Plotz
Here's a start at a list of the Standard Horror Plots that we receive frequently (and wish we didn't). Main plot types get numbers; subspecies and variants are in bulleted lists under each main type. Maybe at some point I'll turn this into another guidelines page.
- Serial killer stalks and slays victim.
- The tables are turned at the end.
- The serial killer is insane.
- The serial killer is under supernatural influence.
- Person is insane, and kills a lot of people because of it.
- The insanity is due to supernatural influence.
- The insane person does property damage instead of killing people.
- The protagonist sits around for a while; in the end, it turns out the protagonist is dead.
- Evil creature kills lots of people
- In the end the creature escapes to kill again.
- The creature is disguised as something cute.
- Person sees mysterious things that nobody else can see.
- Person has unreasonable dread of Thing that nobody else can see; in the end the Thing gets the person after all.
- Person has bad dreams; they turn out to be real.
- In the end, it turns out the person is crazy.
- In the end, it turns out someone is drugging the person.
- Person is warned to Always Do something; fails to do it; thereby sets Nameless Evil free.
- Person is warned to Never Do something; does it anyway; thereby sets Nameless Evil free.
- A place is haunted or scary. [No, this isn't a plot, but we do receive plotless place descriptions in which this is the only point.]
- Child is abused.
- The tables are turned at the end.
- The abuser is under supernatural influence.
- Person is targeted by Evil Thing; in the end, Evil Thing kills person.
- Person is a bad person; in the end, they get their comeuppance when unspeakably horrible things happen to them. (A.k.a. the Twilight Zone plot.)
- Person attempts to kill or dispose of spouse; in the end, the tables are turned.
- Person isn't such a bad person; but in the end, unspeakably horrible things happen to them anyway.