Susano Posted October 3, 2006 Report Share Posted October 3, 2006 Re: Horror Hero: Cliches to Avoid Wasn't Barlowe suave and charming in the book? I'm trying to remember. I believe Rutger Hauer played him in the remake. Yes. He started out white haired, and had rich black hair towards the end of the book. Handsome, charismatic, and European. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfgar Posted October 4, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 4, 2006 Re: Horror Hero: Cliches to Avoid Stupid authority is one of my most hated cliches. Shutting the protagonists away from authority, or having the authority be ultimately in on it is one thing. But cops that never call for back up, never wear body armor, have the smallest handgun on the planet, overlook extremely obvious clues, or who refuse to take something seriously just because it sounds weird irritate me to no end. Wonderful thing about Slither: Actually reasonably intelligent law enforcement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curufea Posted October 4, 2006 Report Share Posted October 4, 2006 Re: Horror Hero: Cliches to Avoid ILet's assume that there's a reason the evil monsters always target the people who have had sex. Outside of television and movies, evil creatures target victims that have not had sex. Virgins are prime meat as far as victim selection is concerned. The blood of virgins, virgin sacrifices, etc... One of the many reasons they reverse this for visual media is that you can visually show someone having sex, but you can't show that someone is a virgin. That, and sex is a ratings grabber. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdamnhero Posted October 4, 2006 Report Share Posted October 4, 2006 Re: Horror Hero: Cliches to Avoid a) Lt. "I was ordered here" - some Nazis were just soldiers' date=' this poor guy drew the short straw and had to go on a mission with Dr. Freak-o, now he's stuck here, the person he was sent to protect is a puddle of goo, and he just wants to go home to his wife and kids. [/quote'] Anyone remember The Keep, the cheesy 80s flick based on a halfway-decent early F. Paul Wilson novel? IIRC, most of the good guys there were Nazis, or at least German soldiers. Made for an interesting twist I thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKJAM! Posted October 4, 2006 Report Share Posted October 4, 2006 Re: Horror Hero: Cliches to Avoid "Horror movies? What are those?"--That is, a plotline hinging on none of the characters ever having watched, read or heard any horror fiction, ever. Thus, they are completely unable to detect the signs of monsters or evil in the neighborhood, and have no clue what to do once the situation is clearer. Some people can roleplay this, others can't. Conversely, you also should avoid the scenario hinging on all the player characters knowing the cliches and tropes of the horror genre. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curufea Posted October 4, 2006 Report Share Posted October 4, 2006 Re: Horror Hero: Cliches to Avoid ala Scream series I've just been listening to Day of the Triffids and Night of the Triffids (not that bad for a sequel) audio books. Definitely horror. And on the personal level without cliches. It also made me think that a great way to scare PCs would be just to take away their sense of sight for an indefinite period. Especially in a hostile environment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vondy Posted October 4, 2006 Report Share Posted October 4, 2006 Re: Horror Hero: Cliches to Avoid Sex = Death. What cliche? That was dating in the early 90's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted October 5, 2006 Report Share Posted October 5, 2006 Re: Horror Hero: Cliches to Avoid Cliches to avoid? Authority = Stupid. Typically this applies to the LEOs or the Army. It is nice to occasionally see authority or governmental figures as real people with even average smarts e.g. 'Slither' and 'Dog Soldiers'. Sex = Death. I believe this cliche arises from the T&A factor and the idea that the inherently good / pure will win through. Doesn't wash with me other than the idea that you should be saving your energy for running and fighting instead of wasting it on shagging. Purity & Innocence >> Evil. It really bugs me that the mighty Powers of Darkness are consistently pimpslapped by 12 year old virginal idiots-savant Evil = Suave & Charming. One of the most overused cliches, more so in modern times as it panders to Goth tendencies. Closely related to the 'misunderstood' evil villain. Save the charm / angst for the poseur crowd. I'll take King's Mr Barlow over Coppola's Vlad Dracul on any full moon of the year Horror = No Need For Logic. This one is my biggest PITA and comes primarily from Hollywoodland output (with a few notable exceptions). I may be watching a horror genre flick but I still expect logic and common sense to apply to plots and, where appropriate, to character actions. Nobody would ever go down into the dark basement armed with only a candle and a baseball bat. Get a grip! Horror = Gratuitous Violence. Second biggest one for me and again something that is prevalent in the flicks. I find this to be an overused substitute for good writing and plotting. Often times less is more. Excellent list. Repped! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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