5 Horror Movie Clichés That Should Die A Horrifying Death

October is here, which means that it’s temporarily not “antisocial” to stay inside and watch horror movies on Saturday nights. It’s also the time of year when Thought Catalog celebrates everything that makes horror movies great, from jump scares to final girls to the Babadook’s unofficial queerness. That said, we horror fans don’t have to love everything that the horror gods bless us with, and after over a century of horror, we’ve zeroed in on some clichés that cheapen the genre. Perhaps it’s time to take a butcher knife or chainsaw or claw glove to these six overused horror movie tropes.

1. The horny people go first 

Modern horror has distanced itself from this cliché, but slashers still love to target their horniest characters early on. This happened as recently as Scream 6 (even if it was a copout). But why should the sluts be punished? Why not the slut shamers? In an ideal world, every horror movie would begin with a judgmental keyboard warrior (like, say, a person who voted for the Don’t Say Gay bill) getting hacked up. The film’s final survivor would then be whoever spent three minutes of their screen time accidentally getting crabs from their Grindr date.

2. Telegraphing the final girl

On the bright side, Final Girls in slasher films no longer have to be demure and mindful virgins who rely on their Trad Wife virtues to vanquish the forces of evil. In newer slasher films, Final Girls (and Final Boys) tend to be assertive, clever, and hedonistic from the get-go. But why must they be so obvious? Why do the Final Girls have to be the smart, likable ones whom the audience can single out in the first five minutes? Why can’t the Final Girl be the airhead who failed her SAT and suggested not once, but twice, that “everyone should split up?” Why can’t she just fail upwards throughout the entire movie and then triumph over the killer only because she tripped and knocked him into the stove, which she forgot to turn off after making Deep Fried Twinkies?

3. Horror characters have never seen horror movies 

Horror movie characters rarely know what movie they’re in. Sometimes this makes sense: In The Conjuring, for instance, the characters are in 1971. Supernatural horror wasn’t as ubiquitous in 1971 as it is now. But what about the people in the Paranormal Activity movies? What excuse do they have? If an invisible force starts opening your cabinets and moving your blankets at night, then you should move immediately and burn your house down. It’s not the “wind” or your prankster brother. It’s a demon who will possess your father and then engulf you in the omnipotent fires of Hell. 

4. Animal sacrifice 

This is more of a psychological horror or supernatural horror trope, but why must the family cat or dog always die first? Did the killer really need the warm-up? Even if the killer is just the family’s nine-year-old son who accidentally became possessed by Satan, he might as well just kill his parents right away and get it over with. Leave Fluffy alone! Also, why must there always be a ten to fifteen minute period between “Have you seen Fluffy?” and “Omg, it’s Fluffy’s body *cries*?” We all know why Fluffy disappeared. Now, if Fluffy were the killer … That would be the gag. 

5. The absolute worst person is always doomed 

This isn’t necessarily a bad trope: People love seeing jerks get their just deserts. But why must horror movie jerks be so obviously awful? Why do they have to be, like, homophobic bullies with rattails? If he/she/they were more insidious with their vileness, that would be so much more interesting. Like, imagine if there were a guy who only voted for write-in candidates and always typed “sent from my iPhone” at the end of emails, like the stalker in Baby Reindeer? That person should die. Or what about an Airbnb host who never left soap or laundry detergent for guests, even though she didn’t need to pay student loans because she won a lawsuit against McDonalds at the age of 17? You’d be surprised, yet satisfied, to see her go.

For more on all things horror, check out spooky entertainment site, Creepy Catalog.