StoryLab Week 6

(Pexels)

For the StoryLab this week I decided to spend some time browsing through the TVTropes website. This website was filled with information about different tropes found in television, film, literature, and more. Since it is the beginning of fall and Halloween time, I decided to focus on some popular spooky tropes.

A trope is a storytelling device that is commonly used by storytellers to describe situations they can assume the audience will recognize. These are not the same as cliches, they can be something that is brand new or something that has been used time and time again for years. Here are some of the ~spooky~ tropes I looked at this week.

1. All Hallows' Eve: 

The traditions and practices that we are accustomed to on this holiday have been around for centuries. From dressing up to hid from spirits to feeding those who come to your door, these customs are often reflected in television, film, and literature. Slasher films like the Halloween franchise capitalized on this. Mean Girls is another popular film to use this Halloween trope as well as more child-friendly films like Halloween Town and Hocus Pocus. 


2. Haunted Houses: 

This trope is a spooky staple for this genre. Haunted castles were more common in European stories but the classic haunted house trope has its roots in America culture. These homes seem to have a mind of their own and always seem bigger on the inside; filled with an endless amount of rooms and long hallways. TV shows like American Horror Story have made an entire season that focus on this trope. Movies like The Poltergeist, The Conjuring, and The Amityville Horror all use this trope to sell their story (bonus points if it is based on a real one). This trope is a classic and will continue to be retold.

3. Christmas Crossovers: 

The mixing of holidays like Christmas with the horror genre is one that has been quite popular in more recent years. This idea all started with the 1974 classic, White Christmas. This film sparked a whole subgenre movement that led to films like Halloween, Friday the 13th, The Leprechaun. One idea that remains popular is that of a "Bad Santa." This idea of turning the jolly old man into something scary or bad can be seen in shows like American Horror Story or Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Some movies like to play on this idea in a funny way like Bad Santa while others use Santa's alter to tell darker stories like in the movie Krampus. Either way, this trope is one that is not for everybody.