Heather O'Rourke in Poltergeist (1982)
The Kids Can See Spirits
The adults believe that their child just has an imaginary friend, and realize too late that it was not the case.
◄ IMDb Polls
Poll: Annoying Horror Movie Clichés
Which overused element in a horror movie is the most annoying?
Make Your Choice
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Damon Wayans Jr. and Jake Johnson in Let's Be Cops (2014)
The Police Always Arrive too LateWhere are they when the victim needs them??
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Stefanianna Christopherson, Nicole Jaffe, Casey Kasem, Don Messick, and Frank Welker in Scooby Doo, Where Are You! (1969)
Let's Split Up!It's always better to split up and cover more ground, but by doing so dwindles the numbers to make it easier for the killer.
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Friday the 13th (1980)
The Killer Never DiesThe movie is coming to an end, the killer is dead and everything is going back to normal....But Wait!! The screen pans to the wreckage where the killer is ALIIVVEEE!!!
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Shannyn Sossamon, Ana Claudia Talancón, and Ray Wise in One Missed Call (2008)
The Phone Never WorksWhen the killer is on their tail the phone is always disconnected, dead, out of range, etc.
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Ryan Gosling in Drive (2011)
The Car Never StartsThere never is a quick getaway in tense situations.
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Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996)
Tension Rises But Turns Out Being NothingThe tempo increases and the protagonists thinks the killer is closing in, but ends up being the neighbor's cat or something else that is silly.
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Odette Annable and Ethan Cutkosky in The Unborn (2009)
The Mirror ScareAt first there appears to be no one in the mirror, but once the character looks away and back again the monster reveals itself.
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Maggie Grace in Taken (2008)
Hiding UpstairsInstead of looking for the front door, the protagonist will run upstairs and hide in either the closet or under the bed.
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Drew Barrymore in Scream (1996)
In Teen Horrors the Adults are Never Helpful -
Michael Hall D'Addario in Sinister (2012)
The Excessive Amount of Jump-scares, or Fake Jump-scaresWhen there are just too many in one movie and the result is underwhelming horror.
When something like a Jack in the Box jumps out at the protagonist.
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Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams, Chris Hemsworth, and Kristen Connolly in The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
The Stereotyped CharactersSuch as the Jock being the courageous one who wants to kill the monster alone, or the Blonde who is portrayed as dumb and sleeps around with the rest of the group.
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George P. Wilbur in Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)
The Speed Walking KillerNo matter how fast the victim runs and how slow the killer follows, the victim can never get away.
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Kristen Connolly in The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
The Victim's Inability to Stand Back UpWhen the victim falls over and can't get back up at once on the ground.
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#15
Screaming for Help in a Secluded AreaWhether it is while the victim is running (which would be hard on the lungs) or trapped where it is obvious no one will be able to hear them.
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"Halloween" Tony Moran as Michael Myers
They Don't Finish the JobThe victim strikes a big blow to the killer that renders the killer unconscious, but the victim doesn't finish the job. This leaves the killer to rise again and prolongs the movie.
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Brittany Snow in Prom Night (2008)
There is Always One SoundEven if the victim has picked the perfect hiding spot, there is a phone that goes off, or a creaky floor board that will give the killer the location of the victim.
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Scream 4 (2011)
The Inconsistent KillerThe main killer is the perfect assassin, very strong and can kill people with great technique, unless he is trying to attack the main protagonist and then he becomes unbelievable clumsy and weak.
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Fred Gwynne in Pet Sematary (1989)
Refusing the Elder's WarningThe old strange man/woman that suddenly appears and tell the main character to be careful, usually with some scary old story about a place/person, of course, the hero thinks he/she is crazy and don't believe him/her.
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Gunnar Hansen in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
Refusal to Get the Easy KillRarely do we see the killer use an actual gun to hunt down the victims. Instead we see them use bladed weapons that prolong the movie.
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Johnathon Schaech and Dana Davis in Prom Night (2008)
Minority Characters Die Sooner Rather Than LaterThe old cliche was that the minority character was the first to die in a horror movie. Now typically they are not the first to go but the chances of making it through the entire movie is still unlikely.
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Ethan Hawke in Sinister (2012)
Investigating in the DarkTypically someone in the group will go out in the dark with a flashlight, and see what was all the commotion. Of course there is not a single useful weapon accompanying him or her which leads to the first death in the movie.
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Keir Dullea and Olivia Hussey in Black Christmas (1974)
Creepy Ominous MusicYou know when you hear the creepy tune something is about to go down, which usually ruins the tension.
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Jodelle Ferland and Radha Mitchell in Silent Hill (2006)
Warnings in your Dream/Daydream of Future EventsWhen the protagonist has a dream about their own demise or the death of someone close to them. They believe it as a warning and will try and convince everyone else the same.
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Richard Dean Anderson in MacGyver (1985)
Being a Real MacGyverBy the end of the movie the protagonist will have stopped being useless and has somehow built an elaborate trap to catch the killer.
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Anna Hutchison in The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
Nudity and Sex Will Get you Killed -
Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Terminator (1984)
I'll be BackThe dreaded last words of anyone who speaks them in a horror movie.
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