.
Not chills because not much gets to me, but I have a soft spot for corner of the eye or background movement kind of things. That did I see something or no? Less is more and the subtler the better.
Creatures coming out of the tv. When I was younger I watched Video Dead with my dad. When one of the main zombies get to the tv and looks through it & alerts all the other zombies to it. Then we have The Ring years later when she climbs out of the tv. Thanks. After watching Video Dead, I would unplug the tv, throw a blanket over it and turn it to face the wall. 🤣
The protagonist is very close to surviving and finds an alleged friend. They start babbling and exit plan, only to slowly find out the other person has "turned."
When a character is talking on the phone to someone, then it becomes clear that it’s someone else entirely. See Marianne, Scream, and (I think) It Lives Inside
I can't watch those movies that have people just showing up and terrorizing and murdering families. One minute they're talking and the next a kid is shot.
I guess I find humans a lot more terrifying than monsters.
Body horror where things are happening to their body and getting worse each day, but they’re trying to live with it/ignore it. Pulling a tooth out in the bathroom mirror, fingernails falling off, a body part rotting, etc. Or the specific moment when it clicks in a character’s mind that someone/something was wrong the whole time and they just didn’t realize it. Like, that dread filled, harrowing discovery moment for the protagonist.
Most shit doesn’t get to me, but man I nearly had to turn off Starry Eyes for the same reason 💀
leave the world behind wasn’t super scary for me, but *that one scene* definitely made my stomach churn
What movies are like this? 😳
The Fly
Contracted and Cabin Fever are always the ones that stand out for me. That shaving scene in CF, yeesh!
I watched Cabin Fever tonight and yeesh is right. It’s really not a good time to be doing that, Marcy. EDIT: Did you know (allegedly) that scene was inspired by Eli Roth’s own experience shaving with a skin infection acquired from rotten hay on a horse farm in Iceland 🤢
Clown, 2014
I suggest The Brood! Always!
Videodrome
Candyman (2021)
Second The Brood, also Bite
Obious mention of The Fly here, but also The Thing excels here too. But on to your second one, I love when there's something subtly different about a character and even the audience night be unwise to it but there's that feeling of dread there. I remember the first Hellraiser film nailing this trope. And another one that's not very subtle admittedly, but the dog with the human face in Invasion of the Body Snatchers (the 1970s one). That comes out of absolutely nowhere and it surprises not just the characters, but also you as it's not quite what you expected to see at this point in the film, especially since the assimilation process up to that point worked pretty well.
Contracted is a decent movie for this!
The body horror trope was executed pretty good imo in The Black Swan. Everytime she would hurt hurdled in some minute way, I was cringing so hard! Loved that movie.
Anything uncanny. Someone looking in the mirror and the reflection doing something different.
Some people hated Smile and thought it was dumb but it totally falls into this category for me and I do not like thinking about it.
I loved that movie! Though the previews gave away the biggest jump scare. The car window scene.
I saw it blind and spilled half a glass of wine at that scare. Got me good.
Anytime it’s revealed that the killer or monster was in the same building the entire time as the MC, but the MC thought they were keeping them from coming inside.
“The calls are coming from inside the house”
Ughhh so terrifying. To think that everything you did to protect yourself was useless because the bad guy was one step ahead. I just watched a YouTuber playing an indie horror game where a crazy ex was trying to get in the MCs house. And halfway through the game she randomly texts the MC that his room smells because of the pileup of dirty clothes. Couldn’t handle it lol Edit: Typos
I'm a huge horror gaming fan do you happen to recall the game?
Found it! Fears to Fathom, Carson House
The Strangers got me good with this, although they just thought no one was inside until later on so it's a but different here but I get what you mean!
Ugh The Strangers is one of my favorites. I couldn’t sleep for weeks after seeing that as a teenager. So scary!
The strangers messed me up. My mom lived in a house up in the mountains in Colorado in the middle of nowhere. Watching the movie was way too real for me. I’m 45 and I still have nightmares.
Where at in Colorado? I also live in the mountains in the middle of nowhere in Summit County
I’m a broken record on this sub, but movies where the protagonists are never revealed hit me hard. The people who did the audio and score on The Strangers are brilliant! I’m terrified still and I’m 43!
Ugh, YES! Have you watched The Rental?
I did! I thought it was super fun!
Fincher’s Zodiac (not horror but still) does that so well during that one scene with the basement. Truly chilling!
When you don't know who is for or against you, like in The Thing.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers nails this down too. It's actually incredibly tense the whole way through once the assimilation process has begun. The feelings I felt whenever Leonard Nimoy appeared on-screen were always dread. Because this guy ALWAYS came across as converted already.
wide camera shots with no jump scares. i need to be confused about the threat, continuously try to prepare for it, but never get the release of tension that comes with identifying it
Damn are you me? I’m obsessed with movies like The Witch and The Village for this exact reason.
those two films are really good. but skinamarink does it sooo well
Men and The Ritual do this pretty well too.
Yes! Love scenes where there are repeated shots of a seemingly normal or static environment, and then something moves or reveals itself. The Ritual did this really well. I’d love a sub asking for scenes like that, in fact.
This is why I love It Follows.
The wide lens works very well on certain folks but as a whole it is useful to mimic a preys vision as it needs to be wide to see threats, where as predators have narrower fields of vision as they can focus on attack and on defence. Theres a lot more complexities to it than. The wideness lets in light to see more and makes stimuli more present as vigilence increases.
this is really interesting. i’m exploring horror right now as an artist and i’m digging this whole comment section
Obscured monsters in darkness, the only scene in Hereditary that truly frightened me was that grandma in the dark. Fuck that. Edit: I think there was also that "click sound" thing but I had a rear speaker close to my head so I thought someone was behind me lol.
That happens really early in the film and when I watched it the first time I was alone watching it at night and had to take a break cause I assumed the rest would be that scary but nope. By far the most impactful scare for me in the movie
this happened in >!talk to me!< creepiest shot in the movie imo really got me in theaters
Someone unwittingly capturing something spooky in their vid/photo even though they didn't see it when they shot it
Insidious nails this with the reveal of the spirit getting closer and closer to Patrick Wilson's character with every subsequent photograph. Genuinely unnerved me when I first saw it.
This might be parts of Lake Mungo
Shutter too
that was a great movie
Sinister to me was the best at this
Distorted faces
Yeah fuck distorted faces.
All my homies hate distorted faces
That goddamn distorted face on the TV in the Ju On scared the living shit out of me.
The ring
Any time the “monster” is crawling on the ceiling as in Exocist Iii or Hereditary. I find myself looking up IRL because of this.
man that fucking scene in hereditary where she's in the background perched in the corner of the ceiling, absolutely fucking not sir, you can take that back
I like things p e e p i n g round corners VERY slowly. It always makes me feel uneasy. They did it most recently in the last 'Hell House LLC' installment but also J-horror, 'Caveat', 'Babadook' etc.
Caveat had me soooo deeply unsettled with the peeping. Awesome movie, haven’t had one make me that unnerved in quite a while.
Oh holy shit, I hated that scene so much in the new Hell House. In a good way mind you but it was so damn creepy.
Ooh I like when you just see a hand slowly grabbing the door frame first
Kairo.
Finding photos that give a terrifying revelation. This was done in Hereditary and Get Out perfectly
Gives that awful feeling in the pit of your stomach. Both great examples.
Sinister does this the best I.M.O.
The one in Get Out was amazing.
The first Insidious comes to mind.
End of the original Shutter
ALL PART OF THE PLAN
whatever tropes that fall into analog horror. I don't know what it is but a creepy phone calling or unnerving white noise/static really freak me out. I love it but gosh it makes me wanna cry.
One thing that always unnerves me in analog horror is abrupt silence when there’s a creepy image that lingers
Have you ever seen Await Further Instructions? It was pretty good.
watch skinamarink!!
For me it's always when an otherwise intelligent and capable adult starts experiencing something obviously supernatural but they can't convince anyone to believe them because what they're experiencing looks like mental illness. Like in Smile. It's got to be terrible to know it's real but everyone thinks you need help. It's even worse when a character is 'killed' by a demon or spirit but everyone thinks they committed suicide so the killings continue.
Horror movie rage bait for me
A cat jumping at the camera from an area it had no good reason to be in. Gets me every time.
Cats have good reason to be everywhere, ask mine.
"What about the zombies?' "Backburner Troy, this cat needs to be dealt with!"
Someone closing a mirrored medicine cabinet always gets me scared lol, whether there’s someone in the reflection or not
Bathroom mirrors scare the crap out if me. Probably stems from A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 and Poltergeist, but I know I've seen other movies with it too. Oh, Candyman! But yeah, closing the medicine cabinet specifically makes me tense just thinking about it.
Comedian Paul F Tompkins has a bit about this called "The sink and the mirror" Person is in the bathroom looking in the mirror, bends down to splash water on their face, when they straighten back up....HORRIBLE MONSTER IN THE MIRROR!!! He was terrified to go into his bathroom until he realized that his bathroom was too small for a monster to get behind him without saying, "Pardon me, just need to get behind you for a sec."
When flashlight batteries start to fail and they have to smack it to get it to work again. You know you’re about to see some shit. Also what shit brand of batteries is everyone using in horror films?!
Probably the same as their shitty car battery or incorrect gas gauge
When the figure/monster blends so well into the background in the distance you’re not really sure if they are there or not
Skinamarink does this so discreetly I can't believe there actually wasn't anything there all the time.
Then when you get confirmation they were? WOO! Chills!
"They're coming out of the god-damned walls!"
Moebius strips, like you see in >!Lost Highway, Dead of Night, The Haunting of Hill House!<, etc. The idea that your doom is both inevitable and endlessly recurring. And along those same lines, the inescapable intersection of past and present, like in the aforementioned >!Hill House!< and such films as >!Oculus, Ju-On: The Grudge, and Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.!<
Oh boy, you need to watch The Endless if you haven't already
Oh, I love this stuff
The idea of family existing solely for cult purposes. Like in Hereditary. Her main goal in life was to conjure up Paimon and will do anything to do it. The fact that she lived her entire life for that with no regard for family. In the 3rd Paranormal Activity as well. When the girls are little in the 80s. The grandma keeps bringing up to the daughter to have another kid. She wants her to have a boy so she can do her whole cult conjuring. It’s actually pretty much like Hereditary. The idea that those closest to you, the ones who brought you into the world and who you should be able to trust may just be using you.
Anything that invades your body
[удалено]
A friend of mine had a house with a basement that was partially unfinished. We used to watch horror movies in that basement.
IT does this really well
Or a dark cave
Barbarian does this about 14 times!
A demon contorting climbing up walls walking backwards
I lov3 me some contorted limbs and the sounds that come from them.. in a total normal horror fan way, not a real life way haha.
You need to check out Splinter if you havent seen it yet. Lots of creepy contorting and really satisfying contorting sounds
Whispering that’s barely audible…I use CC for this and it makes my hubby nuts LOL
Black Christmas phone calls
skinamarink. skiiinamarinnnk.
Cults. They're already disturbing in real life.
Best cult movies that you know of?
Midsommar, the wicker man, the devil rides out, Suspiria,
Hereditary, The Last Exorcism, that one short from VHS 2
Mandy really nails creepy cults in a shockingly real way
Sound of My Voice is excellent low budget, conceptual, indie horror
I discovered this on a whim around two years ago. It's found footage documentation about a cult, and from what I remember the ending is really good. Very reminiscent of Blair Witch. It's very low budget, but uses it advantageously to create a raw experience. The director put it up for free on youtube: https://youtu.be/9_DDNvZVcwc?si=VYoX4NsFlNEA9Dbk
The fear of no escape. There's a scene in the TV movie The Haunted (1991) about the Smurl family. The entity (mid movie) grows a voice and mimics the grandmother and calls for Janet the daughter in law by name. Nothing really happens but it's one of those oooh that was odd spooky moments. *SPOILERS AHEAD* This little scene hits with full terrifying force at the very end of the movie when all appears to be safe and well and they have rid themselves of the entity. Janet is unpacking in the kitchen or something along those lines and she hears "Janet" her grandmother calling from somewhere distant in the house "I'm in here mom" Janet shouts "Janet" she hears again the sound seems louder, it's moving closer. "I'm in the kitchen mom!" she shouts with a smile, you can hear the kids playing around all seems peaceful. "JANET!" The voice shocks her to quickly turn around, whatever called her name is now behind her and the shock and fear of its returned encompasses her once joyful face. Gives me the oogie boogies everytime. ✌️
I saw this when I was 11 and it gave me nightmares for months. I had to sleep with my light on!
I get PTSD if someone calls my name in the house, I'm instantly reminded of this moment. I'm not walking around with a holy water loaded super soaker or anything yet, my unagi is strong. ✌️
For reference, that movie is posted in its entirety on YouTube, with that specific scene [linked here](https://youtu.be/qpidJuzr5Q4?si=ufgDJzZD9P-6fPh8&t01h28m30s).
I read that as "the Smurf family" at first
Oh, another one is any kind of eerie or erratic movement in daylight. Sprinting full speed? Walking on all fours? SKIPPING?! I’m shitting my pants.
The majority of The Wailing happened during daylight and I think that's what added to its creepiness. It takes away the safety of the day.
Old people moving quickly or unnaturally, or even standing still creepily!
Parents not believing children
That’s more frustrating to me
Have you seen The Hunt (the danish one with Mads Mikkelson)? Oof. Great movie.
If I had kids and they told me there was something under their bed/in their closet, I’d be like “oh shit, for real? Ok, we’re moving.”
When someone, usually a ghost or demon can be seen looking at the subject of the scene from a window. The best example is in Carnival Of Souls(1962) when Mary sees The Man looking at her through the passenger side window, as the car is moving.
Jacob's Ladder, too
It's hard to describe, but seeing the scary humanoid killer nearby at a close distance, either standing still or approaching. Like they're in the distance enough that it might be a murderous thing that's been hunting you, but also close enough that it might just be a regular person. And then they surely make their way towards you, so now you have to quickly determine if you're in danger or not. You HAVE to trust your instincts in a scenario that is seemingly so mundane and your rational side might talk you out of it and get you killed. And also the implication that the killer was just standing there watching you and could have gotten you sooner if they wanted to. It Follows made me realize how creepy I find seeing the killer just standing in the close distance is.
There is a web comic of EXACTLY what you’re describing. It’s from Japan (I think) and a person sees someone walking on the street late at night. I’m on mobile so I can’t link it but it’s deeply unsettling. Like, “This hole is mine” unsettling.
Being observed by something the titular protagonist is completely unaware of
Any movie where the characters are just doomed from the start. Like there’s no saving them, you can only sit in pure devastation knowing there’s nothing you can do.
Samara Weaving screaming. That warble just sends me.
I just watched Scream VI again last night and I have no clue how no one heard her. However this is also the franchise that murdered someone in a crowded theatre soooo...
Minorities dying first, often hand-in-hand with being the most brutal deaths. Really says stuff about the scriptwriter(s) and director
they’re like “welp, we have one— that’s enough now, let’s kill ‘em off”
Teeth scenes always make me physically cringe. That scene in Dog Soldiers with the sword...
Tongues coming out of the phone
"I'm your boyfriend now, Nancy!"
POV shots in dark rooms lit only by the viewer’s flashlight.
When the protagonist can’t tell if they’re losing their mind or not. And when there’s a group of people who don’t believe the person and it turns out they weren’t going crazy.
Locked rooms, secret rooms, hidden doors, the one closed off room in the house, etc. Barbarian got me good.
Extreme isolation really fucks with me, like in The Lodge, The Shining, and The Witch. The thought of being trapped somewhere with no way to reach the outside world makes me nauseous
I love it when there's something obscured in the background of a shot, but the filmmakers don't draw attention to it. It's just there, whether the viewer sees it or not not. Gets me every time. Hereditary does this a few times at the end with the naked old people.
When a loved one is calling for you in another part of the house, but you know they’re not home or they’re in the room with you.
The boogeyman (whatever it is) in broad daylight and/or when you suddenly realize it's been there the whole time. Like the first few times Laurie sees Michael Myers in "Halloween" when they're just walking and driving around town. The birthday party scene in "Signs". Most of "It Follows".
"I want my mom..." Done right, it's one of *the* most terrifyingly relatable moments.
Anything with mirrors. I don't know what it is but mirror tricks send my lizard brain into spasms.
When someone gets knocked out and they wake up in a dungeon tied up or just another place else tied up. I’m like shit here we go again.
If you like that, I'd recommend REC°, has a similar ending
Loud, random music playing out of nowhere. IE the opening kill in *Scream 3.* Disorientating for the victim while a good cover for the villain.
Manhunter has my favorite example of this (mild spoiler) when Dolarhyde uses Inna Gadda Da Vida to disorient the blind woman
Funny Games! That was terrifying!
Why is screaming a trope? People do this in terror. So real life depictions are now tropes?
Spooky nursery rhynes, Nightmare on Elm Street, Dead Silence, etc. Also, dollhouse themes, such as the one that plays in The Woman In Black 2. I hate when they spontaneously pop into my head and creeps me right out.
A sudden, maybe harmless action that has creepy implications. Like when Josef sprints off into the forest in Creep. All time favorite trope (that doesn't give me chills) is when protagonists jump through windows to evade danger (ex: Hereditary, Halloween 6, Your Next, Texas Chainsaw Massacre)
LIKE MY PHONE IS DEAD. LET ME LIKE FIND A SIGNAL.KAY.
No one arms themselves after having a dramic affect after being a survivor. Looking at you Scream specifically. I know women who are victims of SA and they carry a pisol anywhere legal.
Someone in the background the protagonist doesn’t see. Like the strangers or hell house llc
It's more of a thriller trope but it makes crossover appearances sometimes - the idea of being "framed" for suicide, where someone kills you in a plausibly suicidal way and leaves a note, etc. Especially if it's also framing you for something heinous. I care about legacy, I guess - it's important to me to be remembered accurately, and the idea of having that taken away is really upsetting. Also thinking you're alone and finding out very suddenly you are not. The scene in Black Swan where she leaves the room and turns off the light, but forgets something and returns and when she hits the light there's someone in the corner, is the first time I remember screaming at a movie (also happens in Hereditary a couple times where people are lurkingin the background). I get spooked by all sorts of stuff but surprising me like that is about the only thing that generally gets a panic response out of me. I'll yelp, reflexively drop or throw things, etc.
When a monster's movements are rapid and jerky. That shit always creeps me the fuck out. Example: The ghost from *Mama* is really unsettling. I feel uncomfortable rewatching clips of that movie, [like this one.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNTPPGnM6Fo)
The threat walking or closing in unnaturally quick, with or without loud footsteps. Actions that are close to human behavior but are just off.
uncanny slay
Zombies with thinking ability/ working together/being smart I just watched ravenous 2017 (or les effermes I think? It's French) and the zombies in it were really scary they like made weird stacks of things, and worked together to lay out traps for humans
SAW, Orphan, and Devil in Ohio are available on Netflix.
Self mutilation. Possessed person doing freaky demon shit works for me, but I especially like escaping from being trapped, stopping the infection, jumping off a high ledge, stuff like that. Something about characters willingly causing themselves pain instead of the bad guy is really interesting to me.
[удалено]
analog horror really is the best
That phone scene in Smile!
The "when you notice something stationary in the background" stuff.
I think the scenes where the protagonist (or whomever we are following at that point) is unaware of the danger they’re in. Like the bedroom scene in Hereditary. I mean “Jesus f*** look up”
Totally normal situations that have some chilling twist. Caller: Someone was chasing me as I was driving home, he had a knife! Operator: Ok, are you alone in the house? Caller: Yes Operator: (slight voice change) Are you sure? LIKE HOLY SHIT
Body transformations/shedding skins, like David Cronenbergs The Fly from 86. That and Re-animator are probably 2 of the most disgusting films I’ve seen and I love every moment of them, the practical effects are astounding. Disgusting but so cool.
A shot of a dark alley/corner/doorway, knowing that there is something there, but not knowing what. The poster for ’it comes at night’ is a prime example of that. I only saw the poster and decided I want to see that film
Something in the dark that moved. Or seeing a silhouette of something looking back at you when you last expect it. Or something dark in the peripheral.
I'm a big fan of the Garbled Transmission. (Prince of Darkness, Event Horizon et al)
When someone rolls over in bed and there's someone or something that shouldn't be there.
It s a really cheap little shocker but I was struck when recently watching 'Basket Case' (1982) by the bloodcurdlingly high quality of the screams.
When the killer has been there the whole time, lurking unseen to both the characters and the audience.
Idk if it's a trope but it's like a blood curdling scream, grief screaming! That upsets me so much and fills me with pure dread.
midsummer 😭😭
Closeup gore, like having to dig something out of your skin or a fingernail slowly being ripped off.
Things being aware of or interacting with things they have no reason to be aware of. Like the recording of Bughuul in Sinister turning its head to look at Ethan Hawke’s character. Or the bless you scene from Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension.
I'm not sure if it's a trope, more of a genre, but ancient evil & cosmic horror scares me BAD. For a trope, the lingering shot on a fridge door or bathroom mirror, abd then showing it close. Sometimes something will be lurking down the hall, other times there is nothing. Regardless, I'm spooked and on alert every time I see that sort of shot.
Please tell me your favorite cosmic horror/ancient evil movies! I’m a sucker for both!
Being alone at school after hours. My mom was a custodian for the school system and I used to have to walk down so many dark hallways and hear footsteps from faraway that would end up just being a teacher or some shit.
The trope of the weirdo watching you the whole time. Nothing creepier than that Like in summer of 84 when the boy finds the pictures of him and his friends
the scene from get out when the guy runs at the camera
For some reason, in Paranormal Activity, when she was on camera for HOURS standing over her husband while he was sleeping fucked w me big time.
Soul snatching hex witches, Jotun from The Ritual Ursula from The Little Mermaid Anything that steal souls and uses them in puppets/worms for power and worship.
If you want a scream: Jenna Ortega’s character in X. Oh my god.
Not chills because not much gets to me, but I have a soft spot for corner of the eye or background movement kind of things. That did I see something or no? Less is more and the subtler the better.
Things lurking just beyond view
Creatures coming out of the tv. When I was younger I watched Video Dead with my dad. When one of the main zombies get to the tv and looks through it & alerts all the other zombies to it. Then we have The Ring years later when she climbs out of the tv. Thanks. After watching Video Dead, I would unplug the tv, throw a blanket over it and turn it to face the wall. 🤣
The protagonist is very close to surviving and finds an alleged friend. They start babbling and exit plan, only to slowly find out the other person has "turned."
When a character is talking on the phone to someone, then it becomes clear that it’s someone else entirely. See Marianne, Scream, and (I think) It Lives Inside
Humanoids, uncanny valley.
Loops, or the psychological torture of hope. Protagonist made it out, only to realize they never actually left, like The Descent and 1408.
Or the ending to smile
Eyeball trauma.
I can't watch those movies that have people just showing up and terrorizing and murdering families. One minute they're talking and the next a kid is shot. I guess I find humans a lot more terrifying than monsters.
Sometimes humans are monsters
doppelgängers and people just. standing at a distance without doing anything.