bakerstreet | the gothic house horror tropes meme

THE GOTHIC HOUSE MEME

Below meme will contain horror concepts, triggers, and terrible stereotypes. Please click with caution.

It looms out of the woods, tall and elegant, with sweeping Gothic lines. An inheritance, or a gift, or a purchase; this house should be a blessing, but instead it's a curse.

This house knows what you fear.

THE ROLES

1. Stranded. Your car broke down, or your girlfriend sped away. There's only one place around. It's a little creepy, but it's your only option.

2. Moving in. This is your new place! It's not so bad, and it was a great value for the square footage. Your new life is gonna be great!

3. Dare. It wasn't your idea, but you were dared to come in here by a friend. All you have to do is get inside, and then get out again.

4. The Seer. You knew there was something terrible that was going to happen here. Hopefully they listen to your warning.

5. The Native. You've lived in this house for so long you can't remember anything else. Maybe the curse hasn't touched you; maybe you are the curse. Somewhat related to:

6. The Monster. The big bad guy, no matter what form that might take.

7. The Expert. Exterminator, exorcist, priest, or vampire hunter, you're the guy they call to come clear out places like this.

8. Other. Feel free to come up with others!

THE SITUATIONS

1. Creepy crawlies. A swarm of spiders hatches from a sac in the wall; you find the basement is full of snakes; you awaken each morning with rat bites on your skin; the birds watch you, wherever you go. Some sort of creature is plaguing this house, and you have to fight it to get free.

2. Ghosts. There was a horrific murder committed here in the past, a crime of passion from a jealous lover. Be careful, or you'll find yourself possessed, and acting out history all over again. -- Or maybe you're the ghost, and you never even knew you'd died.

3. The Asylum. A long time ago, tortured souls were kept here. The halls still remember their torment -- and perhaps the ghosts of the tortured past will reach from those walls, and try to pull you back in.

4. A Stalker. The house would be perfect -- except for that creepy groundskeeper. Looks like he has a fondness for pruning shears, and he doesn't want anyone to take this place away from him. How many will he kill before you escape?

5. Satan's touch. This is a den of old witches, people who sold their soul to the Devil and who sacrificed children in their rituals. It's said that the last little girl they killed still wanders here, and that she will cast your soul to hell in order to stay.

6. Possession. A demon has taken over your skin. There's only one chance to save you: an exorcism.

7. Monsters. There's something loose in the woods, a product of science or magic gone terribly wrong. Defeat it, and maybe you'll be able to live in peace.

8. Zombies. The house has layers of defense, but eventually you may be overwhelmed.

9. Vampires. A very, very old creature lives in this house. A creature perhaps looking for a mortal companion to join them…

10. Transformation. Your bones are changing, your limbs growing, your skin changing. Something about this place is making you into a monster, and you may be beyond saving.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

[It's just swell that his grand-uncle left him this old mansion in his will. Sure, it's a bit of a fixer-upper but you expect it in a house this old. Carter's been having a lot of fun exploring the place, from the attic with the locked trunks to the stone cellar with rusting chains hanging from the walls. It's got a lot of room in it and the logical idea is to have guests up to stay the night.

But Molly's not the only stranger who came to the house last night. The cellar door was smashed in and something's ravaged the strange jars and barrels inside. Whatever did it must have tremendous strength to get through doors two inches thick. On the wood are the marks of massive claws and there's bite marks in the dried meat. Carter is currently looking at it with his arms folded and a thoughtful frown on his face.]

You think it was beavers?

[Human AU optional. Or there's a fish living in your basement.]

Do beavers...

[Molly's standing not too far away from Carter, looking at the destruction for herself. Her fingers are twisting themselves together in a bit of a nervous habit as she surveys the absolute destruction around that was caused.]

Do beavers, y'know. Even have... claws?

[She's not entirely certain if they do or not, but it was a legitimate enough question.]

I think so. Little ones. They have big teeth and they like to eat wood, though. [He shines his flashlight down into the dark cellar. There's still drool on some of the scraps left behind.] Maybe they eat meat too.

[ Theta is just going to stand in the hall, running his hands over the walls with a frown. Something was simply...off about this house. He couldn't figure out what just yet.]

It could be a bear.

[She'a awfully proud of herself for thinking of bears. Because she's certain that beavers could cause massive amounts of damage... but she's doesn't think one little baby beaver do all this.

But bears, on the other hand. They were known for causing trouble, weren't they? To hikers and things.]

[Running your hands over the walls is all well and good, but the Doctor has his sonic screwdriver.

At present, he's in the other room, screwdriver lit and running it over everything he can possibly see and some things he can't see. After a moment or two, he stops and inspects the screwdriver, eyebrows furrowing together as he looks over the readings and then around the room once more.]

Something not right here.

[Rambling AU deets here.]

[Tim's still new at this whole... supernatural thing. Really, he shouldn't be shocked. Sure, he was friends with a shapeshifter and a Kryptonian and a speedster. But ghosts are in a league of their own.

A very creepy league.

Still, that was just a rumor. Maybe there wasn't really a ghost. Maybe he and Dick were just investigating a simple missing persons case covered up by someone with a very twisted imagination.]

So, this is the place where people started disappearing?

This place is officially creepy. [Roy wouldn't admit to having a helluva case of the heebie jeebies of course. To the likes of Jason Todd? God, the Red Hood wouldn't let him live it down for as long as he lived.

Instead, the red clad archer stuck close to Jason's back and talked. Because that was what he did when he got nervy, he talked. It was the kind of bad habit he'd probably picked up from Ollie but woe onto the fool who compared him to his former mentor.] I mean, really creepy. Freddy Krueger coming out from around the corner kinda creepy.

'course, most normal people would avoid the creepy freakin' house in the middle of nowhere. But not us. We're just....nuts. This is completely insane, Jay. This is the kind of place people go into in horror movies and never come out of.

[He is born for creepy places where he can sneak even better than usual XD]

[ Car? No car for these two, but Lucy had been paired with Erza on a mission, and while yes, the mission went off quickly since Erza was ridiculously powerful... it wasn't without a lot of property damage. Nonetheless, when their carriage back home broke down, with only that creepy creepy mansion nearby, Lucy had a baaaaaaaaaaad feeling they were going to be asked to go there for help.

... five minutes later, that's exactly what had happened. Lucy, at Erza's side, grimaced nervously. ]

Ne, Erza, we could still walk -- [ What, and abandon that poor driver to deal with the carriage's broken wheel on his own? Plus Magnolia was MILES away yet, it'd take them the rest of the day to get there. Not ideal. ]

It doesn't look like anyone is home - and this place is really creepy. [ Look at that face Erza! Don't make her go in there. ;.; ]

[So... basically canon for her.]

Welcome to Geap Manor, Miss Hooper. May I offer you a cup of tea? The kettle should be nearly done.

[It is a perfectly lovely Tudor mansion, a monument that has stood the test of time. ...With a long history of tragedy for those who live there and those connected.]

My name is Abigail Widdowson. [The last of the Widdowson line, having lost her parents four years ago.] I'm afraid my uncle is out right now, but I can help you settle in.

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the gothic house horror tropes meme

Nancy Holbrook / A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)

The Doctor (10) | Doctor Who | OTA

Molly Hooper | BBC Sherlock | OTA

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Abe Sapien | Hellboy | OTA

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2 Ghosts of the past?

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Tony Stark | Marvel Cinematic Universe | OTA

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Archer || Fate/stay night || open to all

Mami Tomoe || Puella Magi Madoka Magica || open to all

hermione granger | hp post-canon, au

Jason Todd | DCnU

Dick Grayson | DC Comics

7 and 2 why not

1-3? aka Roy driving Jason up a wall with chattiness till Jay wants to make HIM a ghost?

Kuroko Tetsuya | KnB | ota

Erza Scarlet | Fairy Tail

Lucy Heartfilia | Fairy Tail (OTA)

Role 1, Scenario 5 -- mwa ha haaaaaa

Abigail Widdowson - Crooked House (OC)

Sherlock Holmes | BBC Sherlock | OTA

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