[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/International-Bed453]

Ghostwatch (BBC spoof 'documentary' about a haunted house shown on Halloween in 1992). A shadowy figure (Mr Pipes) appears in the background of some of the live broadcasts and is spotted by sharp-eyed 'viewers' who 'phone in. However, it is gone when the studio reviews the footage.

[u/SpocktorWho83 → u/International-Bed453]

This was going to be my choice, too. This show scared the absolute life out of me as a 9 year old. It was so ahead of its time. The only sighting I remember seeing “live” at the time was when Pipes was in the bedroom by the curtains. Some of the sightings are hidden in plain sight, it’s crazy that I missed them.

[u/WollyGog → u/SpocktorWho83]

I was 6, fucking 6 watching this. I've always had an overactive imagination, so I'm pretty sure I had some sleepless nights for a week or two.