History UnbuiltTrope / LiveActionFilm

* FoundFootageFilms became big during TheNew10s. Some of the genre's progenitors may seem like answers to the likes of ''{{Film/Cloverfield}}'', ''Film/{{REC}}'', ''Film/DiaryOfTheDead'', and ''Film/TheDevilInside''.

** ''Film/TheBlairWitchProject'' was the TropeCodifier for the found-footage genre, but when compared to the many slick, big-budget imitators that followed, it feels like a deconstruction. For one thing, Heather's insistence upon filming everything even when logic suggests she put the camera down for once, a staple (and [[SocialMediaBeforeReason common criticism]]) of found-footage horror movies, is suggested by Josh to be her way of coping with the fact that she's lost in the woods -- the screen on the camcorder all makes it feel less real. This also causes a rift between her and the rest of the group, with Mike and Josh telling her several times to turn the camera off and [[RageBreakingPoint attacking her over it]]. Furthermore, the film's [[NoBudget tiny budget]], rambling improv style, and EnforcedMethodActing mean that the camera catches as many mundane events as it does exciting action beats -- exactly what you'd expect to find on a camcorder that's been lost in the woods. Finally, it actually looks and sounds like amateur footage in the production values, not like a traditional film with professional lighting and sound design like many subsequent found footage films (even if their low-budget). There was no script beyond a 35-page outline of the lore, the actors were all selected for their improv experience because [[ThrowItIn they had to come up with all the characters' dialogue and actions themselves]], and they were subjected to a very heavy dose of EnforcedMethodActing. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCjbevNlLXE This episode]] of WebVideo/RedLetterMedia's ''re:View'' details how little ''The Blair Witch Project'' has in common with modern found-footage horror films, which are mostly just traditional films done in a first-person POV style.

** ''Film/TheBlairWitchProject'' was the TropeCodifier for the found-footage genre, but when compared to the many slick, big-budget imitators that followed, it feels like a deconstruction. For one thing, Heather's insistence upon filming everything even when logic suggests she put the camera down for once, a staple (and [[SocialMediaBeforeReason common criticism]]) of found-footage horror movies, is suggested by Josh to be her way of coping with the fact that she's lost in the woods -- the screen on the camcorder all makes it feel less real. This also causes a rift between her and the rest of the group, with Mike and Josh telling her several times to turn the camera off and [[RageBreakingPoint attacking her over it]]. Furthermore, the film's [[NoBudget tiny budget]], rambling improv style, and EnforcedMethodActing mean that the camera catches as many mundane events as it does exciting action beats -- exactly what you'd expect to find on a camcorder that's been lost in the woods. Finally, it actually looks and sounds like amateur footage in the production values, not like a traditional film with professional lighting and sound design like many subsequent found footage films (including many of the low-budget ones). There was no script beyond a 35-page outline of the lore, the actors were all selected for their improv experience because [[ThrowItIn they had to come up with all the characters' dialogue and actions themselves]], and they were subjected to a very heavy dose of EnforcedMethodActing. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCjbevNlLXE This episode]] of WebVideo/RedLetterMedia's ''re:View'' details how little ''The Blair Witch Project'' has in common with modern found-footage horror films, which are mostly just traditional films done in a first-person POV style.

** ''Film/TheBlairWitchProject'' was the TropeCodifier for the found-footage genre, but when compared to the many slick, big-budget imitators that followed, it feels like a deconstruction. For one thing, Heather's insistence upon filming everything even when logic suggests she put the camera down for once, a staple (and [[SocialMediaBeforeReason common criticism]]) of found-footage horror movies, is suggested by Josh to be her way of coping with the fact that she's lost in the woods -- the screen on the camcorder all makes it feel less real. This also causes a rift between her and the rest of the group, with Mike and Josh telling her several times to turn the camera off and [[RageBreakingPoint attacking her over it]]. Furthermore, the film's [[NoBudget tiny budget]], rambling improv style, and EnforcedMethodActing mean that the camera catches as many mundane events as it does exciting action beats -- exactly what you'd expect to find on a camcorder that's been lost in the woods. Finally, it actually looks and sounds like amateur footage in the production values, not like a traditional film with professional lighting and sound design. There was no script beyond a 35-page outline of the lore, the actors were all selected for their improv experience because [[ThrowItIn they had to come up with all the characters' dialogue and actions themselves]], and they were subjected to a very heavy dose of EnforcedMethodActing. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCjbevNlLXE This episode]] of WebVideo/RedLetterMedia's ''re:View'' details how little ''The Blair Witch Project'' has in common with modern found-footage horror films, which are mostly just traditional films done in a first-person POV style.

* The film is also the TropeNamer for [[ItsAWonderfulPlot a person learning what their life would be like if they were never born]]. But the scenario is different from the usual portrayal: the film explores what it would take to drive a decent person to throw their life away: George Bailey had to sacrifice his wants and needs to protect his town from the avarice of [[MorallyBankruptBanker Mr. Potter]], to help his brother, and to provide for his children, [[BeingGoodSucks and has been unable to enjoy the thrills and luxuries he wanted]]. George is driven to despair when his uncle misplaces $8,000 (which Potter steals), and the stress of the legal trouble leads him to take his anger out on his family. Potter nastily tells him he's worth more dead than alive, which eventually drives George to suicide, thinking all his sacrifices have been for nothing. Clarence, the GuardianAngel, shows how George's absence had consequences for everyone: his brother Harry died when George didn't save him (as did everyone on a troop ferry that Harry had saved from a Kamikaze attack), Mary never found love, his boss Mr. Gower ended up accidentally poisoning a kid, Uncle Billy ended up in an asylum, and Potter was able to turn Bedford Falls into a desolate slum without George there to provide people loans. The other characters, not knowing George in this alternate reality, get confused and annoyed by this odd stranger who acts like their best friend, which adds to George's growing despair. The film isn't feelgood pap, but [[ScareEmStraight a warning against throwing your life away]].

* ''Film/ItsAWonderfulLife'' is often lambasted as [[SweetnessAversion a saccharine film]] that promotes an idyllic view of American life. But this isn't the case.
** It's one of the first – and ''very'' few – films to tackle the subject of holiday depression, long before cynical takes on Christmas became common in pop culture. And unlike many of those later films, this one [[PlayedForDrama does]] ''[[PlayedForDrama not]]'' [[PlayedForDrama play the depression for comedy]], although there are some welcome moments of comic relief here and there.
** The film is the TropeNamer for [[ItsAWonderfulPlot a person learning what their life would be like if they were never born]]. But the scenario is different from the usual portrayal: the film explores what it would take to drive a decent person to throw their life away: George Bailey had to sacrifice his wants and needs to protect his town from the avarice of [[MorallyBankruptBanker Mr. Potter]], to help his brother, and to provide for his children, [[BeingGoodSucks and has been unable to enjoy the thrills and luxuries he wanted]]. George is driven to despair when his uncle misplaces $8,000 (which Potter steals), and the stress of the legal trouble leads him to take his anger out on his family. Potter nastily tells him he's worth more dead than alive, which eventually drives George to suicide, thinking all his sacrifices have been for nothing. Clarence, the GuardianAngel, shows how George's absence had consequences for everyone: his brother Harry died when George didn't save him (as did everyone on a troop ferry that Harry had saved from a Kamikaze attack), Mary never found love, his boss Mr. Gower ended up accidentally poisoning a kid, Uncle Billy ended up in an asylum, and Potter was able to turn Bedford Falls into a desolate slum without George there to provide people loans. The other characters, not knowing George in this alternate reality, get confused and annoyed by this odd stranger who acts like their best friend, which adds to George's growing despair. The film isn't feelgood pap, but [[ScareEmStraight a warning against throwing your life away]].

* ''Film/{{Targets}}'' is widely viewed as being the movie that ushered in a wave of horror films revolving around [[{{mundanger}} ordinary]] and [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters human]] evils. But it's quite different from many of those that came after it; hero Byron Orlok is an aging actor, while villain Bobby Thompson is a [[TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse normal-looking]], [[AffablyEvil seemingly friendly]] man whose weapon of choice is a gun. The bad guy's also not an unstoppable physical menace either, but a borderline NonActionBigBad: his initial murder spree consists of him shooting at passing cars from on top of an oil storage tank, he's forced to flee to a DriveInTheater when the police start closing in on him, and [[spoiler:he's rendered no threat when Orlok disarms him]].

* "Film/EyeOfTheDevil" predates "Film/TheWickerMan1973" by seven years and later works with similar premises such as "Film/Midsommar" by over fifty years but has little in common with many films that followed. For a start, Phillipe, rather than an unwitting outsider who is preyed upon by sinister cult members to be their human sacrifice and doesn't know until it's too late, is himself a devout member of the faith who is fully aware of what is required from the beginning and goes to his fate without hesitation, even turning down the chance to escape. The focus is more on his wife Catherine who is met with behavior that ranges from unnerving to outright hostile but which is designed to frighten her off and ensure she doesn't stop the ceremony. It's also established clearly that they had no intention of hurting her, with Pere Dominic even [[ATasteOfTheLash reaming out Odile]] for nearly getting her killed and the film ends with her and her children leaving unharmed, albeit with the implication that their son is now being groomed to take over Philippe's role. And unlike most modern horror stories, [[EverybodyLives there is only one death]] and even Phillipe's sacrifice is not a gruesome immolation or extended torture but a simple arrow to the heart which kills him instantly and which he faces calmly.

* "Film/EyeOfTheDevil" predates "Film/TheWickerMan1973" by seven years and later works with similar premises such as "Film/Midsommar" by over fifty years but has little in common with many films that followed. For a start, Phillipe, rather than an unwitting outsider who is preyed upon by sinister cult members to be their human sacrifice, is himself a devout member of the faith who is fully aware of what is required from the beginning and goes to his fate without hesitation, even turning down the chance to escape. The focus is more on his wife Catherine who is met with behavior that ranges from unnerving to outright hostile but which is designed to frighten her off and ensure she doesn't stop the ceremony. It's also established clearly that they had no intention of hurting her, with Pere Dominic even [[ATasteOfTheLash reaming out Odile]] for nearly getting her killed and the film ends with her and her children leaving unharmed, albeit with the implication that their son is now being groomed to take over Philippe's role. And unlike most modern horror stories, [[EverybodyLives there is only one death]] and even that was Philippe who went to his end willingly.

* Many early {{Euroshlock}} films tried to paint themselves as "TrueArt", rather than just shocking for the sake of shocking. Indeed many sub-genres of Euroschlock and American {{Exploitation Film}}s have their origins in Italian "art films", only to be copied by other lesser filmmakers who just didn't care. Ever hear of ''Film/SaloOrThe120DaysOfSodom''? While being one of the most disgusting, shocking, and offensive movies ever made, it's not pointlessly so, but rather a satire on Italian Fascism. Anyone going into ''Film/CannibalHolocaust'' will expect disturbing and {{gorn}}y, but most will overlook its thought-provoking commentary on imperialism and are more interested in the gruesome bloodshed instead.

*** The Crazies may lose their mental stability, but like George Romero's ''other'' [[Film/LivingDeadSeries better-known zombies]], they can utilize firearms and other tools and can strategize against their enemies. In contrast, modern infected zombies tend to be [[TheBerserker mindless berserkers]] that are fast and savage but aren't capable of thinking. That said, the Crazies ''are'' shown running since they are regular humans otherwise, but the movie mainly emphasizes their intelligence rather than their athleticism. Notably, the Crazies are capable of driving cars and using air transportation, which is why the military blocks off the local roads and airports as part of the quarantine.

*** Most zombie pathogens are contact-based diseases to justify why the zombies have to [[DeadlyScratch bite or scratch]] their victims to spread the infection. As deconstructed in ''Film/TwentyEightDaysLater'', it is fairly simple to quarantine contact-based zombie diseases especially when the zombies in question are trapped on an island and lack the intelligence to cross oceans. On the other hand, the Trixie Virus in ''The Crazies'' relies on waterborne and airborne transmission to spread; therefore, none of the Crazies act like the stereotypical biting zombie because they don't need physical contact to infect the healthy. As a result, the Trixie Virus is difficult to contain because it has multiple methods for transmission and doesn't solely rely on its zombies to spread the disease; in fact, the pandemic starts after the plane carrying the virus samples crashed into a small town's water supply.

* ''Film/BlackChristmas1974'' was an early major slasher film and the inspiration for ''Film/Halloween1978, but it has little in common with most of its successors.

** Jess is not the usual innocent FinalGirl and engages in sex and drinking as much as anyone else, and a major plot point is that she wants to abort her pregnancy, making her boyfriend a suspect for Billy as he disapproves of Jess's decision. Jess's friend Clare is a better fit for the final girl stereotype as Clare isn't much of a drinker due to [[DaddysGirl her upbringing under a strict father]], but she ironically ends up as Billy's first victim. [[spoiler:Finally, the film ends on an uncertain note, with Billy still alive and Jess's fate left ambiguous.]]

* ''Film/{{Gaslight}}:
** The film is the TropeNamer and TropeMaker for {{Gaslighting}} and yet what gives it the name--Gregory causing the house's gas lights to flicker--is done unintentionally as it's just an accidental side effect of Gregory trying to find the jewels by turning on the attic lights. In addition, while Gregory did anticipate that Paula would hear his footsteps in the attic, he did not foresee that Paula would see the gas lights dim as he actually doesn't understand how the gas lights work. Both Nancy and Elizabeth don't deny that the gas lights are dimming when Paula notices, and instead they offer Paula plausible if incorrect explanations on why the gas lights would fade at certain times; in fact, Elizabeth's explanation almost reassures Paula of her mental stability. The original play makes this accident more explicit as the Inspector had to inform Gregory's play counterpart in the climax how turning on a set of gas lights will make another set of gas lights dim.

* Franchise/{{Zatoichi}}: Ichi the blind Japanese swordsman is cinema's TropeCodifier for the BlindWeaponmaster, inspiring similarly blind badasses in modern Japanese works like ''Anime/SamuraiChamploo'' or foreign stories like ''Film/JohnWickChapter4''. That said, the very [[Film/TheTaleOfZatoichi first movie]] deconstructs Ichi's character in multiple ways.