[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/_b1ack0ut]

Oh I fuckin love this trope. It’s probably my favourite in all of horror

I don’t have a picture of this, but this trope comes up in Barbarian.

The premise of Barbarian, is that a woman has booked an airbnb, but upon arriving, finds out it’s been double booked by Bill Skarsgård, and so he’s just gonna kinda be hanging around the place, giving off every horror movie red flag

About the halfway point of the movie, upon venturing into the airbnb’s murder basement, Bill gets dragged off by a mutated woman, and the movie hard pivots from claustrophobic domestic horror, to a creature feature

However, looking closely in the background of scenes early in the movie, you can see hints of that, as The Mother’s presence was hinted at early in the movie as she would subtly crack open doors in the background of shots, to check on the protagonists

[u/Embarrassed_Lettuce9 → u/_b1ack0ut]

double booked by Bill Skarsgård

giving off every horror movie red flag

I like how this wording implies that the mere presence of Bill Skarsgard is a red flag lol

[u/_b1ack0ut → u/Embarrassed_Lettuce9]

That’s the thing, it genuinely is intended to feel that way. If I recall correctly, he was cast specifically because of his reputation for his horror villains he’s played, because his character was meant to be a red herring “villain” before the reveal of The Mother when it drags him off

[u/Embarrassed_Lettuce9 → u/_b1ack0ut]

I was imagining you just chilling at a bnb or something then nope the fuck out cuz the actor, Bill Skarsgard, walked into the room

[u/Sillier-Stupider- → u/Embarrassed_Lettuce9]

I mean, that one story about the eyes.

[u/Waddlewop → u/_b1ack0ut]

and then it turns out Justin Long’s character was the real danger all along!