Common Horror Tropes Part 1: Haunted Houses and Cursed Objects (and Why They Still Scare Us)
by Winona Morris
Common horror tropes may feel overdone to the point of being cliche, but they remain some of the most effective tools for storytellers, both in the written word and in film. In fact, many of our horror anthologies feature these timeless scares, proving just how powerful they still are.
The word horror, whether in context of literature or movies, will often bring to mind a handful of images. One might envision creaky floors and flickering lights, a ghostly figure floating down the staircase of a haunted mansion. Another might see a battered and bruised heroine, limping into the sunrise after surviving a long night of horrors. Haunted dolls, creepy mirrors, slashers hiding in the babysitters closet, or the familiar figure of a vampire rising from its coffin-all of these classic horror tropes endure because they strike at our most common fears.
These are not just cliches. The most repeated tropes in horror work because they tap into our deepest, most primal fears. Somehow, even when they are predictable, they still have the power to make us close the curtains, lock the doors, and check the closets before bed.
In the next 3 articles of classic horror tropes explained, I will touch on six of the most common horror tropes and why they continue to work time after time. This article will feature the haunted house and the cursed object.
The Haunted House Trope In Horror
The haunted house is possibly the most iconic horror image ever. Whether it is a gothic mansion sitting lonely on a hilltop, a decrepit cabin in the woods, a hugely popular hotel getting ready to shut down for the off season, or a brand new building in an unfortunate location, any building can hold a haunt.
Haunted houses resonate with all of us because most of us live in a “house” of some fashion. The four walls we reside inside are as intimate to us as our own arms and legs. It is the safe place we come to to escape the hustle and bustle, the struggle and stress of the world outside. Deep down we fear that our safe space will be invaded. Even worse, what if the intruder isn’t simply a person who we can remove, but an incorporeal being, or even the house itself.
In fiction, haunted houses are often more than they seem on the surface. They can represent so much more than a spooky ghost or dish tossing poltergeist. There is a rich well of history to draw on. The haunting is a fleeting reminder of death, the grief of loss, the guilt of survival. Or in another vein it could mimic the pain of loneliness. Home is supposed to be your safe space, but what if it is secretly your prison instead?
One of the most well known haunted houses in both literature and film might be the Overlook Hotel from Stephen King’s “The Shining.” While overflowing with malevolent entities, this particular haunted house not so subtly touches on isolation, alcoholism and abuse, it also plays on themes of corruption, manipulation, the darkness of human nature and the cost of redemption.
In the lesser known “The House Next Door” by Anne River Siddons, the house is brand new. There have been no tragedies in its walls so it can’t possibly be haunted. As the neighbors watch a series of families succumb to madness and more, they begin to suspect that somehow this contemporary home is hiding something sinister, proving that no home is safe from haunting.
Where to read more: Our horror anthology, The Best of Terror Monthly, includes haunted house stories that play on these same themes of safety, invasion, and fear of the familiar.
The Cursed Object Trope In Horror
Imagine now, living your life in your perfectly normal, perfectly un-haunted house. Then you go shopping at a local antique store. You find a piece of furniture you just cannot live without. Maybe it is the antique sideboard that will perfectly finish off your dining room, or it might be a carnival glass lamp, or that 18th century mirror you found for a steal.
Maybe the new items in your home didn’t come from a second hand shop at all, but from a family member. Great Aunt Agnes gave you her special locket, you found a porcelain doll you never knew was in the attic, or a random trinket showed up on your doorstep.
Suddenly things start happening in your home. The night is filled with bumps and creaks that were never there before. Things seem to move on their own, and childish giggles fill the silence in a home where there is no child. Your perfectly un-haunted house now has an entity and this time it’s all your fault.
This touches on all the same sore spots as the haunted house, including the invasion of privacy and destruction of your safe space. There is more though. If the haunting, curse, hex or demonic presence in a cursed item can travel, what is to say it can’t latch on to you? You’ve looked into the haunted mirror, watched the cursed VHS, or donned the bewitched locket, and now you are not safe anywhere. Every reflective surface, every digital screen, even the air around you, can let the entity into your life.
“The Monkey’s Paw” is a well known cursed object, in which a mummified paw will grant you three wishes, but at what cost?
In the 2002 film “The Ring” (based on a novel of the same name by Koji Suzuki) it is a cursed VHS tape that, once watched, guarantees almost certain death.
And, as always, Stephen King offers up not one, not two, but an entire novel full of cursed objects in “Needful Things.” In that one Leland Gaunt opens an antique store which just happens to carry exactly what everyone wants, at a price no-one can refuse, but each of those objects bring more horror than happiness by the end.
Final Thoughts
In my next article I’ll touch on two more similar tropes. “Don’t Go In There” and “The Unheeded Warning.”
Tell me, what is your favorite haunted house story? Have you ever encountered an item that you thought might be cursed? Would you take it home with you if you did?
If you love horror that plays with haunted houses, cursed objects, and creepy everyday things, check out our full line of horror anthologies-packed with scary stories you won’t forget.
And don’t forget to share this article with a spooky friend who loves a good haunting.
Great article Winona Morris. I always wondered what would’ve happened in The Ring if they just hadn’t answered the phone after watching the tape! Can’t wait to read on Don’t Go In There and The Unheeded Warning.
Great article. The Fall of the House of Usher is a favorite of mine as is Haunting of Hill House. I’ve never been near a haunted object but Annabelle the doll and Robert the doll both come to mind.