One of the biggest cliches in horror movies is "The black guy dies first". It's a cheap way out that tons of horror movies have taken.
There are exceptions of course, and I won't spoil all the movies by listing them. The thing I find remarkable is that there is one African American actor, who has survived more than one horror movie. This is an accomplishment that deserves recognition. Ladies and gentlemen I give you Mr. Keith David.
His voice alone can stop most monsters.
Keith David's characters have lived to the end of "The Thing" and "Pitch Black". David has starred in over 200 movies and TV episodes including classics such as "They Live" and "Platoon". Besides voicing Al Simmons in the "Spawn" animated series, his voice work has been featured in several Disney movies.
As a huge fan of "The Thing", "They Live" and "Pitch Black" I think it's overdue he got recognized for breaking this particular cliche.
While horror movie tend to change with the times, there are a few things they are behind on. Some of the most important involve changes in building design and personal hygiene. So here are a few of the most out of place items in horror movies.
Well maybe they have these at Sweeny Todd's house.
1. Straight razors. Almost every house in a horror movie seems to have baskets of these things just laying around. They always make for a scary visual, but when was the last time you saw one in real life? I'm 40 and I've only seen them in horror movies. It's probably a good thing, I can cut myself with a safety razor, these things would kill me.
They always leave your back to the door too.
2. The claw-foot tub. The main reason for these is so that the killer can pop up behind the teenage girl and murder her. I say teenage girl, because in horror movies men never take baths or showers.
3. The bathroom mirror/medicine cabinet. Long ago these were replaced with larger mirrors so people would have a place to pose for Facebook pictures. The only purpose these serve in horror movies is this:
Honorable Mention: Breaker boxes on the outside of the house. By about 1980 people learned that keeping the controls to the power outside was a bad idea. Now the psycho has to actually be in the house before he can plunge the heroes into darkness.
