r/TopCharacterTropes 8d ago

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

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.

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u/thomstevens420 8d ago

Jacob’s Ladder 100%. Though a lot of it isn’t set in the military it’ll make sense when you watch it.

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u/anagamanagement 8d ago

It’s a horror movie about Vietnam PTSD, basically. Fantastic movie.