10 Annoying Movie Tropes That Can Ruin A Horror Movie
1. The Mirror Jump Scare
Mirrors are scary. Just ask your pet cat. In fact, the mirror scare was once an extremely effective method of terrifying audiences - thanks for the sleepless nights, Candyman - until it was overused to the point of exhaustion.
The traditional trope usually involves a character in the bathroom, shown in a standard over-the-shoulder shot. They open the cabinet, everything seems normal, but once they slam it shut in a continuous take, something alarming appears in the reflection: a vengeful ghost smiling at them, a blood-stained clue suddenly visible on the wall behind, or sometimes (if the character arc permits), their face is distorted for shock value. The list goes on.
Audiences know the drill by now. If it’s a horror movie and a character is acting nonchalant around a mirror, we can see the scare coming a mile away and usually know exactly how it will play out.
It’s time to delete this trope and move on.
Props to films like Oculus and Mirrors. While flawed, they manage to take this tired trope and wring genuine tension from multiple set pieces built around it - not to mention Amy Smart’s literally jaw-dropping demise in the latter is still etched in several people's minds to this day.