Horror Discussion

Horror film clichés

by Alexia Coss

​Vocabulary

1. (_) handy

2. (_) creepy

3. (_) uninhabited

4. (_) a cliché

5. (_) resourceful

6. (_) to jump out of your skin

7. (_) suspense

8. (_) desperation

​Definitions

a. producing a sense of fear or making you feel uncomfortable

b. an idea that has been used so often that people think it is bad, unoriginal or boring

c. useful or convenient

d. a feeling of pleasurable excitement while waiting to find out what is going to happen

e. not lived in by people

f. able to solve problems and act imaginatively in difficult times

g. the feeling of needing or wanting something so much you will do anything to get it

h. to be so frightened or surprised by something that you physically move​

​Match the definitions (a–h) with the vocabulary (1–8).

1

No matter what kind of house it is, the basement is a scary place in horror films. That’s usually where something is hiding or where the evil psychopath has hidden their tools. Basements are always dark and often damp. You can only reach them by a narrow staircase. And basements are always creepy, even when there isn’t anything down there.​

​2

In older horror films, when protagonists were in desperation, it was difficult or impossible for them to call for help or call the police. Mobile phones have made that situation a bit less believable now. What’s the solution to maintain suspense? No phone coverage! If you’re a hero in a horror film, it’s almost certain that at a key moment, just when you absolutely need to call for help, you will not have any coverage at all. Or your phone battery will die just as you are making the call. Or both.

​3

Horror films love uninhabited places. This could be an abandoned hospital, a scary empty house or a ghost town. There’s something about lonely, empty places. What was it like when people lived there? Why did they leave? Maybe it’s also that they are so quiet, which can be very scary too. Of course, abandoned places are also handy for horror film directors in that it’s more believable that you will have no phone coverage there either (see above).

​4

The hero has been driving for hours. It’s night-time and it’s beginning to rain. Suddenly he sees a person on the side of the road. Maybe the company will keep him awake? In horror films, giving anybody a ride is asking for trouble. The hero always does it, and it always ends badly.

​5

This horror film cliché was especially popular with horror films of the late 20th century. It starts with a group of teenagers all enjoying themselves, and it ends with everyone dead except one girl. At the beginning the girl is usually innocent, shy and not particularly strong. By the end, she has become the toughest and most resourceful person in the world. The last girl almost always wins in the end.

​Do you like horror films?

Can you think of any more horror film clichés?