Hello, Geekly Community! My name is Skye, and I love movies and TV. You could call me a “Screen Geek.” I make deep dives on TV shows and movies on TGIMovies (here’s the link to my website). Everyone who clicks the link gets a free year-long Netflix subscription (JK, just kidding). I’m excited to write for this site and get to know you all. Thank you for inviting me to this platform, it means a lot to be here. Without further ado, let’s begin my very first post. Woo-hoo!
Happy Halloween! Since it’s that time of year, let’s talk about something scary. But not too scary. (͡° ͜ʖ ͡°). While I view myself as a refined connoisseur of visual media (don’t we all?), I’m drawn to certain tropes (whether they’re good or not). Sure, I love killers and dumb idiots dying as much as the next person, but there are other tropes in horror that I just can’t resist. With that said, these are my 5 favorite horror tropes.
5. Creepy/Evil Children
The Evil Children trope has been done to death. Sometimes, literally. Creepy Children show up a lot in horror because children are supposed to be innocent and non-threatening, and this trope flips that expectation on its head. It can be jarring when done well. Unfortunately, I’ve seen far too many poor implementations of Evil Children to put it higher on the list. But let’s focus on good Creepy Children.
4. “Final Girls”
While mostly associated with slasher films, the “Final Girl” trope has experienced an expansion in recent horror media. In the past she was the most moral character of the movie, typically a virgin—and usually white—she suffers more hardship than any other character. She’s always the last to survive, hence the term “Final Girl.” Since Sally Hardesty from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, this was the purpose of “Final Girls.” Look pretty, be nice/modest, and maintain innocence throughout her ordeal.
3. The Slow-Burn
The type of horror that scares me the most is the kind that takes its time. Too many movies are desperate to get reactions out of people and blow their load in over-the-top jump scares which only exist to create the illusion of fear. In case you were wondering, jump scares didn‘t make the list. When it comes to legitimate horror, you must get your audience invested in your characters, story, atmosphere, and of course, pacing.
2. Monsters/Practical Effects
Monsters are awesome! I love a good creature feature, and that’s because you can do so much with monsters. My personal favorites are the ones created through practical effects and shot in front of the camera. It makes them more real and horrifying. I’m not entirely against computer-generated effects but considering Hollywood’s overuse of these kinds of effects in the past 30 years, you can’t deny that CGI has become easy to spot. If I had to choose between a bad practical effect and a bad digital effect, I’d choose the former 10 times out of 10.
1. Music/Sound Design
This one is a cheat. Music and sound design are less a trope and more an essential part of filmmaking. But I believe music and sound design are the most important parts of filmmaking when it comes to Horror. Music instills emotions. Horror needs to create specific emotions to get its audience on edge. It’s been scientifically proven that jump scares almost entirely lose their power without the assistance of sound.
-Skye
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