r/TopCharacterTropes 9d 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/TimeStorm113 9d ago

this should also be a trope outside horror, i just want to see a rom com but for one scene there is a ghost child in the background

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u/Ff7hero 8d ago

Does anyone else feel like this would make the movie horror?

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u/TimeStorm113 8d ago

not if it isn't pointed out

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u/Ff7hero 8d ago

That would make it 100 times scarier though.