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Horror movie tropes and cliches are popular for a reason, they help build tension and keep audiences screaming "Don't go in there!"

The horror movie genre is set around a specific group of tropes or conventions. They involve monsters, ghosts, demons or other supernatural occurrences, and of course, the masked killer. This killer, whatever species, inevitably stalks a group of unsuspecting teens or twenty-somethings containing a stereotypical cast of characters.

The character of the masked killer seems to have started in the 1926 silent movie The Bat, directed by Roland West. Other popular versions of this are Halloween, the Friday the 13th series and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. As for the victims, the movie Cabin in The Woods sets it up clearly in its final scene. There will be an athlete, a scholar, a fool, a whore and a virgin. There will also often be a couple. The killers in the movie Scream operate under these rules specifically as well.

The jock is the alpha male of the group. He'll tell people they're being paranoid when things start getting weird, but then insist that he can take care of the situation. Being arrogant and sometimes ignorant always gets him killed.

The nerdy character is the smart one who seems like he/she could survive, but almost always dies a gruesome death. Some people are just too smart for their own good.

The idiot — or stoner — is a character who is often oblivious to what's going on, but can also secretly be the wisest, inspired by characters like the grave diggers in Hamlet.

Among female characters there will almost always be a slut (usually blonde) and a virgin. The jock is always into the blonde, and they meet their end after wandering off to hook up. Don't let your hormones kill you, folks. The innocent virgin girl will usually be the one to survive out of a group because of the deeply religious connotations of other characters being punished for their various vices and perceived sins. The final girl can also turn out to have a history with the killer like in the movies Halloween II and Scream 3.

Another style of horror movie is known as Found Footage where the film is meant to look like it was made using a camcorder, and these are often released as true stories. This started in 1980 with Cannibal Holocaust, and became more popular in 1999 with The Blair Witch Project. Other titles include the Paranormal Activity series, As Above So Below and the sci-fi horror flick Cloverfield. Bringing the audience further into the world and stories of the characters changes the dynamic of the film. A different perspective on events can make them a lot less predictable.

But, clichés stick around for a reason. Moviegoers love uttering the phrase, “Don't go in there!”