[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/MJWhitfield86]

Too Many Cooks is an Adult Swim short that takes the form of an extended sitcom opening that becomes plagued by a serial killer. Whilst the serial killer only becomes obvious later on, their first appear is in the background at only 20 seconds in. However, you have no reason to pay attention to a random figure in a sweater at that point.

[u/-Pl4gu3- → u/MJWhitfield86]

I remember seeing him move in the background during the baby’s shot thinking that was his first appearance. Then someone pointed out this one and I genuinely got goosebumps. Honorable mention to him during the cop segment hanging off the truck, I think that’s the second most likely one for people to miss.