History Main / HauntedHouseHistorian

* ''Series/{{Goosebumps}}'': In the episode "The Headless Ghost" the MandatoryTwistEnding reveals that the old tour guide was a ghost all along. However, unlike the book, he's actually evil and tries to use magic to [[AndIMustScream trap the main character inside a painting]].

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Usually they are introduced early in the first act, and they know the terrible secret of the location either by being present, inheriting the secret from someone who was there, or most rarely, simply researching it themselves.

->'''Cinema Snob:''' Since they killed off [[FanNickname Crazy Ralph]] in the last film, they need some other drunken wacko to warn them away. Sure if this guy talked to them without being a lunatic that might help. But since the fucking meat-wagon didn't give them the hint to stay away, I don't think anything this guy does would'a helped.

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[[quoteright:350:[[VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/haunted_house_historian.jpg]]]]

* Yamamura in ''VideoGame/SweetHome'', both game and [[Film/SweetHome the movie]], provide useful exposition to the group. The game also hints at their real identity which explains why they know so much about what's going on.

[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]

* In the ''Literature/{{Goosebumps}}'' book ''The Headless Ghost'', the local haunted location Hill House is staffed by the kindly Otto and Edna. [[spoiler:Who turn out to be ghosts in the TwistEnding, although not malevolent ones.]]

* Watson Pritchet in ''Film/HouseOnHauntedHill1959'' and [[Film/HouseOnHauntedHill1999 its remake]]. He's the actual owner of the house, renting it out to the Lorens for their party, and early on he gives a brief tour of where in the house the various murders have happened.
-->They've all been sort of wild.

* Justified in ''Film/FourteenOhEight'', where the hotel manager proves knowledgeable about the troubled past of the titular hotel room.
* Played for laughs in ''Film/DarkAndStormyNight'', where several characters take turns telling various bits of connecting backstory on a number of curses, recent murders, escapes from institutes for the criminally insane, and prophecies.
-->'''Jack''': I'll take this one, Burling.

* ''Film/Ghostbusters2016'' has Patty Tolan share gruesome anecdotes about several of the places the team investigates.
* ''Film/TheWindmillMassacre'': When the tourists take shelter in the old shed, Abe finds some documents that that detail the history of Miller Hendrick and his ultimate, which he reads out to everyone else. [[spoiler:By the end of the film, it is revealed that Abe already knew of these facts before 'finding' the documents.]]
* ''Film/{{Dagon}}'' has [[TheAlcoholic drunken old Eziquiel]] who tells the protagonist what happened to [[TownWithADarkSecret Imboca]]. It does no good, and [[spoiler:Eziquiel gets brutally killed for his pains]].
* In ''Film/TheHollow'', CrustyCaretaker Claus knows everything there is to know about the legend of the Headless Horseman, and the lineage of Ichabod Crane; including how to destroy the Horseman permanently.
* In ''Film/LizzieBordensRevenge'', Cindy is obsessed with the story of Lizzie Borden and keeps trotting out details about Lizzie and the murders.
* ''WesternAnimation/OurFriendMartin'': Mrs. Peck is one for a not-quite-haunted building; she runs the museum in Martin Luther King's old house, and acts as a MrsExposition to the protagonists. It's thanks to her regular winding of the watch that the boys can travel back in time.
* ''Film/MirrorMirror1990'': Emelin, the auctioneer in charge of the house clearance, becomes this regarding the Weatherford House after she finds a cache of journals that describe the mirror's apparent possession by a demonic force able to grant wishes while clearing the house. She is the one who provides the information on the demon and how to defeat it to Nikki.
* ''Film/{{Eternal}}'': In Venice, Pope spots a biography of UsefulNotes/ElizabethBathory in a bookstore that uses the same portrait he saw in Elizabeth Kane's mansion in Montreal. When Pope asks the bookseller about the book, he is able to tell Pope the entire Bathory legend.
* In ''Film/DeathFactory'', Troy is able to relate the factory's history to the others. Dyson Chemical had severely injured a worker in an industrial accident, and the worker became ill from the effects of the unknown toxin she had been exposed to, sent home without compensation. Presumed dead, she later returned to Dyson Chemical and slaughtered each of her colleagues, after which the factory was shut down. Troy knows all this because he had a friend whose uncle was one the cops investigating the massacre.

* Dr. Montague plays this role in Shirley Jackson's ''Literature/TheHauntingOfHillHouse''. He discusses the trope by commenting on how difficult it is to get accurate information on a haunted house.

* In the ''Literature/{{Goosebumps}}'' book ''The Headless Ghost'', the local haunted location Hill House is staffed by the kindly Otto and Edna. [[spoiler:Who turn out to be ghosts in the TwistEnding, although not malevolent ones.]]

* There's a RecurringCharacter parodying this in ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' (specifically, an {{Expy}} of the character Jud in ''[[Film/PetSematary1989 Pet Sematary]]''). [[http://southpark.wikia.com/wiki/Old_Farmer He turns up now and again]] to warn people away from the Spooky Location ''du jour''.

* One of these will appear early on in most episodes of ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo''. Quite often they're the ones behind the ScoobyDooHoax, but sometimes they genuinely believe in the MonsterOfTheWeek.

[[folder:Film]]

-->'''Homer:''' (Shudders) Ugh, John Denver!

* ''Literature/PetSematary'' has the fatherly neighbor in this role, who runs squarely into the "kickstart the newbie's curiosity" problem when he tells him about the Indian burial ground. He is profoundly conflicted about whether to tell the main character anything at all, and it is implied that the spirit that haunts the ground may be influencing or manipulating him. Falls into MoralDissonance territory when it's revealed that, while he initially presents it as spooky but ultimately harmless, he actually knows ''exactly'' how bad things can get when folks go messing around there.

As the most knowledgeable on the threat the historian is likely to be TheWorldsExpertOnGettingKilled. However, while the Haunted House Historian does have an element of MrExposition, they may only know a bit more than the characters and leave the characters to do their own research into the exact nature of the threat. They also usually form relationships with the new arrivals, and can be ''very'' active in the plot. This is exposition plus plot structure and character development.

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]

[[folder: Film ]]

* Justified in ''Film/FourteenOhEight'', where the hotel manager proves knowledgeable about the troubled past of the room 1408.

[[folder: Literature ]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

[[folder: Music ]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

[[folder: Visual Novels ]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

-->'''Mr. Burns:''' This house has quite a long and colorful history. It was built on an ancient Indian burial ground and was the setting of Satanic rituals, witch-burnings, and five John Denver Christmas specials.

* Yamamura in ''VideoGame/SweetHome'', both game and [[Film/SweetHome the movie]].

The Haunted House Historian is a character who knows the BackStory of a HauntedHouse, IndianBurialGround, EldritchLocation, AbandonedHospital, and other evil location. Right around the time the fresh meat-- err, "Main Cast" come in or near the evil location and start getting picked off one by one, the Haunted House Historian will intervene. They may [[MrExposition exposit]] on the history of the haunted house, or try (emphasis on '''try''') to take matters into their own hands to save lives or keep the house's secret.