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I'm personally a huge fan of anything horror, spooky stories, movies, films, paranormal stuff, etc. And I think I might make a horror thing for my first game, but I don't want it to fall into this repetitive cliche kinda story. What kinda cliches do you guys see often in the horror genre? Preferably the cliches you dislike would be helpful.

You have the usual sadistic serial killer. It gets overused. You also have the cliche of making horrible decisions. It may not be much, but I hope it helps!

Nothing wrong with a sadistic serial killer, if and only if they're magnificent/original enough. But more often then not, they aren't. Something that kinda pisses me off is where they decide to show how batshit crazy someone is by having them stab someone in the lung or something, and then talk to them in a calm, bedside manner as they bleed out. Lame-ass shit right there.

 I forgot about that one. I find it odd, as well. If you're as fucked in the head as to stab someone in the lung, then you really shouldn't be able to calmly talk to someone as they die...they would be yelling.

I know, right? The only reason they should be that deadpan is if they've been that deadpan the whole time, and if they have been, they wouldn't try to be so "polite" about it. If they were a sociopathically-black-comedian-type, (The kind who'd provide Endmaster-like reactions to disturbing facebook chats,) that wouldn't even be right. They'd spend the time complaining about how they had to chase them around the house with the knife getting blood everywhere, and how expensive lye and mafia cleaners are getting these days.

If they were completely bat-shit psychotic, as most are portrayed, they would be shouting and laughing loudly. Like:

"Haha!! I did it! Your blood is so WARM!" not "Shh. Everything will be alright. It's almost over now."

If they were completely batshit crazy, they'd rig an MLG horn up to the security cameras to go off every time they stab someone, and yell, "GET REKT, BITCH!"

Or they could act like the Nomads form Borderlands 2, saying things like:

"NO! Mommy bled for us both!"

That would only work if there were two of them.

Huh, a horror game about two serial killers would be cool.

Play man-hunt 2. It comes close to that.

Hah, serial killers. I never was a fan of serial killers that were trying to act cool or collected. It just always came off as cheesy to me. But the ones that were absolutely silent always horrified me, no words, no screams, no shouting, insulting, nothing. Just silence. Scares the piss out of me for some reason!
As for my story, no serial killers. It's going to be about the hallucinations you see at night as you're trying to sleep in your bed.... and if they really are hallucinations or not. :3

Being that that's a relatively unique idea, you should be fine. Just try not to have your character get out of the bed. Thoroughly explore the concept of hiding/looking around in bed trying to deduce what's happening without actually confronting the potential danger. If you leave the bed, then it's just a normal survival horror.

I was thinking about having the story take place over a period of 10 days, though. Still debating whether I should actually let the character move around the room/house, coz it's a lot harder to have a non-linear story with multiple outcomes when you're confined to the bed alone. Adds more room (literally) for story if we include mobility around the house. Though if I pull it off, that'd be pretty cool! ... Hmmmmm....

Though it may be harder, I like the idea of being confined to the bed.

Might add to the horror, now that I think of it. The character is literally so paranoid/scared they're unable to leave the bed, for fear of what might come upon them if they do.

Side note: Have you ever had that moment when you've got to walk to the bed after turning the lights off, and you jump onto the bed, because you're scared if you stand next to it, something underneath the bed will grab you?

Y'know what, there aren't enough room for my own puns in this thread anymore.

Trust me, don't get out of the bed. If you want them to hide, use the covers, if you want them to solve a puzzle, find someting on the bedside table. The bed makes it original, Amnesia's already been done before.

I agree. Delirium in a bed, confined ot it, is an excellent original idea.

Did you ever read "the yellow wallpaper?"

It's about a woman who's been confined to bed, supposedly for her health, slowly going insane.

I'm looking for a copy of that now.

That moment when you think you've finally come up with something original....

And someone then goes "Did you ever see [X]? It's like your idea, but [Y]."
Everytime. Just whY.

XD because there's a lot of human culture, and we're designed to find connections. Everything is always like something else. Don't be discouraged by it. 

Oh god. I'm going to sleep now, and now i've got all these scary thoughts circling in my head. I'll sacrifice my sanity for the sake of this game, and ya'll can experience how I felt tonight :P
*Note to self*: Stop thinking spooky shit right before bed. 

Welp, night! Wish me luck...

.......it's One'o clock....

Time zones, fucktard.

Yeah, they really suck.

Correction. You have Twilight stuck in your head for some sad reason. Traditional vampires are cool.

Correction: Vampires are cliche. Aswangs, however, are not cliche, and should be regarded as an option.

Werewolfs and Adzes are also options.

I love werewolves! :D
And wendigos, never forget those beautiful wendigos!

Hey, if vampires are cliche, so are werewolves. Werebears ftw.

Am I the only one who actually got that?

Fang-k you for recognizing my pun, at least. Ok that was terrible, but i'm raising the stakes here. Don't take my horrible punning to heart, though... That woodn't be good. 

Oh Jesus that thing's on a roll.

Oh god. I hope I don't pun this much in my scary story. That would be horrorble. Maybe i'll make a part where it's all just puns, and it'll be your punishment for screwing up in the story. 

You'll wanna punch me by the end of this forum, I bet. :p

Hmmm. There used to be an old user who's really fond of puns. 

Quit using so many damned italics; they're driving me batty.

I know it probably doesn't count, but seriously, fuck jump scares. When done correctly they're alright, but most of the time it's just kinda shit, ya know? It's like: "Hey, so we can't really provoke long-lasting ambience, so we'll just give you all of it in a split-second and you can get mad."

In a writing scene, though, I find the "creepy" murders just plain awful. You know, the ones whose face gets burnt off or something? 

*coughJacktheKillercough*

I say go for something either out-there or simplistic, not borderline on both. Some of the best horror I've read/watched were rather simple. Some of the best horror games out there expand on some crazy fucking ideas. It all comes down to what you want, really. 

My idea is pretty basic, at least, if that appeals to you. Night terrors, night mares, not being able to tell the difference between whether you're dreaming or whether it's real. I think we've all experienced that at one point, when you're in bed and you think of something scary, then suddenly your mind begins to play tricks on you, and shadows on the wall look like a person, etc. 

And yes. Long, exaggerated deaths.... it's a horror story, not a god damn Shakespeare play, dammit! I guess you could say those moments really kill the mood.

And heads up guys. I pun a lot. Just got out of solitary punfinement. 

... And how in the hell do I post pictures.

Why did I think of Skyrim instantly?
And hey, if a sexy lady demon sat on my chest, that'd be kinda hot interesting.

I mean, just look at Catherine... I'd have her haunt my dreams anytime. ;)

Why can't I ever have succubi come (hehehe) into my dreams? That'd be a night to remember.
You know, until they eat my soul or something.
That'd suc.

Not sure whether I should write it now or tomorrow. It's 1AM in Australia for me, and i'm scared if I write it, i'll end up scaring myself tonight and won't be able to sleep properly. 
 

According to folklore, succubi actually aren't that appealing. They have a downstairs entrance that drips with blood and hot urine, and fucked up hoof feet.

... Well. That's shattered my entire mental image of sexy demon ladys.
R.I.P fantasies.
The hot urine, I don't mind... (don't ask). The blood... too much for me.

Hey, the whole thing was come up with by church leaders to keep teens from fapping to erotic dreams and fantasies. As far as I'm concerned, hot urine and hooves are Word of God.

They still look like sexy demon ladies, they just transform into disgusting hell beasts that rip you apart while you're in the middle of having sex with them.

Unless they want to keep you around awhile to do the slow soul suck, then you get to be with them a few more times before you get ripped apart. Even if you manage to somehow get away, you've probably got every STD known in the world and some unknown ones as well though.

One is where the white girl always fall down while running from a monster/killer/rapist/Sentinelpenguin. The other is where the black guy dies first.

The black guy always dies first because it's karma for putting me on the same list as a monster/killer/rapist.

The main issues I have with clichés in the genre all stem from the "Who would ever do that in real life" problem

The Villain who is an overly clichéd type is an example of a person acting in a way that no-one would or could in real life so it seems stupid or un-believable. Talking calmly while shot in the chest for 5 mins... Not happening.

The "Hey this place is super scary and wierd things are happening, let's all spilt up and run everywhere!" I mean seriously?

The "Hey We are just a group of highschool kids but at least 3 of us are secretly special forces marksmen with explosives experience." Riiigggghhhtttt.

Just generally when I see somthing in a movie or read it and it makes me think "That would just never happen" I immediately begin hating whatever I am watching or reading. If you want someone who can grab a gun and fight like a pro have a believable reason, like they are a cop or a marine reservist. If you are faced with a highly dangerous and obviously scary situation, have the protagonists behave like real people would - get weapons and hide, or move with a plan to get away. If you get shot, you can't imagine the pain etc.

^^

I agree with betaband. At least with the pain.

Except that I am not beta band (we both just have a phoenix as our symbol

Ot anymore, and mine was a hummingbird.

But don't you know? Phobos is actually the ghost of Mr. Miyagi, he possesses innocent people when they're scared and lets them kick ass.

Killer gives the busty chick a ten minute head start

 Walk the whole way 

Pays taxes 

Still beats her to her car 

I'd actually laugh if they cut to a scene of Jason Vorhees paying his taxes while the girl was running away.

What's he declaring income from?

Jason Voorhees probably puts in hours at the Institution for the criminally challenged that he grew up in during the rest of the year.

"Or you could avoid the problem completely by being your mother, like Norman here."

I suppose there was that time he was a street cleaner in Manhattan.

He also was an astronaut later in life.

What, you honestly think Beach Model A is going to run faster than Hookman Sackface with both her implants dragging on the ground in front of her like a pair of flesh-colored anvils?... I need to stop binge-watching Zero Punctuation...

That's provided a great mental image, thanks. *shivers*
Hmmm.. I hate that cliche the most. When the main character miraculously escapes given the circumstances. "Oh no, he stabbed me in the leg and broke my foot!"
*proceeds to run down an entire street regardless of injuries*

Haha, Cabin in the Woods was especially awful for that. The stoner survived being clamped on to and whipped with a bear trap, and was still strong enough to eviscerate a zombie.

Gee. Sometimes you gotta wonder if directors actually think the story through before they film it.

Considering Cabin was taking potshots at horror movie clichés in general, I'd wager that was the point. 

Yeah, Cabin in the Woods was a comedy...

I know. I just found that kind of amusing.

Hell Baby does a great job of parodying the genre.

Horror movies are funny.

Zombie movies are the most funny 

Theres a huge Window behind the " guy who aways dies first ".  

G.W.A.D.F : f*ck  walkers. Looks behind him says, dead end. 

It takes them 15 minutes to go the 40 feet to get to him.

Gets eaten alive on the first floor. 

Hilarious! 

OH FUCK I HATE THAT SO MUCH AS A CLICHE

Stupid little children in anime. Whoever the hell thought that'd be creepy is plain dumb. It's a fucking CHILD. SO WHAT. It's not creepy at all, just dumb... oh, and laughter. Fucking laughter. I hate when some villain or someone creepy (specifically in anime horror) starts to just laugh for no good reason at all. Combine the pointless laughter with a stupid try-hard "spooky" child and it's the most annoying thing ever.

Makes me want to just punch the story maker, and strangle everyone who thinks laughing ghost children is anywhere near scary. Honestly, i'm more scared of my hand sock coming sentient at night to choke me than I am of laughing ghost kids. Ugh. Rant over, sorry :p

You've obviously never watched FMA or FMAB.

Unfortunately not D:
Not yet, on my watch list

Why, what happens in that anime? As in, does it happen in that anime and it's as bad as I think it is, or they did they do it well?

There's a kid in that show who is a personification of a sin, Pride, and he is......you'll see.

:P Spoilers, man. That's one of the main twists of the series ...

Godammit, I just found out what happened.
Argh. I must get amnesia. Any suggestions?

Run head first into a wall.

Smash your head with a blunt object (or get someone to do it for you) until unconscious.

If you wake up with your memory still intact, repeat the process until successful.

If you don't wake up at all, you've gone too far. R.I.P.

Drinking water from the Styx river or wooing a night hag to erase your memory will also work.

I wasn't referencing that.

In D&D, it's the Styx river that causes forgetfulness.

Or at least it did back in the 2nd edition.

The one in Alabama?

Edit:  I knew what you meant.  Lol.

Now I have this image of Alabama being part of the demon infested lower planes. Lol.

I thought that was New Jersey.

It's part of the ironically named "Bible Belt."

Because I see dead people.....ON THIS MONNNNEEEEY!!!

Dolla Dolla Bill ya'll

Agreed.

Those paranormal activity clones with the invisible demons who are messing with people for no damn reason  and the things they do are very childish like missplaceing objects or making things float and if we COULD see them they would look very silly doing these things.  

If it's a slasher film, there's usually a lot of gore.

Well, uh, yeah... I do say. Besides, it's a cliche, so it counts.

It's not a cliche, it's a trope. A trope is something that happens all the time, but it's still fun to watch and point out. A cliche is something that happens so much that it makes whatever it's in seem sucky if it's played straight. Since gore is literally one of the only reasons to watch slashers, it's nowhere near a cliche.

I never really saw too many slashers. They seemed rather mindless to me, the story was to blegh. My kinda horror has one helluva story, slashers are mostly "Crazy killer guy escapes prison and is pissed/sadistic/bored, kills teens coz he can". Now, I dunno if I just saw the really shitty ones, but they just leave a sour taste for me. 
The only slashers I find awesome are the zombie movie ones, coz that's where things are actually pretty awesome.