The Top 5 Best & Worst Horror Cliches

The Top 5 Best & Worst Horror Cliches

Horror, like any genre, has many things that make it great and many things that make it bad. Also, like any genre, it has its cliches; tropes, plots, or scenarios that have been overly done to the point that they are obvious and, at times, just plain awful. However, there are just as many good cliches as there are bad, so when it comes to my opinion on horror cliches, I’ve devised a list of the top five best and worst.

Top 5 Best:

5. The Creepy Old Haunted House:

Has it been done to death? Absolutely, and so many times that it’s one of the most overdone and repetitive cliches, but in my opinion, that’s what makes it work. Haunted houses are a staple for any horror book or film, and it's a classic, so in that regard, it must be considered one of the best as well. While it's the most obvious choice for a setting in horror its usually also the scariest. When you know the setting is a haunted house, you think you know what you’re getting, but do you?

4. Headshot to kill a Zombie:

Ever since George Romero came out with Night of the Living Dead, our fascination with zombies has only grown more and more over the years. How do we kill a zombie? By shooting it in the head. This was stated in the film, and because of this, it's become a basic rule(at least that’s what we are told in Zombieland). Most zombie films and books follow this principle and rule, and since it's used in every type of zombie film and book, it technically would be considered cliché. However, because of Night of the Living Dead, every bit of zombie fiction since, and we as a human race have deemed the headshot to a zombie as the standard, it makes it one of the best because if a real zombie apocalypse comes, at least we’ll know what to do.

3. Something horrific happens, but it was just a dream:

I’ve seen this on lists for the worst, and I understand where they’re coming from. It’s done a lot, and if not done correctly, it makes the viewer/reader feel like they’re being reeled in only to be let down, as what they just saw/read didn’t actually happen. But I have it as one of the best because this is how you can create something truly terrifying that would otherwise be too over the top for the original plot. If done correctly, you not only scare people but you also reveal that sinister twist; it didn’t happen. Now, if what happens was just a dream, but it happens later on, it can then be seen as great foreshadowing.

2. Creepy/Evil Children:

Overdone? Oh, you know it, it’s still working and still creeps us out! From Village of the Damned to Children of the Corn, Pet Semetary to The Omen, creepy or evil children in horror always seem to get the better of people. Why? Because we don’t expect children to be creepy or evil, this is why it works on most levels. Yes, it's become cliché, but it's one that even if we see it coming and know that a child is going to be evil, we don’t know how evil, which is why we are usually thrown off and scared out of our minds.

1. The Sudden Jump Scare:

Why is this number one? is what I bet you’re asking. It’s so overdone, it’s the cliché of clichés. This may be true, but the jump scare is a snack in between meals, a chaser after alcohol, something you know is going to happen, but you don’t know when. The jump scare is what wets our horror appetites. If we get a sudden jump scare early or in the middle, it usually means we’re going to get an insane scare later on that will really make us unnerved. The jump scare may be overdone, but in many ways, it's what keeps us coming back for more and anticipating even crazier and diabolical scares.

The Top 5 Worst:

5. Hiding in an obvious spot or getting out of it too soon:

Oh no, the killer is after me. Wait, I know! I’ll hide in this closet, under this bed, or table. While I understand that sometimes a room is so small that there aren’t many places to hide, I feel like the person being chased by a killer is better off trying to find a way to stick to the ceiling or facing the killer head-on. A closet, if there is one, or a bed, is always the first place a killer is going to look for someone they saw run into a room whose suddenly not there anymore. This cliché is done all the time, and unfortunately, it never gets any better. Also, getting out of a good hiding spot is a personal peeve of mine. If the killer didn’t find you, then why are you stepping out when they may not have left the room? This always bothered me as a kid. If it were me and I found a good spot to hide from a killer, I’d stay there as long as possible until I knew the coast was 100% clear.

4. Car not starting:

You hate to see it. The victim can flee the killer and get into the car, but suddenly the car won’t start. But why? It was working perfectly earlier in the movie when they drove up to the haunted house/cabin/building. This is another cliché that is just the worst because it's always done the same way without any explanation. If the killer cut their brakes, popped their tire, took out all the gas to their car, hid their keys, or cut the wires, it would be a little more interesting, but that never happens. The car just never starts, and we never truly know why, except that the killer in that moment is after them, so by default, their car must not start.

3. Splitting up to investigate:

Did Scooby-Doo teach us nothing as children? Okay, so while it at times worked for them, it rarely works for people in horror films or books. Yeah, let’s split up so that it’s one-on-one rather than a group against one person. It makes so much sense. What makes it even worse is that when the group of friends decides to investigate, you can almost always tell whose going to die and whose going to die first. This is another cliché that has never really been upgraded or done differently; it's become good. It’s the same old, let’s split up gang, followed by the killer finding them each alone and killing them one by one.

2. Running while the killer walks/falling but crawling instead of getting back up:

Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees have become notorious for this. The victim is running full speed through the woods or down the trail or wherever, and they’re just walking at an average speed. Yet, somehow, they catch up to the victim and kill them. How? Are the killers walking at the same speed as the victims running? No, so how can this happen? But it gets worse. How does it become worse? The victim runs suddenly, falls, and rather than get back up, they crawl, and the killer catches up and kills them. Why would anyone think crawling when the killer is behind you is a good idea? It’s such a bad cliché and one that, even if it's not a Halloween or Friday the 13^th film, you already know what's going to happen.

1. Thinking the killer is dead after being stabbed or shot:

When in the history of any horror film or book has a diabolical villain/killer been killed by a single gunshot or stabbed once? Never! Even if they are shot or stabbed multiple times, never assume they are dead. If they are shot or stabbed in the head? Okay, but that rarely happens. Most killers are borderline invincible or extremely hard to kill, so when the opportunity arises, one should not assume that one shot, stab, or even a few will do the trick. This is done in almost every horror film. Also, if it’s a creature like a vampire or werewolf, why do they even try to use a gun? If the gun has silver bullets, okay, but that’s usually not the case. So I present to you the number one worst horror cliché, thinking the killer is dead after a simple shot or from being stabbed.

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