It’s always scary when there’s an obvious villain in front of the main character’s eyes. In the X precursor Pearl, the audience learns how the main character of Mia Goth decides to start killing people, and she is the obvious murder here. In Scream (2022)Fans may not know who the two Ghostfaces are until the end of the film, but they will see the familiar mask and costume throughout the story. But sometimes, usually in a supernatural movie, but sometimes in a slasher, the audience doesn’t see the real 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?
According to TV tropics, the “Nothing is scarier” trope means there is no “physical threat” or “visual element” and yet the scene is still really scary. The audience can see that the character is panicking and that something is wrong, but since there’s nothing on the screen, fans can easily imagine what could be going on.
TV tropics notes that this works because the horror film’s setting is so creepy and gruesome. There are a few ways this trope is used. There may be no real danger there and the character sighs with relief, which is still scary because fans can see that something isn’t right about this situation. Or there is a startle response where the character walks around looking for a weird noise that scares them. It is also possible that sometimes the “Nothing is scarier” trope is used where a strange ghost or creature has been in the background the whole time.
TV tropics notes that there are a few movies that put this trope to good use. One of them is The Invisible Man (2020) where Cecilia Kass (Elizabeth Moss) often hears a clicking sound and she can see her abusive husband stalking her, but no one can see him. The Invisible Man is a great modern monster movie and the “Nothing Is Scarier” trope works here because Cecilia knows that even if she can’t see the threat, it’s definitely there, and she might not make it out alive.
The opening scene of The Invisible Man is one of the best, which makes it a compelling Blumhouse sci-fci horror film. Cecilia runs away from her abusive husband Adrian Griffin (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) in the middle of the night. She moves around their creepy, cold house without making a sound, knowing that if she wakes him it will get worse. She runs outside to where her sister Emily (Harriet Dyer) is waiting in a car. Of course Adrian doesn’t miss a beat and she knows exactly what she’s up to. This scene uses the “Nothing is scarier” trope because no one sees the threat or danger, but it’s clear that Cecilia is haunted by bad memories and the nightmare she’s living in.
Another example is: The hunt because the characters are terrorized, but they never see the supernatural presence. This is true of the 1963 original film and the 1999 remake, which can be considered one of the best horror movie remakes. In The hunt, a horror film that relies on pace and suspense to create a scary environment, audiences know that there must be ghosts in the mansion and there is no need to actually see them. It is clear that the family has been tormented by ghosts for a long time.
TV tropics notes that there may be music with this trope, but often there is no sound. There are other horror movie tropes that can be a part of these types of movies. An example is “Quieter Than Silence”, where there is no sound, or “Kill the Lights”, when a room is dark. There’s also the trope called “Leave The Camera Running” when the shot seems to go on forever.
There are many horror movies that use the “Nothing Is Scarier” trope and also have creepy music, an atmosphere that doesn’t feel right, and a main character who can see that something is wrong. The movie from 2021 The Nighthouse is about grief and loss as Beth (Rebecca Hall) mourns her husband Owen (Evan Jonigkeit). There are many scenes in the film where Beth is wandering around her lake house in the middle of the night. It’s dark and she feels a presence. Later in the film, she finds a house identical to hers and sees brunette women who look like her, who are getting closer to the truth about this mystery.
While it will always be scary to see a killer in plain sight, and this is why so many slasher franchises are popular, the “Nothing Is Scarier” trope is always fun.
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