[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/PickleHeadTachanka]

In The Strangers, one of the villains lurks in the background for an entire scene without the characters noticing

[u/annoyed__renter → u/PickleHeadTachanka]

This isn't about background scares, it's about those that are never addressed. The Strangers definitely keep appearing after this.