Whether good or lackluster, there are many haunted house movies that feature ghosts who haven’t truly moved on from the place they used to live or the people who hurt them. Sometimes this can be clichéd and boring and other times, the stories can be legitimately scary.
There are many horror movie tropes that fans wish would be retired but one that is really compelling is the “Heartless” trope. Since it can be used with ghosts or monsters, there are some haunted house films that employ it to varying degrees of success. It doesn’t come up very often, which makes it exciting, and there is one movie where it is used in a brilliant way.
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According toTV Tropes, The Heartless are “monsters born out of people’s negative emotions.” These could be spirits or this trope could be part of thebody horror genre.TV Tropesnotes that if the main character who is the hero of the story turns into The Heartless, then the movie is using another trope called “Face–Heel Turn.”
The most important thing for horror fans to know that these monsters are tough to get rid of, which is what makes them terrifying.TV Tropesnotes that the hero of the story might be able to defeat them or make them feel better.
The best example of this horror trope is the curse that is at the core of theJu-Onfranchise. Takashi Shimizu is the creator and while there were several short films and direct-to-video releases, the first movie which was in movie theaters isJu-On: The Grudgefrom 2002. The main character Takeo Saeki (Takashi Matsuyama) kills his wife Kayako Saeki (Takako Fuji) and because he kills her when he’s upset and betrayed, she becomes a vengeful ghost.
The 2004 filmThe Grudgeis one of thebest horror remakesas it maintains the feeling and tone of the original and is just as terrifying. BothJu-On: The Grudgeand the American remake use the Heartless trope perfectly. The characters in each film learn more about the curse and realize that it’s all about horrible, negative and upsetting emotions. This is so powerful since it makes sense that if someone dies in a fit of rage or sadness, they would haunt people and carry those emotions around.
In the 2004 American film, Karen Davis (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is haunted by Kayako’s spirit and while this is asatisfying horror movie ending, Karen still realizes that Kayako is around her and that she might never be rid of her. This makes sense since part of the trope is that the main character/hero can’t stop this. The Heartless are so strong and powerful that it doesn’t seem like they will ever lose. This creates really interesting villains, so while some tropes should be retired, this one should definitely be used.
While there are manyterrifying horror movie ghosts, Kayako is even scarier because she was murdered in such an emotional way. Horror movie spirits aren’t always well-written or all that layered since they don’t have to do much except haunt houses or follow the main characters around before opening doors or making noise or, in some cases, killing them. But Kayako is special because she has an interesting backstory and it makes sense that it would be hard for her to move on.
It’s also possible to say thatThe Ring(2002) uses the “Heartless” trope as Samara Morgan dies after being abused and neglected by her family. She now haunts people by killing them seven days after watch a videotape that she has put a curse on.The Ringhas some of the mostmemorable horror movie quotesand the image of Samara’s long black hair and limbs coming out of the well where she has spent time is hard to forget. If Samara didn’t die in such a terrible way and with so many negative feelings inside of her, it doesn’t seem like she would have the same impact. Samara is aterrifying horror female villainand the way that she dies is part of that.
TV Tropesalso notes that David Cronenberg’s 1979 horror film The Brood uses the “Heartless” trope as Nola Carveth (Samantha Eggar) continues to birth kids who then work through the negative feelings that she has. It’s one of thebest Cronenberg filmsas it’s strange and unforgettable.
In every instance, the “Heartless” trope is incredibly effective at proving that horror is at its best when there are strong feelings involved. It’s scary to watch killers, villains, creatures and ghosts go after the main and minor characters. But if the villains are created from negative emotions, the story becomes even more interesting and even more terrifying as a whole other layer is added.
