While every horror subgenre tends to have some cliches, films that are set in haunted houses tend to use more tropes than others. The movie often begins with the same plotline: a family relocates to a new home, whether because the couple has been fighting or because the teenager needs a brand new start. Before long, the house seems to be full of spirits or at least something weird, and yet the couple insists that nothing is going on at all. The movie's climax features what is supposed to be a terrifying scene as the parents can't ignore the sinister elements in the home anymore.
There are several haunted house movie cliches that horror fans would love to see disappear, as stories will always be much stronger when they have fresher elements that aren't used all the time.
The Child Character Notices Something Weird
Carol Anne Freeling (Heather O'Rouke) is a strong part of Poltergeist, one of the most timeless '80s horror movies, as she notices the ghosts that no one else can see and they talk to her through the TV. But besides this classic film, the trope of kids noticing that something supernatural is going on in their new house isn't exciting.
By now, horror fans have seen too many movies where a family relocates, often to the countryside, and moves their belongings and furniture into an old, dusty house. The little kid is often excited and runs to claim their new bedroom while the teenager is bored, sullen, and pissed off at having to move. By the time that the child character sees a ghost and freaks out in the middle of the night, audiences want something more interesting, as the parents never think that the kid is on the right track.
A Family Died In The House And Wants Revenge
While Sinister (2012) is one of the most frightening horror movies, it does have a trope that has come up in a lot of haunted house stories: a family is murdered in the home and their spirits want to kill the new family who has moved in.
This has become a massive cliche that feels uninspiring and boring. While moviegoers appreciate why this is used, since it gives the ghosts a motive and a reason for the main characters to be scared, it just doesn't feel imaginative enough. Most of the time, audiences know exactly where the movie is going once a character realizes that something happened at this property years or decades before and they try to find out what went down.
A Seemingly Innocent Character Is Responsible
Some of the worst haunted house horror movies include Cold Creek Manor (2003) and The Messengers (2007) which both have a similar plot point: a nice and "innocent" character who lives nearby the property, visits often, and tries to help the family. But by the movie's end, the character turns out be behind the evil.
This trope is used in so many movies that it has become tiresome and it doesn't have the impact that it should. From the moment that this kind of character comes onscreen, it becomes obvious that this is the role that they're going to play, and fans would love to see different characters.
An Expert Comes Into The House To Investigate
The Insidious franchise includes some of the best haunted house movies, but the films also include a cliche of these types of stories: an expert who investigates what's happening. In the first film in the franchise from 2010, Tucker (Angus Sampson) and Specs (Leigh Whannell) are paranormal investigators who visit the Lambert house, and Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye ) is a psychic who comes by as well. Josh (Patrick Wilson) and Renai (Rose Byrne) want all the help that they can get.
While it makes sense that characters would want some outside advice and opinions, this has happened so many times that it feels tired and cliched. If any future haunted house horror films are going to use experts, they should be unique and hilarious characters who bring something special to the script.
A Character Becomes Possessed While Living In The House
Josh also becomes possessed at the end of Insidious, which brings up another cliched concept from this kind of story: a character being taken over by a demon or evil spirit. This storyline also happens in Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones from 2014.
Sometimes a unique ghost story will come along, but most of the time, audiences are tired of watching characters become posessed as this doesn't feel as horrifying as it should anymore. It often comes off as cheesy and corny instead of something to be afraid of, and many of these cliches often come in pairs, as characters investigate the posessed person with the help of an expert.