User blog:NathanielDoggett/5 Spook Cliches that Bore the Audience



Tired of boring spooks and ghouls? Overused characteristics and actions that have been used so many times they make you cry every time? Well, this list should help you not only regain your sanity and confidence in the creepypasta community, but help you create more effective spooks that actually (Can you believe it?) Spook people! Avoid these things, and you should be on the right track:







5. Smiling

This cliche won't break your story, but it is rather cliche none the less. Including a smiling villain won't make your story bad, but still, it is a bit overrated. Many villains in stories are always described as smiling sadistically. (“Smiledog”, “Jeff the Killer”, “The Smiling Man”, “Dr. Smile”, ect.) Smiling sadistically is a bit overdone and doesn’t scare people anymore.

4. Empty Eye Sockets

Oh please. Where should I start… “Something Took My Eyes”, “The Snatcher”, “Eyeless Jack”, “Sonic.exe”, and an abundance of other less-known stories and villains.It is old eyeryone. Plus, the description of an empty eye sockets are hardly ever accurate, and if it were, I believe it would indeed be terrifying! Black empty eye sockets are old and have been done to death. A real empty eye socket is flesh-colored and is truly unnerving. But the classic line “It had black sockets for eyes” Is old people. Not scary.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">3. Killers with knives

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Oh boy… I wonder who uses knives to kill people? Well, It definitely isn't “Jeff the Killer”, “Jane the Killer”, “Clockwork”, “Eyeless jack”, (And many of you could name more) Really, why can't a killer use something like a gun? It has become an attempt to create blood and gore by use of a knife, a savage weapon. And although “Ticci Toby” leaves much to be desired, kudos to the author for at least using an axe rather than a knife. But like everything, delivery is key. It is possible to use a knife in a story, and make it appropriate. But overall, the attempts by many writers has failed.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">2. X the Y names.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Yep. Just like “Jeff the Killer”, “Jane the Killer”, “Chef the Griller”, just to name a few. It all started with Jack the Ripper himself in England, and later spread through creepypasta fandom (via Jeff the Killer) and has created a little mini-cult of “X the Y” spooks and villains, drawing off of Jack the Ripper and Jeff the Killer to add spook. Using names like (and I made these up for intent of example) “Hardgrove the Butcher” and “UrMum the Knifer” are old hat. Originality please.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">1. Bad villain motivations

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">From being bullied to growing up in an abusive home, authors seem to love using bad motivations to create the most heinous killers. Not only can this be offensive to those who truly were abused and bullied, but in reality, there is never a moment where the killer just ‘snaps’ and loses it and goes on a killing spree. Unlike “Jeff the Killer”, “Jane the Killer”, and “Clockwork” would have you to believe. Honestly, being bullied or hurt sometime in life is hardly a motivation for becoming the next Hannibal Lector or Jack the Ripper. But it doesn't just stop with being bullied, because bad villain motivations are everywhere! Why would Slenderman start attacking and haunting people that learn or try to study him? What is the motivation!?! Why would Sonic.exe decide to just haunt the players and AIs’ in the game!?!? WHY!?!?!?

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Well everyone, those are my picks for the worst spook cliches out there. Comment and let me know what you think. Did I miss anything? Or was it great?