There are a million and one ways to wind up dead in a horror movie; that’s common knowledge. For a genre that’s been around nearly over a century, it’s actually surprising how many repeated threats there are scattered throughout the medium. It’s only a matter of time before things start getting repetitive.
Many moviegoers are still scared, but the hardcore horror hounds can read certain flicks like a map. Have they grown tired of these monsters, madmen, and maniacs? No, but it would be untrue to say that there is a certain familiarity with some of these frightening figures.
Demons & Demonic Possession
If one is a person of faith, this frequent horror threat might have a little more ground to stand on. That being said, demonic possession films have been a horror staple ever since the premiere of The Exorcist, and they almost always tend to be obviously derivative variations of that horror classic.
One thing that can certainly be said about this theme is it never lacks flexibility. The demons can appear as invisible spiritual entities by which humans are influenced, or they can appear as supernatural manifestations of pure evil that are ready to be blasted by Bruce Campbell’s Boomstick.
Evil Dolls
One of the most common and at times overplayed tropes is the evil doll. While a certain pint-sized redheaded good guy may be considered to be the king of the trope thanks to the Child’s Play movies, nowadays the doll is more of a vessel for an evil entity than a one-liner-spewing psychopath voiced by Brad Dourif.
But whether one’s preference is Annabelle or Chucky, the scare factor remains the same. Dolls are just one of those things that will always elicit a sense of terror for a multitude of viewers.
Killer Clowns
In the grand scheme of things, clowns are still a relatively new feature in the horror genre. Spawning from the John Wayne Gacy murders in the ’70s, killer clowns have become another tick on the horror movie checklist.
The most famous of all might be Stephen King’s Pennywise the Dancing Clown (aka It), but there are certainly other contenders like DC Comics’ most infamous supervillain the Joker, Twisty from American Horror Story, and the Killer Klowns from Outer Space. You never know what might lie behind that painted smile.
Spooky Ghosts
Perhaps the oldest and most traditional threat in any horror movie is the standard garden-variety haunting. These ghosts might appear as invisible manifestations of ectoplasmic energy, or they might take on a fully physical and corporeal form.
They might be mischievous like Beetlejuice or they might be malicious like La Llorona, but no matter what they are or how they might menace and threaten their chosen victims, ghosts still remain an uneasy presence for some viewers to handle.
Murderous Aliens
Many viewers might think that a threat from outer space is highly unrealistic and improbable, but the Sci-Fi genre has made more than a few generous contributions to the realm of horror with these spacefaring terrors.
While the Xenomorph from the Alien movies is the first species of extraterrestrial horror to come to mind, visitors from other planets have been a common staple in the genre since the time of H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds (plus its countless adaptations). The Pod People of Body Snathcers fame, Martians of literally any kind, and the big-game loving Predators are just a few of the players who want to make earth (or at least some humans) their next victim.
Witches & Practitioners Of Witchcraft
A certain disclaimer has to go with this entry, simply because the modern witch is nothing like her traditionally wicked counterpart. While there are certain monstrous exceptions as seen with The Witch and Gretel and Hansel, many of today’s witches (most notably those seen in The Craft) have a more voluptuous and contemporary Goth look about them.
For some, the horror of witchcraft isn’t just the curses and spells, but the fact that literally anyone could be a witch in disguise. Granted, evil hiding behind a deceptively beautiful look is a very successful trope, but it’s one that seems to have been overplayed in recent years. Time to bring back the broomsticks and cauldrons!
Vampires
Truth be told, vampire films are a dime a dozen; any movie with a seductive and luxurious bloodsucker is pretty cut-and-dry at this point. While the modern vampire is barely a squeal to most fans and can even be a source of hilarity as seen in What We Do In The Shadows, there are still certain exceptions to the rule the night such as the animalistic vampires of 30 Days of Night.
True, some are more fashion icons and even models than they are monstrous, but there are still vampires who never lost the ability to turn into nightmarish creatures. As long as they don’t sparkle, vampires of all stripes have a home in the genre.
Werewolves & Other Lycanthropes
Along with vampires, werewolves and their cousins have become more beauties than beasts. However, the were-creature has expanded into more territory than the famous wolves. There have been werecats, weredogs, werebats, and even weresheep.
Some movies might be more of a stretch than others, but props to the lycanthropic niche for being more inclusive than most of their peers. It takes more than a full moon that can make the idea of a weresheep scary. Some notable examples of this subset include Ginger Snaps, the Underworld movies, and of course, Universal’s classic Wolfman.
Masked Maniacs (AKA Slashers)
It’s easy to give this particular trope a pass simply because of how popular and enduring it is. The masked slasher has been a horror movie icon since the ’70s and has shown absolutely no signs of slowing down.
What makes this brand of murderer work is the incredible number of flavors that the slasher can come in. The likes of Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, and Leatherface are just a small sampling of what the genre has to offer, while those like Freddy Krueger, Ghostface, and Victor Crowley offer a more self-aware approach to their mass murder.
Zombies & All Manner Of Undead
If there had to be one trope the entire horror fanbase can agree has been played too much, it’s zombies. To be fair, filmmakers have been getting more creative with how the undead are brought back to life. But whether it’s through a virus, nuclear experiments, a voodoo curse, or the Umbrella Corporation, this still doesn’t hinder the repetitive nature of the zombie outbreak.
Zombie fiction has come to a point where not only are its more straightforward examples already predictable, but even parodies of zombies are beyond passé and have become a trope in and of themselves. Still, the zombie apocalypse is something that will never lose its audience.
