If you're a seasoned horror fan, you'll know already that the genre is no stranger to repetition. Many of the same plot devices and metaphors will resurface again and again in horror films of all stripes. There's the well-worn trope of the group splitting up to "find out what the scary noise is", or the "final girl" character surviving until the end.
There there are the tropes of dead cell phones (who lets their phone die in this day and age?), running and falling, or being inexplicably unable to start a car. One other plot device that horror writers love is the use of classic games to introduce an element of suspense and creepiness. Let's look at some of the classic games that horror writers cannot get enough of.
Hide & Seek
Since time immemorial, hide and seek has been a horror mainstay. As well as the aptly titled 2005 horror film Hide & Seek, you'll also see this classic game make an appearance in films such as Scream, House of the Dead, and The Evil Dead II. It has all of the elements of perfect horror. The countdown adds to the suspension, the childishness gives an element of creepiness, and the hiding offers the perfect jumpscare setup.
Ouija Board
This one might seem a little too easy, but we simply couldn't neglect to mention it. Yes, the point of the game is to communicate with the dead, meaning that there is really no other format than horror where this game can prove relevant. However, the list of endlessly rewatchable Ouija board scenes throughout the genre is a beauty to behold. There are too many to list here, but our favourites include the scenes in Paranormal Activity, The Exorcist, What Lies Beneath, and The Uninvited. Watch if you dare.
Roulette
The mechanics of roulette lend themselves well to the horror genre since roulette is the ultimate game of chance, where fortunes can flip in an instant. As this guide to American roulette explains, all of the numbered pockets on the wheel are equal in size. This means that every number has the same outcome of landing. This bare equality and total unpredictability explain why roulette is frequently used to up the tension in films, whether through Russian roulette or the casino classic (for a non-horror example, see Run Lola Run for a truly unmissable use of roulette in film).
Chess
Chess is the opposite of roulette. It is a game of subtle strategy, where everything comes down to the abilities of the player. For this reason, chess has proven to be another horror movie mainstay. Oftentimes, the game is used to establish a tense scene between a villain and a protagonist, as is the case in The Black Cat or The Thing. Other times, chess is used as a powerful metaphor for human agency and manipulation, as is the case in Independence Day or Blade Runner.
These are the classic games that appear in horror films again and again. Based on our expertise, we can confidently predict that these games will continue to appear in horror films in the future.
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If you're a seasoned horror fan, you'll know already that the genre is no stranger to repetition. Many of the same plot devices and metaphors will resurface again and again in horror films of all stripes. There's the well-worn trope of the group splitting up to "find out what the scary noise is", or the "final girl" character surviving until the end.
There there are the tropes of dead cell phones (who lets their phone die in this day and age?), running and falling, or being inexplicably unable to start a car. One other plot device that horror writers love is the use of classic games to introduce an element of suspense and creepiness. Let's look at some of the classic games that horror writers cannot get enough of.
Hide & Seek
Since time immemorial, hide and seek has been a horror mainstay. As well as the aptly titled 2005 horror film Hide & Seek, you'll also see this classic game make an appearance in films such as Scream, House of the Dead, and The Evil Dead II. It has all of the elements of perfect horror. The countdown adds to the suspension, the childishness gives an element of creepiness, and the hiding offers the perfect jumpscare setup.
Ouija Board
This one might seem a little too easy, but we simply couldn't neglect to mention it. Yes, the point of the game is to communicate with the dead, meaning that there is really no other format than horror where this game can prove relevant. However, the list of endlessly rewatchable Ouija board scenes throughout the genre is a beauty to behold. There are too many to list here, but our favourites include the scenes in Paranormal Activity, The Exorcist, What Lies Beneath, and The Uninvited. Watch if you dare.
Roulette
The mechanics of roulette lend themselves well to the horror genre since roulette is the ultimate game of chance, where fortunes can flip in an instant. As this guide to American roulette explains, all of the numbered pockets on the wheel are equal in size. This means that every number has the same outcome of landing. This bare equality and total unpredictability explain why roulette is frequently used to up the tension in films, whether through Russian roulette or the casino classic (for a non-horror example, see Run Lola Run for a truly unmissable use of roulette in film).
Chess
Chess is the opposite of roulette. It is a game of subtle strategy, where everything comes down to the abilities of the player. For this reason, chess has proven to be another horror movie mainstay. Oftentimes, the game is used to establish a tense scene between a villain and a protagonist, as is the case in The Black Cat or The Thing. Other times, chess is used as a powerful metaphor for human agency and manipulation, as is the case in Independence Day or Blade Runner.
These are the classic games that appear in horror films again and again. Based on our expertise, we can confidently predict that these games will continue to appear in horror films in the future.