The 'Nothing Is Scarier' Horror Trope, Explained
It's always scary when there's a clear villain right in front of the main character's eyes. In the X prequel Pearl, audiences learn how Mia Goth's protagonist decides to begin killing people, and she's the obvious kill here. In Scream (2022), fans might not know who the two Ghostfaces are until the end of the film, but they see the familiar mask and costume throughout the story. But sometimes, typically in a supernatural film but sometimes in a slasher as well, audiences don't see the actual danger at all.
When this happens, it's called the «Nothing Is Scarier» trope, and it works well to create a tense atmosphere. What is this trope and what are some movies that use it well?
The 'Creepy Doll' Trope In Horror, Explained
According to TV Tropes, the «Nothing Is Scarier» trope means that there is no «physical threat» or «visual element» and yet the scene is still really scary. Audiences can tell that the character is freaked out and that something is wrong, but since nothing is on screen, that makes it easy for fans to picture what could be going on.
TV Tropes notes that this works because the horror movie setting is so creepy and horrifying. There are a few ways that this trope is used. It might be that there is no actual danger there and the character sighs in relief, which is still scary since fans can tell that something is off about this situation. Or there is a jump scare where the character walks around searching for a weird noise that is freaking them out. It's also possible that sometimes, the «Nothing Is Scarier» trope is used where there has been a strange ghost or creature in the background the whole time.
TV Tropes notes that there are a few films that use this trope well. One of them is The Invisible Man (2020)
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