Fifty Horror Clichés That Need to Die in a Fire

#5: Going Out Into The Spooky Area Alone

  Note: I would like to thank Starelf555 for suggesting I go over this horror cliché!  Although it has some similarities to the splitting up the group cliché, there is plenty of differences between that cliché and the one covered here for a juicy editorial part.  Starelf555 is an great inspiring horror writer on Watt Pad who creates spooky stories on their page.  Please check them out if you haven't already!

  Whenever somebody is tasked with entering a spooky looking area in real life, how do you think they would normally react?  Would they enter the area in question, possibly filled to the brim with evil spirits, using only a battery powered flashlight as a guide?  Would they go in alone, without a braver alley to back them up in case a zombie happens to suddenly burst out into the open?  Would someone even attempt the feat, considering the rising amounts of random violence that is prevalent in society today?  A lot of fictional characters in horror stories would risk their lives in a heartbeat on a dare, so why would a real person not at least attempt the task?

  The truth is that unless the person in question happens to be a complete unnerving daredevil without no regard for their life, they are not going to attempt the feat.  One of the most widespread phobias in society is the fear of death, as no one has definitive proof whether or not a form a life exists after you take your final breath.  You may have your own beliefs about an afterlife of some kind, but the process leading to this paradise is completely unknown.  It is not having any knowledge of death itself that scares most people away from spooky attics or abandoned alleys in the city.  That is why in fictional stories the feat done by characters is completely unrealistic.  Any sane person would turn away in fear, no matter how many episodes of American Horror Story you happened to binge watch on Netflix.

  That is why it bugs me whenever some random character in a horror story enters the spooky area in question without a second thought.  In almost all cases, the action causes an unintentional break in character, taking away the illusion of the story you are trying to tell the audience.  Someone who has had way too many bad encounters with vampires in abandoned graveyards such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer is not going to do the task on a random dare.  She would need a motivation first, like most other fictional characters out there.  A motivation that would make sense is the endangerment of a friend or in Buffy the Vampire Slayer's case, a vampire terrorizing Sunnydale.  Without that core motivation, the action is not going to make any sense for the character in question.

  Then there is the second issue this cliché creates; doing the task alone.  Vulnerability, especially in today's society, is a position no one wants to be in.  If they are going to venture into this spooky attic where the sexy rubber suit is located, the character most likely would want a family member or a close friend nearby in case things go wrong.  Even if this area happens to be part of a house the character just purchased, the desire still will present itself naturally.  We as a human species crave companionship.  Going into that attic in the woods is going to require a few close buddies you can count on in case things go wrong.  Why do you think in the movie Friday the Thirteenth, the camp counselors that lasted longer in Camp Blood went in with a companion or two?  They knew about the reputation the camp held when back in 1958, two camp counselors were killed by an unknown assassin inside the camp.  As flat some of the characters ended up being in the film, they at least had common sense on their side when entering the camp.  That cannot be said for many other examples in the horror genre.  Even great stories from masters such as Stephen King run into this problem a lot.

  If you want to avoid the cliché altogether, just use common sense for the character in question about to enter the murder haven that is Castle Rock, Camp Blood, Elm Street, or any other iconically notorious horror area.  Have the character not go in alone and be sure that it fits their characterization.  On top of that, have them hold a weapon such as a stake or a gun.  You never know what these characters are going to run into.  That last thing you want is an unneeded death scene inside a horror novel.