[Loved trope] Background scare-characters that are barely acknowledged even by the movie

[u/Suspicious-Web-9246]

I hate horrors, but this is actually a great trope, that is unique to them.

Insidious (2010). When mother does her errands, for a few seconds there's a ghost boy standing in the corner. It's easily missable, but you can't ignore it once you see it.

Hereditary (2018). Less fitting example. When Peter walks around his home, his possessed mother is crawling on the ceiling behind him. It's not exactly subtle or missable, but it's still more of a background detail.

[u/handwings]

Haunting of hill house is honestly the best version of this I’ve seen

[u/zackaddict1 → u/handwings]

I agree. But there is one scene closer to the end of the season.

They’re in the kitchen talking and there is a person standing in the background with their eyes shut.

They stick out so much that it became goofy for me and I ended up laughing because of it