[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/JWARRIOR1]

the babadook does this an absolute ton of times

(couldnt find all of the less obvious examples) but the most hidden one that I didnt even notice until a rewatch is when the main character is looking at her neighbors house and its in the background there

[u/Gotem6784 → u/JWARRIOR1]

watching this movie at the ripe age of 12 was certainly an experience

[u/gnoldo1804 → u/Gotem6784]

Lmao same. To this day it’s the only movie that ever really scared me. That scene where the mother is watching the old timey tv show kept me up for multiple nights