Horror plots are getting way too complicated – and it's exhausting
Remember the rules? Don't have sex, don't drink, don't do drugs, and absolutely never say, 'I’ll be right back.' Scream’s 1996 blueprint for horror survival felt refreshingly simple. Now, modern horror – particularly on platforms like Netflix and A24 – often resembles an elaborate puzzle box designed to induce a headache, not just a scare.
The plot thickens (then thinks it’s a jigsaw puzzle)
Take Netflix’s latest offering, Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen. The premise? The protagonist must marry her soulmate by sunset or die. But the twist – and it’s a doozy – is that this curse extends to future generations. Leave the groom at the altar, and the misfortune falls on his family. The narrative’s core conceit – a soulmate-or-die scenario – is a thin foundation upon which to build an entire series. It feels less like a compelling story and more like a series of increasingly convoluted rules, designed to keep viewers guessing, even if the guessing is ultimately pointless.
This isn’t an isolated incident. The Duffer Brothers, creators of Stranger Things, are behind Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen. Known for their intricate plots, they’ve leaned into narrative complexity, a trait echoed by other streaming services. IT: Welcome to Derry, for instance, introduced the idea of Pennywise experiencing time non-linearly – simultaneously past, present, and future. This adds layers of conceptual complexity to an already terrifying entity. The showrunners themselves have admitted that the “how” and “why” of this ability are storylines for future seasons, promising even more layers of obfuscation.
From on MGM+ takes the complexity a different route, mirroring Lost in its mystifying narrative. The series revolves around a town that traps its inhabitants, with monstrous entities patrolling the perimeter. As characters try to decipher the town’s secrets, the plot spirals into a labyrinth of unanswered questions. The show prioritizes mystery over clear storytelling, often prioritizing ambiguity over satisfying resolution.
There’s a reason why shows like Paradise and Yellowjackets resonate. Their twists keep audiences engaged because they’re built upon a foundation of coherent storytelling. The best horror doesn't require a PhD in narrative theory to understand. Think about Barbarian, which cleverly utilized the simple premise of a monster in an Airbnb basement. Or Weapons, which subverted expectations with its witch reveal. Even Nope, with its crop-circle aliens, relied on classic horror tropes to build dread. Hereditary excelled at creating an atmosphere of unease without needing to explain every detail. The scares were rooted in unsettling lore, not plot contortions.
The current trend seems to be prioritizing complexity over genuine terror. The pursuit of baffling narratives often overshadows the fundamentals of effective horror: suspense, atmosphere, and relatable characters. While these intricate plots may provide a temporary intellectual challenge, they often leave viewers feeling frustrated rather than frightened. The payoff rarely justifies the convoluted journey. The goal should be to unsettle, not to exhaust.
Ultimately, audiences crave chills, not confusion. A well-crafted scare relies on primal fears and psychological tension, not on mind-bending paradoxes. The best horror transcends plot complexity; it taps into something deeper within us. It's a lesson that streaming services might want to remember before they continue down this path of increasingly tangled narratives.