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Isn't that the reason horror movies use elderly stuff? Because people are scared of getting older and forgotten. Or possibly losing their mind due to old age.
As someone who works in aged care and sees naked elderly people with dementia etc most days I work, I really appreciate this video. I often have people say they could never do my job and “I don’t want to touch naked old men” and they don’t understand that these are just people, and they deserve proper healthcare.
Thank you. I worked in several nursing homes and I learned so much about their big lives.... That were so diminished now. If we are lucky we will have the privilege of growing old.
I was raised to ALWAYS respect your elders and its always stucks with me old people are awesome and it's really sad what some of them end up going through if I do grow old (Fentynal Addict) I hope I don't have some of the health problems that really make some lives not worth living anymore fuz u csn see it on a person's face if they are ready to take the long nap 😢
The trope i cannot STAND is when the character is revealed to be mentally ill and all of the scary parts of the film were just their hallucinations the whole time. BUT! I think Black Swan did it in such an effective way which is why it’s still my favorite movie
I find the horrifying part of Pearl getting it on with her husband is their deep physical desire BETWEEN serial killing. Just... jumping from one activity to the other. (which isn't an elderly person issue, just the horror of compartmentalization). I love Pearl and X
I SO agree with this. She was obviously "wanting some love" before the killing began, but it was the killing that got them both off. I think this scene would've been a lot more affective within the idea Ti West was trying to portray if it'd happened before the killing began, but after the s*x scenes between the young actors.
i'm so glad you commented on x, because i had that exact same thought. when i saw it in theaters more people had a visceral, grossed out reaction to the scene with pearl and howard than they ever did to any of the killings, or the sex scenes involving younger characters.
I understand what you’re saying but anytime a human killer is presented, they’re mentally ill. You can’t present a killer without mental illness because the only reason they’re killing is bc they’re mentally ill, even if it’s not explicitly said.
@@aaronshouting588 No, they don't. And the op meant stigmatizing mental illnesses by making the killer / bad guy a person with a mental disorder. Like M. Night loves to portray schizophrenics / DID as dangerous and evil.
I didn't realize how prevalent elder-phobia was until I saw X, and it really turned something in me. So glad you made this video. Whenever I start to get icky feelings thinking about aging or the elderly, I remember my favorite Irish seanfhocal (proverb): Do not resent growing old; many are not given the opportunity.
Biggest expired movie trope: witches doing x because they've given themselves over to Satan. It's so over-done, untrue, and Christianity-centric, and even when the film isn't explicitly about witches it's used as a reason for the haunting, possession, etc.
I also think the use of the eldery in horror helps us communicate or reckon with our fears of loneliness and loss. The elderly are often portrayed as riddled with grief or being so alone that it drives them to violence or obsession, and thats something that id say most ppl really deeply fear because it is such a glimpse into what our futures could be
Biggest nope for me in horror tropes is definitely using mental health issues as something horrifying. Especially Dissociative identity disorder (DID) has been used in so many movies it's just... *shivers in disgust*
Bro maybe you have never dealt with mental patients like I have. But they can be very scary or at least unnerving and a lot of times trouble makers who are rarely arrested. Or arrested and then easily released. If you haven't dealt with dangerous mental patients consider yourself lucky.🙉
My most hated overused horror trope is the protagonist having a pet purely so the pet can be brutally killed as the first big sign that scary stuff is happening. It instantly turns me against a film especially after losing a pet to a long illness recently. It happened in a hugely successful and popular film last year that I might have enjoyed otherwise, but it was so horrible and unnecessary that I couldn't enjoy the film after that point. Not saying the film as a spoiler, but it was totally ruined for me, but this trope.
On the other hand, a horror troupe I LOVE is when the protagonist has a pet and they sense an otherworldly presence and try their best to protect their owner. It’s always interesting, especially if it’s a more unconventional pet that somehow knows something is off
It's true, I know many people have made comments recently about 'it's a girl that dies first' or 'it's a person of colour that dies first', but it's actually the dog that dies first!
In IT part 2 . Pennywise transforms itself into an elderly woman who then, we see naked and then becomes a naked elderly monster. I think this is related to your essay video. I really enjoyed it❤
Ok, so while the use of old people doesn't bother me, i agree with you in everything you said and the way you explain it. Maybe it's cause in Mexico we are used to take care of our elderly. I mean, even in disney movies they represent mexican families with an old granny in it 😂 Like you said, it's a cultural thing. Anyway, glad you're back and hope you're feeling so much better ❤
I see both sides like on the one hand perpetuation of stereotypes can be harmful for obvious reasons but I also think that there is a very real fear of getting old and also a fear of watching your families mental well being deteriorating if you’ve been there I feel like uk how scary that can be however I get how demonizing those issues can also be unhelpful to that issue. Thank you for the video :)
I think the criticism of The Visit is kinda odd. I dont think the horror of the movie is derived from "old people running around being creepy" I think the horror comes from idea of trusted loved ones not being that. The fear of children stranger danger. Also these elderly actors are getting work which is pretty non-typical in Hollywood. I think people fail to realize these are paid actors taking jobs that are mostly offered to younger actors.
The trop I cannot stand it's the religious trop. Specially when it's about a minory culture or exotic culture being demonize it. I think it's full of racism, ignorance and discrimination.
Also to point out about The Taking Of Deborah Logan *anyone who doesn't want to be spoiled don't read any further* I haven't actually seen the film nor do i care to but i did see a tweet pointing out the use of the Monacan Tribe and making up a legend about them that isnt true for horror purposes. Now i no people will bring up the "well it's fiction so its not a big deal" yeah sure but due to the general American populace not having alot of education on Indigenous people nor will some people even check falsehoods or the actual information regarding Indigenous tribes and even when it is fictional and a person knows that it's still fucked up to use a Indigenous tribe to horrify audiences
In case you haven't watched it, there's a film called La Abuela (The Grandmother) from 2021 directed by Paco Plaza (same as REC and Verónica), it's about a grandmother and her granddaughter, it explores the youth, the old age... I'd like to hear your opinion related to this video. Greetings from Spain!
This is (one of the major reasons) why I **HATED** X. I absolutely detest when people put on prosthetics to look old and then add exaggerated saggy breasts, etc. I immediately check out when I see stuff like that. Older folks can be portrayed by older actors. I am so glad you addressed this because I see it in movies far too much. I have never found it entertaining (and the prosthetics often looks really tacky).
i enjoy elderly horror when the horror is based on knowledge and experience, and not on physical appearance and mental deterioration. the former builds up the character of the elderly, and the latter tears them down.
Relic (2020) is another interesting movie that tackles the horror we have for aging. A big part of the horror, and the reason for the prevalence of this trope, is that it forces us to confront our own very real mortality. Every morning, we are one day older, and one day closer to death. When you've seen relative after elderly relative lose themselves to one form of dementia or another before dying, it really brings home the fragility of identity, and the brevity of our lives.
I think the reason why a lot of filmmakers or people in general demonize the elderly is because it’s a window in to our own mortality. We know that one day we will die and when you’re in your elderly stage, you are closer to death then you have been since you’ve been born. Another reason I think this is because when we were kids, we meet with a lot of older family members, and they are so strange and foreign to us. They are different than the way that we view our parents. Sometimes you have to speak differently to your grandparents if there are of a certain age, if they’re losing their hearing or help them and watch them if they can’t walk as well. I think those learned childhood fears are one of the many reasons why the elderly are used as a scare tactic in horror movies. It plays on fears we had long forgotten about.
Yeah, after seeing Barbarian (which I LOVED) I was kinda done with this trope, too. It's like, "Okay. We get it. Long breasts are scary. Next" LOL. I appreciate any conversation about ageism but I'm still on the fence as to whether this trope has/is actually causing any real harm to the elderly. I think many of us can watch a movie like "X" and be grossed out by specific scenes and laugh with friends about how gross it is to watch old people have sex...and then we can also go home and love, respect, appreciate and honor the old people in our lives whether that be parents, neighbors or whomever. It's okay to find young and traditionally attractive people having sex to be "hot". And it's okay to find old people having sex be the opposite of "hot". And as you noted, vice versa is true, too! It's all okay. I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the mental illness trope in horror.
Never really thought about this trope, but yeah, using a demographic to scare just isn't right. A trope I'm tired of: a black or LGBT person being among the first to die out of a group. I'm okay with movies with no survivors, BUT it feels like characters in these demographics get killed off so soon, especially black characters. And luckily, I think this is disappearing, but I also hate it when an LGBY character is basically a joke.
I have to disagree on your take about The Visit. I understand where you're coming from about M. Night Shyamalan exploiting mental illnesses and how this could be perceived as "old people being scary", but in my opinion I don't think this is the case. First off, it's played more comedically than horrifically. If you pay attention to the tone of the movie, it has more of a comedy style than horror. Next, you have to think of how a kid would react to their grandparent acting strange like that. Most kids would try to laugh it off nowadays even though they are suddenly traumatized. But like I said, I understand where you're coming from and how you can perceive this as an exploitation. Great new series, by the way! Edit: You kind of contradicted yourself a little when talking about The Taking of Deborah Logan, just saying. ;)
Sadly, Ageism will always be an issue, sadly, because society has drilled into us that growing old is bad. Also, we treat older adults like they're children or beneath us which isn't right either. Anything that uses this trip urks me and I can't watch it. Also, for M. Knight: He used my disability, Osteogenesis Imperfecta, in Glass and portrayed it completely wrong. It drives me nuts because I struggle enough to get people to treat me like I am human, but now they watch Glass or Unbreakable and try to handle me like I am a doll that will break just by breathing.
I'm not adverse to the elderly in horror films. The scariest movies are about crazy old people or crazed kids! Just go with the flow....btw I'm an old lady!
My biggest trope that I am SO tired of is animal death for no other reason than being “scary” like the dog dying first so you know shits about to get real. It is not scary. It makes me so sad and I hate watching it. Honestly it really takes me out of the movie
the reason old people in horror works is because we're ultimately afraid of getting old ourselves, and how poorly our bodies will function by then. one trope i want to be done with is malfunctioning AI. it's not gotten annoying, but i have a feeling it's going to, especially with megan being a hit.
The horror trope that I think is definetely expired is when they reveal that the killer is a closeted trans person as if that was ever supposed to explain violent outbursts.
A trope i really hate is when a movie leads with being a supernatural horror and spends the whole time heavily building it up only for it to be revealed that there was nothing supernatural going on at all. It makes me feel like my time was wasted and now we have to play catch up to explain the truth. Ex. The Boy, I See You (netflix), The Village (this one wasnt too bad)
I don't like to be that person saying this but the horror of the elderly is proprably one of the horror genres that is the most effective on me and i really like it. I DEFINITELY agree with everything you said regardless of my liking of this sub-genre (same goes with mental health issues by the way), especially since they could easily use the scare elements in a more respectful and qualitative way. My grandmother has got a form of degenerative dementia and the lady in The Visit reminds me a lot of her when she has a breakdown, minus the killer aspect of course. I would love for more movies to explore the horror of the elderly from their point of view though, I think it could be a great trope to explore
I’m not sure if it’s a trope, but I’m SO TIRED of movies utilizing sexual assault/rape scenes to build plot, conflict, and/or character. I think it can easily be implied without graphically showing it. I recently watched The Pale Blue Eye, and the scene was so sudden and came out of nowhere. It was so close to the end as well and just really disappointed me. There’s just better ways to go about it.
I am getting old, i like old, i will stay this way and fight against any way to not look my age, you can take everything from me but my old, unless you kill me.
LOVE this. This was so refreshing, can't wait for more psychology based videos!! Was such a wonderful marriage of your older content and horror content
My biggest expired trope (and not saying that the conversation isn't important) is all the movies where something is happening to someone and no one believes them. It's predictable and played out and we get it. Even so, I still adore some movies that do this when done well.
Listen I loved X and it’s still surprised me the first time when Pearl murdered RJ. And the Visit is one of my favorite M Night Movies just for its creativity and performances by the crazy old people. I do agree it’s a very used trope but I think it still has time before it gets…. OLD
This topic and idea for a series scratched an itch I have had since I got my psych degree in 2018, love the analysis and I LOVE that you made sure to put the disclaimer of what perspective this is coming from, that made the sociologist side of me squeal with happiness.
I know this is not the point, but I just find it funny that you used the word "expired" when talking about elderly tropes😂😂 Just ironic word choice, sure you didn't mean to do that, but it fits lol!! but, I agree with you! Not the biggest fan of elderly people being pinned as the scary source in movies! It is to a point where it is not surprising anymore!
God, X is one of the most brilliant explorations of sexuality in horror. 💜 Resident Evil 7 is a game example of a killer old woman that I enjoy. It helps that she's just another member of a messed up family and not singled out because she's old. Having her head creepily follow you despite the fact that she's seemingly asleep oooogh
I'd love to see this turned on it's head properly. Let's have some movie protagonists drawn into some scarey situation out of a sense of duty and increasingly genuine concern for Grandma. Let's have the audience become certain that whatever the terrifying evil scheme or force is, it seems to be using the barely-functional Grandma as bait to lure the young adult victims in. Then some of the nature of what the scaey thing is is revealed and the meat of the horrible discovery and escape plot transpires. Then, just when all seems lost, Grandma appears to save the day. She and her aged adult friends have conspired to isolate the threat in the old age home and now join forces to save our protagonists and continue their work of containing the threat. Feining senility and frailty has helpped them disguise and exicute their plan and at least one of the "final girl" characters in this movie is going to be a hilariously snarky and stubborn grandma. Clearly this is just a shell for a vaguely-defined subplot and where it might fit, but still. We need this movie! Who's with me?!
I really disagree. Do you think we find children cute because, "as a culture", we somehow decided to land on that feeling? Of course not. Natural selection is a thing. Animals find their puppies cute as well, for basically the same evolutionary reasons. And the same is true for how we feel about very elderly people. I was like 5 yo when I saw my grand grand mother. It scared me. I didn't want to get close to her. That was no cultural influence, but natural instinct. Now why is that? Likely for two main reasons: very elderly people were pretty rare throughout human history, as life expectancy was 30! So they really hit the uncanny valley, they seem barely human. Now that's of course a sad state of affairs, but natural selection doesn't care. And hey, HOPEFULLY I'm gonna look like that too some day. I accept it. It's just the way things are. And actually, to know that's an instinct is the best way to overcome it in dealing with real elderly people. The second reason is that any already rare elderly people in history was very likely sick, or looking sick anyway, so the instinct to avoid sick people (and possible contamination) kicks in. And those two things also help to explain why we all, and in every culture (as actually known from human universals studies), strive to look healthy and young - those two things being necessarily correlated, as age (obviously) brings the progressive weakening of heath in pretty much every front. As for movies exploiting those instincts (and not cultural constructions), that's another debate. But I do think it's as valid as exploring any other instinct. Should we avoid kill (and torture) more men in such movies, as men are naturally seen as expendable? Of course not (or else we could as well avoid horror movies entirely - for every source of horror will trip into one or another sensitive issue). The only reason to avoid it, it would seem, was to not "reinforce" some stereotype... Don't worry, it won't "reinforce" nothing on that front. Human psychology doesn't work like that. On the contrary: it help us to get desensitized to such dumb instincts. After seeing the likes of The Shining, REC and X, surely my grand grand mother would seem lovely in comparison (like, say, Coco from Pixar). I'm being serious. So no, the point of horror is precisely explore such instincts. And I found The Visit an amazing horror movie by the way. And I would bet my house that I won't change my opinion in the slightest when I (hopefully) become 90 - I am 41.
i would love to see other videos like this! for example, poc dying first in horror movies, unfortunately theres's so many movies where this happened, and i would love to see you talk about it
I'm so excited for this new series! It's such a fantastic, original idea! And as a horror lover with an interest in psychology, who is training to be a therapist, it is perfect for me!
Hi Sarah, I have to push back on the put into a home to rot and die. Most of these people are deeply loved, and see their family, they have a disease, or condition that makes it difficult to care for them at home, or they need constant care (sundowning syndrome), or family have young children at home. Some places are terrible, but if they are properly regulated they can be great places where they're taken care of by caring people. Assisted living and ltc is where I got my nursing start, I didn't want to start there, but I did grow to love it.
I've worked with the elderly for over 20 years, and although it is a ramped upversion of what we call "sundowning" (a time of day when dementia patients may become more agitated), I did still like the film 'The Visit'. Most people with such advanced dementia wouldn't be as coherent as the couple portrayed was in the daytime.
I never think about (whatever) Tropes that deep in (horror) films.. Although some are tiring (example: ooh it was all a dream in the end 🙄) I like your deep dive into horror stuff videos even if I disagree
Old people in horror movies just make me laugh and sometimes make me pretty sad. Like I don’t wanna watch an evil old lady die!!?! I like old people, actually, and seeing them hurt feels so shock value-y, but why would I WANT to be shocked and upset? I watch horror movies to laugh at troupes and get scared to relieve stress, not to be uncomfortable and get even more stressed 😭
This is the reason why I wasnt a fan of X, I was one of the few caretakers of my grandparents when they couldnt do stuff for themselves, either because old age or Parkinsons, so seeing X and having my grandmothers passing fresh in my mind was off putting and I'm not talking about the violence in it but the way they made the old couple seem "gross" i just shook my head and disappointed in the film
Things aren't as bad as they used to be but tropes like this are still one of the few ways elderly people get work in movies at all unfortunately. The Exorcist III is one of the best horror movies ever that might fall into this category but it also shows older people in more positive roles as well, especially if you count the protagonist.
This is why I'm so bored of modern horror movies. Just lazy recycled tropes. Elderly horror trope is as goofy as scary child horror. Children and old people are not remotely scary in real life, why would I find them scary in a movie?
To the point of mental illness tropes: the mental illness tropes that piss me off the most are when they slap a diagnosis on the symptoms that doesn't fit at all. Some writers/directors love to pick a term that the general public knows about and act all medical by saying their villain has schizophrenia, despite them just being a serial killer. (Potential spoilers) Old was the most annoying with this.
i gonna make an exception for jennifer's body as personally, i see it as that being the point OF the movie, like it was on purpose to drive home the story even more
TW SA I think the horror trope I'm tired of would be women being saed or assaulted in some manor and then getting revenge on their assaulters specifically in the manor of I spit on your grave and just horror where women are brutally saed It's just so unnecessary to me for that to be shown in horror when it's simply there for shock factor.
This is great, but I'm guessing we'll never see you criticize the hot sexy crazy murdering girl trope that mia goth has taken up and plays in every movie.
M night’s post after earth filmography has all been either “old people scary” or “mentally ill people scary” or a combo of both. I think KATCD was an interesting look at “is it mental illness or is the apocalypse coming” so I guess it’s a step forward
I personally didnt find the scene in pearl gross because they were old. It made me uncomfortable because the sex is rigid and stiff looking. Theres also the added horror of them murdering people and that being a sexual spark for them.
I've been feeling exactly the same way and so happy someone saying in this. also the movies you mentioned are exactly same ones make me think. X and The Visit!
As someone who takes care of an elderly family member, please remember many people put their relatives in assisted living because it is EXTREMELY difficult to take care of a grown adult who can't take care of themselves. A lot of people who weren't treated well by elderly family members through the years are not going to care because the care and respect was not earned. All elderly people aren't precious perfect angels. But to Sarah's point, trying to scare an audience with a naked elderly body is pretty offensive and sad. Growing older is a blessing and we should see it as such.
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I always laugh at people who demonize the elderly, cause, uh, you do realize that's gonna be you one day, right?
I think a fear of aging is a part of it
You think we're all making it that long aye 😎?
Just keep living is what I always say
Who does that
Isn't that the reason horror movies use elderly stuff? Because people are scared of getting older and forgotten. Or possibly losing their mind due to old age.
The true horror of the elderly they never show in movies is the....driving.
Too scary for the big screen
South Park did it well as a horror comedy.
As someone who works in aged care and sees naked elderly people with dementia etc most days I work, I really appreciate this video. I often have people say they could never do my job and “I don’t want to touch naked old men” and they don’t understand that these are just people, and they deserve proper healthcare.
Personally, I just don't want to be touching random naked people, anyway, regardless of age.
Thank you. I worked in several nursing homes and I learned so much about their big lives.... That were so diminished now.
If we are lucky we will have the privilege of growing old.
I was raised to ALWAYS respect your elders and its always stucks with me old people are awesome and it's really sad what some of them end up going through if I do grow old (Fentynal Addict) I hope I don't have some of the health problems that really make some lives not worth living anymore fuz u csn see it on a person's face if they are ready to take the long nap 😢
I almost went into aged care because most of my family went into that field and I love old people! You get me
@@moniqueengleman873where is the privilege in your body and mind falling apart? Arthritis cancer dementia als eye sight osteoporosis ect
The trope i cannot STAND is when the character is revealed to be mentally ill and all of the scary parts of the film were just their hallucinations the whole time. BUT! I think Black Swan did it in such an effective way which is why it’s still my favorite movie
I find the horrifying part of Pearl getting it on with her husband is their deep physical desire BETWEEN serial killing. Just... jumping from one activity to the other. (which isn't an elderly person issue, just the horror of compartmentalization). I love Pearl and X
I SO agree with this. She was obviously "wanting some love" before the killing began, but it was the killing that got them both off. I think this scene would've been a lot more affective within the idea Ti West was trying to portray if it'd happened before the killing began, but after the s*x scenes between the young actors.
i'm so glad you commented on x, because i had that exact same thought. when i saw it in theaters more people had a visceral, grossed out reaction to the scene with pearl and howard than they ever did to any of the killings, or the sex scenes involving younger characters.
Oooh, that’s a great idea for a series.
Now I’m waiting for a killer with a mental illness trope
I agree with you
I understand what you’re saying but anytime a human killer is presented, they’re mentally ill. You can’t present a killer without mental illness because the only reason they’re killing is bc they’re mentally ill, even if it’s not explicitly said.
Don’t all killers have a mental illness?
@@aaronshouting588 No, they don't. And the op meant stigmatizing mental illnesses by making the killer / bad guy a person with a mental disorder. Like M. Night loves to portray schizophrenics / DID as dangerous and evil.
I mean, to be a serial killer something is pbviously wrong
the scary naked old lady trope should have ended with the shining. nobody has done it as effectively since.
It’s always elderly women and very young women who are “crazy” or possessed.
**eye roll so hard I saw my neurons**
I didn't realize how prevalent elder-phobia was until I saw X, and it really turned something in me. So glad you made this video. Whenever I start to get icky feelings thinking about aging or the elderly, I remember my favorite Irish seanfhocal (proverb): Do not resent growing old; many are not given the opportunity.
That was a really beautiful quote 🥹💖
Biggest expired movie trope: witches doing x because they've given themselves over to Satan. It's so over-done, untrue, and Christianity-centric, and even when the film isn't explicitly about witches it's used as a reason for the haunting, possession, etc.
I also think the use of the eldery in horror helps us communicate or reckon with our fears of loneliness and loss. The elderly are often portrayed as riddled with grief or being so alone that it drives them to violence or obsession, and thats something that id say most ppl really deeply fear because it is such a glimpse into what our futures could be
Absolutely love the direction your channel has been going recently!
Biggest nope for me in horror tropes is definitely using mental health issues as something horrifying. Especially Dissociative identity disorder (DID) has been used in so many movies it's just... *shivers in disgust*
Bro maybe you have never dealt with mental patients like I have. But they can be very scary or at least unnerving and a lot of times trouble makers who are rarely arrested. Or arrested and then easily released. If you haven't dealt with dangerous mental patients consider yourself lucky.🙉
@@hectormontalvo5565 I never said people with mental illnesses can't be scary. I said it's an overused trope, which is what she was asking for?
@@tiafielding got it!👍
What do you mean?, anger and psychosis are considered mental health issues, which cause most of the crimes in the real world
@@AvoCamilo psychosis isn't mostly dangerous for other people, psychotic people are more likely to be victims than perpetrators of violent crimes
My most hated overused horror trope is the protagonist having a pet purely so the pet can be brutally killed as the first big sign that scary stuff is happening. It instantly turns me against a film especially after losing a pet to a long illness recently. It happened in a hugely successful and popular film last year that I might have enjoyed otherwise, but it was so horrible and unnecessary that I couldn't enjoy the film after that point. Not saying the film as a spoiler, but it was totally ruined for me, but this trope.
I never really thought about this but I agree 100%
On the other hand, a horror troupe I LOVE is when the protagonist has a pet and they sense an otherworldly presence and try their best to protect their owner. It’s always interesting, especially if it’s a more unconventional pet that somehow knows something is off
It's true, I know many people have made comments recently about 'it's a girl that dies first' or 'it's a person of colour that dies first', but it's actually the dog that dies first!
In IT part 2 . Pennywise transforms itself into an elderly woman who then, we see naked and then becomes a naked elderly monster. I think this is related to your essay video.
I really enjoyed it❤
Ok, so while the use of old people doesn't bother me, i agree with you in everything you said and the way you explain it. Maybe it's cause in Mexico we are used to take care of our elderly. I mean, even in disney movies they represent mexican families with an old granny in it 😂
Like you said, it's a cultural thing.
Anyway, glad you're back and hope you're feeling so much better ❤
It is nice to see Sarah acknowledge the treatment of the elderly she has seen is very much a Western thing and not the same thing in other countries
@@devonmunn5728 Yes, and that's what's great about this video.
I see both sides like on the one hand perpetuation of stereotypes can be harmful for obvious reasons but I also think that there is a very real fear of getting old and also a fear of watching your families mental well being deteriorating if you’ve been there I feel like uk how scary that can be however I get how demonizing those issues can also be unhelpful to that issue. Thank you for the video :)
I think the criticism of The Visit is kinda odd. I dont think the horror of the movie is derived from "old people running around being creepy" I think the horror comes from idea of trusted loved ones not being that. The fear of children stranger danger. Also these elderly actors are getting work which is pretty non-typical in Hollywood. I think people fail to realize these are paid actors taking jobs that are mostly offered to younger actors.
The trop I cannot stand it's the religious trop. Specially when it's about a minory culture or exotic culture being demonize it. I think it's full of racism, ignorance and discrimination.
Barbarian worked really, really well. It did put a unique spin on things, though.
It was such crap
Barbarian was a goofy cringe fest
Great job with this video. I think it’s an important topic to be discussed
Also to point out about The Taking Of Deborah Logan *anyone who doesn't want to be spoiled don't read any further*
I haven't actually seen the film nor do i care to but i did see a tweet pointing out the use of the Monacan Tribe and making up a legend about them that isnt true for horror purposes. Now i no people will bring up the "well it's fiction so its not a big deal" yeah sure but due to the general American populace not having alot of education on Indigenous people nor will some people even check falsehoods or the actual information regarding Indigenous tribes and even when it is fictional and a person knows that it's still fucked up to use a Indigenous tribe to horrify audiences
In case you haven't watched it, there's a film called La Abuela (The Grandmother) from 2021 directed by Paco Plaza (same as REC and Verónica), it's about a grandmother and her granddaughter, it explores the youth, the old age... I'd like to hear your opinion related to this video. Greetings from Spain!
This is (one of the major reasons) why I **HATED** X. I absolutely detest when people put on prosthetics to look old and then add exaggerated saggy breasts, etc. I immediately check out when I see stuff like that. Older folks can be portrayed by older actors. I am so glad you addressed this because I see it in movies far too much. I have never found it entertaining (and the prosthetics often looks really tacky).
i enjoy elderly horror when the horror is based on knowledge and experience, and not on physical appearance and mental deterioration. the former builds up the character of the elderly, and the latter tears them down.
Relic (2020) is another interesting movie that tackles the horror we have for aging.
A big part of the horror, and the reason for the prevalence of this trope, is that it forces us to confront our own very real mortality. Every morning, we are one day older, and one day closer to death. When you've seen relative after elderly relative lose themselves to one form of dementia or another before dying, it really brings home the fragility of identity, and the brevity of our lives.
Sex exploitation horror bothers me. No more SA used as a plot device or women being sl*t shamed, please.
I’d be interested in your take on Relic. I thought they handled this topic so well
you’re so pretty!!
I think the reason why a lot of filmmakers or people in general demonize the elderly is because it’s a window in to our own mortality. We know that one day we will die and when you’re in your elderly stage, you are closer to death then you have been since you’ve been born. Another reason I think this is because when we were kids, we meet with a lot of older family members, and they are so strange and foreign to us. They are different than the way that we view our parents. Sometimes you have to speak differently to your grandparents if there are of a certain age, if they’re losing their hearing or help them and watch them if they can’t walk as well. I think those learned childhood fears are one of the many reasons why the elderly are used as a scare tactic in horror movies. It plays on fears we had long forgotten about.
agreeing with you, i'd like to see the horror of mentally ill people go.
Yeah, after seeing Barbarian (which I LOVED) I was kinda done with this trope, too. It's like, "Okay. We get it. Long breasts are scary. Next" LOL. I appreciate any conversation about ageism but I'm still on the fence as to whether this trope has/is actually causing any real harm to the elderly. I think many of us can watch a movie like "X" and be grossed out by specific scenes and laugh with friends about how gross it is to watch old people have sex...and then we can also go home and love, respect, appreciate and honor the old people in our lives whether that be parents, neighbors or whomever. It's okay to find young and traditionally attractive people having sex to be "hot". And it's okay to find old people having sex be the opposite of "hot". And as you noted, vice versa is true, too! It's all okay. I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the mental illness trope in horror.
Never really thought about this trope, but yeah, using a demographic to scare just isn't right.
A trope I'm tired of: a black or LGBT person being among the first to die out of a group. I'm okay with movies with no survivors, BUT it feels like characters in these demographics get killed off so soon, especially black characters. And luckily, I think this is disappearing, but I also hate it when an LGBY character is basically a joke.
I have to disagree on your take about The Visit. I understand where you're coming from about M. Night Shyamalan exploiting mental illnesses and how this could be perceived as "old people being scary", but in my opinion I don't think this is the case. First off, it's played more comedically than horrifically. If you pay attention to the tone of the movie, it has more of a comedy style than horror. Next, you have to think of how a kid would react to their grandparent acting strange like that. Most kids would try to laugh it off nowadays even though they are suddenly traumatized. But like I said, I understand where you're coming from and how you can perceive this as an exploitation.
Great new series, by the way!
Edit: You kind of contradicted yourself a little when talking about The Taking of Deborah Logan, just saying. ;)
Sadly, Ageism will always be an issue, sadly, because society has drilled into us that growing old is bad. Also, we treat older adults like they're children or beneath us which isn't right either. Anything that uses this trip urks me and I can't watch it.
Also, for M. Knight: He used my disability, Osteogenesis Imperfecta, in Glass and portrayed it completely wrong. It drives me nuts because I struggle enough to get people to treat me like I am human, but now they watch Glass or Unbreakable and try to handle me like I am a doll that will break just by breathing.
I'm not adverse to the elderly in horror films. The scariest movies are about crazy old people or crazed kids! Just go with the flow....btw I'm an old lady!
Not horror, but the most expired movie trope for me is the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope.
So sick of this one
...Huh? I'm not familiar with that trope
I can't watch the movies with Alzheimer THANK YOU GENETICS
The trope of women who have lost a child going on a murder spree or stealing babies or whatever really gets on my nerve. Run, for example
My biggest trope that I am SO tired of is animal death for no other reason than being “scary” like the dog dying first so you know shits about to get real. It is not scary. It makes me so sad and I hate watching it. Honestly it really takes me out of the movie
2 things that I am tired of seeing being presented as scary in horror movies are Heavy Metal music and S&M (bdsm). 🙄
It's similar genre learning towards using creepy little girls and not so much creepy little boys.
the reason old people in horror works is because we're ultimately afraid of getting old ourselves, and how poorly our bodies will function by then.
one trope i want to be done with is malfunctioning AI. it's not gotten annoying, but i have a feeling it's going to, especially with megan being a hit.
The horror trope that I think is definetely expired is when they reveal that the killer is a closeted trans person as if that was ever supposed to explain violent outbursts.
Right! SPOILER ALERT but I hated Sleepaway Camp for this reason
Are you a RED?
Freedom of speech and expression is paramount!🤔🤨
A trope i really hate is when a movie leads with being a supernatural horror and spends the whole time heavily building it up only for it to be revealed that there was nothing supernatural going on at all. It makes me feel like my time was wasted and now we have to play catch up to explain the truth. Ex. The Boy, I See You (netflix), The Village (this one wasnt too bad)
A great idea for a series and a great commentary about this trope. Cant wait to see the next videos :D
Oooh i know im gonna love this series. I love ari aster's movies but I am put off a bit by his portrayals of disability
I don't like to be that person saying this but the horror of the elderly is proprably one of the horror genres that is the most effective on me and i really like it. I DEFINITELY agree with everything you said regardless of my liking of this sub-genre (same goes with mental health issues by the way), especially since they could easily use the scare elements in a more respectful and qualitative way. My grandmother has got a form of degenerative dementia and the lady in The Visit reminds me a lot of her when she has a breakdown, minus the killer aspect of course. I would love for more movies to explore the horror of the elderly from their point of view though, I think it could be a great trope to explore
Not me waiting to hear M. Night Shyamalan's Old in the list 🤡
THANK YOU!!! im soooo over an old woman's naked body being the scariest, most shocking thing a filmmaker could show
Watch Beau is Afraid and you'll get plenty of other types of naked people, too. And some actually original stuff, too, ig.
I don't mind this trope at all. It freaks me out and it works..
It doesn't make me thing any less or more of old people
I’m not sure if it’s a trope, but I’m SO TIRED of movies utilizing sexual assault/rape scenes to build plot, conflict, and/or character. I think it can easily be implied without graphically showing it. I recently watched The Pale Blue Eye, and the scene was so sudden and came out of nowhere. It was so close to the end as well and just really disappointed me. There’s just better ways to go about it.
Agreed
Your videos are always the best! Appreciate your unique perspectives 🤎
your videos are always entertaining even if I disagree with your opinion, you're so good at this
I definitely get tired of certain tropes but I loved the themes X explored about aging and desirability.
You always have the best ideas and I love the new content 🖤
I am getting old, i like old, i will stay this way and fight against any way to not look my age, you can take everything from me but my old, unless you kill me.
LOVE this. This was so refreshing, can't wait for more psychology based videos!! Was such a wonderful marriage of your older content and horror content
It's one of the reasons I had trouble with X is that once it got to "gross old people" I immediately went "we're still doing this in 2022?"
The Amusement Park actually scared me a lot and made me think I never want to be elderly. It broke my heart.
We need a playlist! ❤ so good and insightful
Happy Wednesday 💜🩷💋❤️💖💘✨
Danny Glover in Death At A Funeral making a mess on Tracy Morgan
My biggest expired trope (and not saying that the conversation isn't important) is all the movies where something is happening to someone and no one believes them. It's predictable and played out and we get it. Even so, I still adore some movies that do this when done well.
We just need more horror movies with evil babies
Listen I loved X and it’s still surprised me the first time when Pearl murdered RJ. And the Visit is one of my favorite M Night Movies just for its creativity and performances by the crazy old people. I do agree it’s a very used trope but I think it still has time before it gets…. OLD
The visit rules.
@@michealvega1373 That cringey, rapping kid kinda ruined the movie for me lol
I don't think it's fear of old people. It's fear of old age. The elderly are the future of the young.
This topic and idea for a series scratched an itch I have had since I got my psych degree in 2018, love the analysis and I LOVE that you made sure to put the disclaimer of what perspective this is coming from, that made the sociologist side of me squeal with happiness.
I been loving your most recent videos!
I know this is not the point, but I just find it funny that you used the word "expired" when talking about elderly tropes😂😂 Just ironic word choice, sure you didn't mean to do that, but it fits lol!! but, I agree with you! Not the biggest fan of elderly people being pinned as the scary source in movies! It is to a point where it is not surprising anymore!
God, X is one of the most brilliant explorations of sexuality in horror. 💜
Resident Evil 7 is a game example of a killer old woman that I enjoy. It helps that she's just another member of a messed up family and not singled out because she's old. Having her head creepily follow you despite the fact that she's seemingly asleep oooogh
I'd love to see this turned on it's head properly. Let's have some movie protagonists drawn into some scarey situation out of a sense of duty and increasingly genuine concern for Grandma. Let's have the audience become certain that whatever the terrifying evil scheme or force is, it seems to be using the barely-functional Grandma as bait to lure the young adult victims in. Then some of the nature of what the scaey thing is is revealed and the meat of the horrible discovery and escape plot transpires. Then, just when all seems lost, Grandma appears to save the day. She and her aged adult friends have conspired to isolate the threat in the old age home and now join forces to save our protagonists and continue their work of containing the threat. Feining senility and frailty has helpped them disguise and exicute their plan and at least one of the "final girl" characters in this movie is going to be a hilariously snarky and stubborn grandma. Clearly this is just a shell for a vaguely-defined subplot and where it might fit, but still. We need this movie! Who's with me?!
I really disagree. Do you think we find children cute because, "as a culture", we somehow decided to land on that feeling? Of course not. Natural selection is a thing. Animals find their puppies cute as well, for basically the same evolutionary reasons. And the same is true for how we feel about very elderly people. I was like 5 yo when I saw my grand grand mother. It scared me. I didn't want to get close to her. That was no cultural influence, but natural instinct.
Now why is that? Likely for two main reasons: very elderly people were pretty rare throughout human history, as life expectancy was 30! So they really hit the uncanny valley, they seem barely human. Now that's of course a sad state of affairs, but natural selection doesn't care. And hey, HOPEFULLY I'm gonna look like that too some day. I accept it. It's just the way things are. And actually, to know that's an instinct is the best way to overcome it in dealing with real elderly people.
The second reason is that any already rare elderly people in history was very likely sick, or looking sick anyway, so the instinct to avoid sick people (and possible contamination) kicks in.
And those two things also help to explain why we all, and in every culture (as actually known from human universals studies), strive to look healthy and young - those two things being necessarily correlated, as age (obviously) brings the progressive weakening of heath in pretty much every front.
As for movies exploiting those instincts (and not cultural constructions), that's another debate. But I do think it's as valid as exploring any other instinct. Should we avoid kill (and torture) more men in such movies, as men are naturally seen as expendable? Of course not (or else we could as well avoid horror movies entirely - for every source of horror will trip into one or another sensitive issue). The only reason to avoid it, it would seem, was to not "reinforce" some stereotype... Don't worry, it won't "reinforce" nothing on that front. Human psychology doesn't work like that. On the contrary: it help us to get desensitized to such dumb instincts. After seeing the likes of The Shining, REC and X, surely my grand grand mother would seem lovely in comparison (like, say, Coco from Pixar). I'm being serious.
So no, the point of horror is precisely explore such instincts. And I found The Visit an amazing horror movie by the way. And I would bet my house that I won't change my opinion in the slightest when I (hopefully) become 90 - I am 41.
i would love to see other videos like this! for example, poc dying first in horror movies, unfortunately theres's so many movies where this happened, and i would love to see you talk about it
I'm so excited for this new series! It's such a fantastic, original idea! And as a horror lover with an interest in psychology, who is training to be a therapist, it is perfect for me!
i watched gonnjiam asylum thanks to you and i was scared shitless,thank u so much
Hi Sarah, I have to push back on the put into a home to rot and die. Most of these people are deeply loved, and see their family, they have a disease, or condition that makes it difficult to care for them at home, or they need constant care (sundowning syndrome), or family have young children at home. Some places are terrible, but if they are properly regulated they can be great places where they're taken care of by caring people. Assisted living and ltc is where I got my nursing start, I didn't want to start there, but I did grow to love it.
I've worked with the elderly for over 20 years, and although it is a ramped upversion of what we call "sundowning" (a time of day when dementia patients may become more agitated), I did still like the film 'The Visit'. Most people with such advanced dementia wouldn't be as coherent as the couple portrayed was in the daytime.
I 100% agree! I also hate the physically/mentally disabled = scary trope
Why is okay to use the elderly as a horror troupe? They won't be around to complain about it...
Terrible joke and I deserves what's coming my way. XD
I never think about (whatever) Tropes that deep in (horror) films.. Although some are tiring (example: ooh it was all a dream in the end 🙄)
I like your deep dive into horror stuff videos even if I disagree
Old people in horror movies just make me laugh and sometimes make me pretty sad. Like I don’t wanna watch an evil old lady die!!?! I like old people, actually, and seeing them hurt feels so shock value-y, but why would I WANT to be shocked and upset? I watch horror movies to laugh at troupes and get scared to relieve stress, not to be uncomfortable and get even more stressed 😭
This is the reason why I wasnt a fan of X, I was one of the few caretakers of my grandparents when they couldnt do stuff for themselves, either because old age or Parkinsons, so seeing X and having my grandmothers passing fresh in my mind was off putting and I'm not talking about the violence in it but the way they made the old couple seem "gross" i just shook my head and disappointed in the film
Things aren't as bad as they used to be but tropes like this are still one of the few ways elderly people get work in movies at all unfortunately.
The Exorcist III is one of the best horror movies ever that might fall into this category but it also shows older people in more positive roles as well, especially if you count the protagonist.
This is why I'm so bored of modern horror movies. Just lazy recycled tropes. Elderly horror trope is as goofy as scary child horror. Children and old people are not remotely scary in real life, why would I find them scary in a movie?
To the point of mental illness tropes: the mental illness tropes that piss me off the most are when they slap a diagnosis on the symptoms that doesn't fit at all. Some writers/directors love to pick a term that the general public knows about and act all medical by saying their villain has schizophrenia, despite them just being a serial killer. (Potential spoilers) Old was the most annoying with this.
i gonna make an exception for jennifer's body as personally, i see it as that being the point OF the movie, like it was on purpose to drive home the story even more
TW SA
I think the horror trope I'm tired of would be women being saed or assaulted in some manor and then getting revenge on their assaulters specifically in the manor of I spit on your grave and just horror where women are brutally saed It's just so unnecessary to me for that to be shown in horror when it's simply there for shock factor.
Girl I love Scentbird. I was on the subscription but cancelled due to money not the service. I need to start it back up again.❤️
This is great, but I'm guessing we'll never see you criticize the hot sexy crazy murdering girl trope that mia goth has taken up and plays in every movie.
M night’s post after earth filmography has all been either “old people scary” or “mentally ill people scary” or a combo of both. I think KATCD was an interesting look at “is it mental illness or is the apocalypse coming” so I guess it’s a step forward
I personally didnt find the scene in pearl gross because they were old. It made me uncomfortable because the sex is rigid and stiff looking. Theres also the added horror of them murdering people and that being a sexual spark for them.
Please do more horror book videos!! Got into reading books in general bc of that one vid where u praised the deep lmao
I've been feeling exactly the same way and so happy someone saying in this. also the movies you mentioned are exactly same ones make me think. X and The Visit!
There's one not mentioned that I loooved. "The Manor" on Amazon Prime Video. I loooved the ending.
As someone who takes care of an elderly family member, please remember many people put their relatives in assisted living because it is EXTREMELY difficult to take care of a grown adult who can't take care of themselves. A lot of people who weren't treated well by elderly family members through the years are not going to care because the care and respect was not earned. All elderly people aren't precious perfect angels. But to Sarah's point, trying to scare an audience with a naked elderly body is pretty offensive and sad. Growing older is a blessing and we should see it as such.
I agree. Now let’s subvert it and use an ELDERLY final girl!🎉🎉