MovieChat Forums > Into the Dark (2018) Discussion > Schlock Horror Cliches Annoy Me

Schlock Horror Cliches Annoy Me

posted 6 years ago by JackNorth (244)
6 replies | jump to latest

So many to choose from, but here's one from the "Down" episode:

Immediately after a struggle with each other in the elevator car, the guy gets knocked unconscious. He's laying there, on the floor of the elevator, and the woman doesn't know if he's dead or not as she approaches him...closer...closer...

...then BAM! He was playing possum, of course. He attacks her.

Two things in these kinds of scenes always bug me:
1 - after a vigorous struggle the person playing possum would not be lying dead still, but would be breathing heavily, out of breath.
2 - when playing possum with your eyes closed, as the guy in this episode was, it would be very hard to judge when to spring to the attack if the victim is approaching silently, as the woman in this episode was.

These gimmicks are so worn out...

[–] TylerAArse (2871) 5 years ago

What an odd thing to worry about.

[–] JackNorth (244) 5 years ago

LOL! I'm just gonna have to steal that line.

[–] kuku (3510) 5 years ago

Why? When you watch a story, you get into the story. For a while, you accept those characters as real. That's called 'suspension of disbelief'.

If something happens and it doesn't make sense (as some character taking some illogical decision just for the sake of the plot), then you realize that you're watching a puppet show, you see the threads, and the characters become just puppets handled by the screenwriter/director.

That breaks the immersion, and it kills the story.

[–] JackNorth (244) 5 years ago

Hey, don't blame me for having my attention drawn to the strings. Blame the puppeteer!

[–] kuku (3510) 5 years ago

Who said I'm blaming you? It's bad storytelling and bad writing. And it's becoming more and more frequent. A couple of decades ago, it was common in some specific genres like the slasher (you know, the 'hey guys, let's split and look for the serial killer' or 'oh, look, a serial killer!, let's go upstairs where there's not way out'). But it was more a B-genre thing.

Nowadays, it has spread, and someway it's like screenwriters don't give a shit anymore.

[–] JackNorth (244) 5 years ago

It's the director's fault as much as the writers'. Probably more so.

And you cite no basis for saying "it's becoming more and more frequent." That may or may not be true, but without actual research, it's perception rather than fact.