What horror/suspense movie cliches irritate you the most?

Question

For me -- the potential victim always manages to trip over something when being chased by the killer/monster. Of course, this trip allows the killer/monster to get close enough in range to *almost* grab him/her.

Answer 1

I really hate how there's always a scene in a quiet room/house/whatever. The music becomes ominous and slowly swells and, as it reaches its climax, the character (who was just looking around the place for whatever reason, usually to see if someone else is there) opens a door or something, attempting to make the audience think "Oh, well, they're safe now." Then, immediately afterwards, something startling will happen.

Answer 2

Most Suspense Movie

Answer 3

1) Women in labor generally have ultra-speedy deliveries of babies, with very few complications.
2) When a vampire meets the leading lady, she looks EXACTLY like his lost love!
3) The killer's body disappears at the end of movie in far too many films. This worked beautifully in "Halloween", then EVERYONE decided to use it.
4) Everyone else can die after one snake bite or other critter attack, but the hero or heroine can survive multiple injuries. Occasionally, the comic relief will survive, too, as in "Snakes on a Plane". "Piranha" (1978) is a prime example because the hero gets attacked by the fish and manages to escape relatively unscathed.
5) Don't look at the strange pod, especially when it starts to move!
6) Don't look down a drain!
7) Don't stick your hand in the garbage disposal unit!
8) Don't leave that block with knives in it on the kitchen counter!
9) People believe the most unbelievable things because the scriptwriter/filmmaker wants them to; no one has to be convinced. "Lady in the Water" is a good example of what I consider to be the Gullibility Factor.
10) It's always easier to start the self-destruct process than to stop it.
11) Someone gets into a car, closes the door, turns the key and BLAM!!!!!!!!!!! Well, that's in crime stories. In horror/suspense, the critter/killer attacks from the back seat.
12) In another question, someone brought up the burnt-out bulb in the basement. People always go downstairs anyway. Yes, this is a cliche, but, unless you know there is a murderer or some monster, most people probably would go check out that sound. I suggested that perhaps someone borrowed the bulb from the basement~one of those "I'll replace it later" things. Maybe mice have been nibbling on the wire. Maybe the bulb IS burnt out because basements tend to be damp, dusty and spiderwebby, which, of course, is bad for bulbs.
13) It does seem inevitable for someone being chased to fall down a couple of times. But, if something scary was after me, I probably WOULD fall down while trying to run away! I agree that it does happen an awful lot, but the person generally a) has an unfortunate choice of footwear, b) uneven terrain to cross, and c) the tendency to keep looking behind him/her.
14) Someone is shown in a parking lot or at his/her door, suddenly fearful that someone or something is getting close! The person begins fumbling with keys. However, if something creepy was pursuing me, I probably WOULD drop my keys and fumble with them and have trouble getting the key in the ignition or the door! I do that anyway; yes, I'm a klutz, and fear could only make me klutzier.
15) The dead guy isn't really dead. This is far, far overused, even in a good film like "Die Hard", they just had to have one last guy that we had seen hanged in chains throw off the blanket and run shrieking at people ONLY so that the cop could prove he could shoot someone!
16) Don't pet the doggy, especially if it's the only thing left alive in town or on an arctic post!
17) When you see a horrific sight~a body in the trunk of your car, blood everywhere, etc., call your friends and don't leave the place! As sure as you do, someone will miraculously clean it up so that you look crazy!
18) If you take photographs of whatever it is, it won't show up on the photographs or negatives if you desperately need it to. In "Grudge 2", I liked the developing tray bit!
19) When someone screams, how do they KNOW who is screaming? "That's Julia!" "That's the neighbor's little boy!" Unless these people go on the rollercoaster a lot, just how do they know who it is that screamed?
20) If you're alone with the psycho killer, don't tell him you know it's him/her! Don't tell the bad person that you know his/her secret! Don't ever say, "When I see (police, your mom, another living being), I'm going to tell (true identity, horrific crime commited, anything else that is sure to get me killed right now)! Smile and nod a lot! Boost his/her ego! Do ANYTHING to stay alive! Remember not to bolt for the exit. S/he will always catch you and be very, very displeased.
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I love it when a movie dares to break a cliche. In "The Forgotten One" (1990), Terry O'Quinn is a guy living in what we realize is a haunted house. I don't recall the reason he started digging in the basement, but the apparition showed up. What did our hero do? He ran SCREAMING up the stairs and out of the house, not stopping until he got to his car, where he curled up to wait till morning. He doesn't even think about picking up keys or anything else. I loved that because it seemed so real!

Answer 4

the people who think their boyfriend/husband/girlfriend/wife are special, and even though a zombie bite infects everyone else on earth, this person will be OK.

or when in zombie movies, the person who is bitten turns immediately into a zombie. but the next person bitten, does not turn until the worst possible moment.

well, those are just zombie movie examples. if you want to see a pretty funny movie about the cliches of horror movies, as in, a guy who is becoming a serial killer explaining how it works, check out here
http://imdb.com/title/tt0437857/
i thought it was funny.

Answer 5

The killer is already inside the house

Answer 6

When someone leaves a group saying "l'll be right back" to get something......the person never returns and end up dead. **wow, so unpredictable**(rolls eyes)
The phone line is always dead or somebody cut it or no signal or low battery or whatever....who cares.
lol

Not to forget - there's always a couple making out and the villain is watching on by (get on with the killing before they reach climax)

Answer 7

Not making sure the killer is dead by just stabbing him once or shooting him once. If that was me I'm going to keep shooting & stabbing till I run out of bullets or till someone comes. Or turning your back on the killer. STUPID! I hate those parts!

Answer 8

victim gets in the car without checking the backseat.
Victim hears someone coming, hides, jumps out and whacks who they think is the killer but it turns out they just killed one of their friends instead.
They find a nasty shack in the woods and decide, hey lets go in there.

Answer 9

the back ground music..gives it away every time...or when some one looks up and just stands there screaming in stead of moving out of the way...duh...and dont forget the classic..jump into the car..fiddle with the key and the car wont start...meanwhile the creature inches closer..background music included...

Answer 10

The "oh look! There's a dark, mysterious, dangerous-looking (house, tunnel, cave, forest, warehouse, etc)! You wait here, I'm going to go look around. Don't worry, nothing bad is going to happen!"