A list of tropes found within the GothicHorror genre. While you don't need all of them to write a gothic horror novel, the more you have the better. {{Horror}} has some things that are universal to all genres of horror, but not everything on that page is used in gothic horror.

Other genres that might employ heavy use of these tropes:

+ CosmicHorrorStory
+ DarkFantasy
+ FairyTale
+ GaslampFantasy
+ GhostFiction
+ MysteryFiction - depends on the subgenre
+ PunkPunk
++ GothicPunk
++ MythPunk
++ {{Steampunk}}
+ [[RomanceNovel Romance]] - depends on the subgenre
+ SouthernGothic
+ SuburbanGothic
+ SupernaturalFiction
+ UrbanFantasy
+ VampireFiction
+ WeirdWest
+ WerewolfWorks

Note: [[OurZombiesAreDifferent Zombies]] didn't start appearing until the 1920s, but many older creatures were absorbed into the zombie mythos. So use caution when adding zombie examples. (Technically speaking, vampires are a kind of undead, so they can easily be swapped.)
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[[folder: Public Domain Characters ]]

* ArchangelGabriel
* Literature/{{Carmilla}}
* {{Dracula}}
* DrFrankenstein
* Myth/{{Faust}}
* FrankensteinsMonster
* TheGrimReaper
* HeadlessHorseman
* UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper
* {{Mummy}}
* {{Satan}}
* Theatre/{{Sweeney Todd}}
* WanderingJew
* WolfMan

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Characterization Tropes/Stock Characters ]]

* AloofDarkHairedGirl
* BrotherSisterIncest
* ByronicHero
* CorruptChurch
* CreepyHousekeeper
* CrustyCaretaker
* DamselInDistress
* DeathGlare
* {{Dhampyr}}
* DirtyOldMonk
* {{Doppelganger}}
* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette
* EvilJesuit
* EvilMentor
* TheEvilPrince
* EvilTwin
* EvilSorcerer
* FemmeFatale
* FriendToAllLivingThings
* GrandeDame
* GreedyJew
* TheGrotesque
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold
* HerrDoktor
* TheHighwayman
* HunterOfMonsters
** DemonSlaying
** VampireHunter
** TheWitchHunter
* TheIgor
* ImpoverishedPatrician
* IncorruptiblePurePureness
* TheIngenue
* JackTheRipoff
* JekyllAndHyde
* LadyInRed
* LesbianVampire
* LightFeminineAndDarkFeminine
* LooksLikeCesare
* LooksLikeOrlok
* LouisCypher
* {{Lunacy}}
* MadScientist
* MadwomanInTheAttic
* NaiveNewcomer
* NunTooHoly
* OccultDetective
* TheOphelia
* {{Pirate}}
* PedophilePriest
* Really700YearsOld
* RagsToRiches
* ReligionOfEvil
* SerialKiller
* {{Servile Snarker}}
* {{Sexy Priest}}s and {{Naughty Nun}}s
* SinisterMinister
* SleepParalysisCreature
* TheSociopath
* SouthernGothicSatan
* StalkerWithACrush
* StringyHairedGhostGirl
* TheSvengali
* ThatManIsDead
* TheatrePhantom
* TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse
* UndeathlyPallor
* TheVamp
* VirginInAWhiteDress
* WickedWitch
* WightInAWeddingDress
* WomanScorned

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Cultural Tropes ]]

* UsefulNotes/{{Alchemy}}
* AllWomenArePrudes[=/=]AllWomenAreLustful
* ArrangedMarriage
* BrainFever
* DeathByChildbirth
* GorgeousPeriodDress
* HighClassGlass
* HystericalWoman
* OfCorsetsSexy
* ParasolOfPrettiness
* ParentalMarriageVeto
* ProperLady
* PsychologicalHorror
* ReligiousHorror
* {{Romanticism}}
* RomanticismVersusEnlightenment
* RoyaltyAndNobilityTropes
* VictorianNovelDisease

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Fictional/Legendary Species ]]

* [[OurAngelsAreDifferent Angels]]
* [[OurBansheesAreLouder Banshees]]
* [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Demons]]
* [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Dragons]]
* {{Eldritch Abomination}}s
* TheFairFolk
* [[OurGargoylesRock Gargoyles]]
* [[OurGhostsAreDifferent Ghosts]]
* [[OurGhoulsAreCreepier Ghouls]]
* [[OurGodsAreDifferent Gods]]
* {{Hellhound}}s
* [[OurHomunculiAreDifferent Homunculi]]
* {{Necromancer}}s
* [[RevenantZombie Revenants]]
* [[DemBones Skeletons]]
* SuccubiAndIncubi
* TheUndead
* [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Vampires]]
* [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent Werewolves]]
* [[WillOTheWisp Will-o'-the-Wisps ]]
* [[OurWitchesAreDifferent Witches]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Geography ]]

* CampbellCountry
* GrimUpNorth
* LovecraftCountry
%%* MacabreMediterranean - Stealth Launched Trope; insufficient hats; remove once properly relaunched.
* {{Ruritania}}
* SceneryPorn: You can bet good money that a Gothic novel will describe the setting in painstaking detail.
* {{Uberwald}}

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Magic ]]

* AlchemyIsMagic
* FauxFlame
* HermeticMagic
* MagicalIncantation
* PsychicPowers

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Settings ]]

* AfterlifeExpress
* AlwaysNight
* AncientTomb
* BedlamHouse
* BigFancyCastle
* BigFancyHouse
* BoardingSchoolOfHorrors
* CreepyCathedral
* CreepyCave
* CreepyCemetery
* CriminalConvention
* DancesAndBalls
* DontGoInTheWoods
* EldritchLocation
* EvilTowerOfOminousness
* ExtranormalInstitute
* GhostShip
* GrayRainOfDepression
* HauntedCastle
* HauntedHouse
* HealingSpring
* ItWasADarkAndStormyNight
* TheLostWoods
* MadScientistLaboratory
* OldDarkHouse
* OrphanageOfFear
* TownWithADarkSecret
* YouAllMeetInAnInn

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Plot Elements ]]

* AllGirlsWantBadBoys
* AnachronicOrder
* BasedOnADream
* {{Bizarrchitecture}}
* BloodBath
* BookCasePassage (and variants)
* BurnTheWitch
* ChessWithDeath
* CreepyCrows
* TheDarkArts
* DarkSecret
* DealWithTheDevil
* DemonicPossession
* DramaticThunder
* EmpathicEnvironment
* FaintInShock
* {{Flashback}}s
* FreakLabAccident
* {{Gaslighting}}
* GhostStory
* GhostlyChill
* HauntedFetter
* HauntingTheGuilty
* HeelRealization
* HollywoodExorcism
* HowWeGotHere
* IHaveYouNowMyPretty
* IfICantHaveYou
* InbredAndEvil
* IncestIsRelative
* IncurableCoughOfDeath
* InMediasRes
* IShouldWriteABookAboutThis
* LetThePastBurn
* LetsSplitUpGang
* LoveAtFirstSight
* LukeIAmYourFather
* MalevolentArchitecture
* MelancholyMoon
* MundaneGhostStory
* NotQuiteDead
* OminousFog
* PendulumOfDeath
* PortraitPaintingPeephole
* QuietingTheUnquietDead
* RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil
* RealAfterAll
* RedSkyTakeWarning
* SanitySlippage
* ScarpiaUltimatum
* ScrapbookStory
* SecretRoom
* SecretUndergroundPassage
* SpookySeance
* SupernaturalAid
* SurpriseIncest
* AStormIsComing
* StrappedToAnOperatingTable
* TorchesAndPitchforks
* TheTragicRose
* VillainousCrush
* VillainousIncest
* WeirdMoon

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Soundtrack/Music ]]

* ForDoomTheBellTolls
* LonelyPianoPiece
* OminousLatinChanting
* OminousPipeOrgan
* PsychoStrings
* ScareChord

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Themes ]]

* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor
* DeathAndTheMaiden
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane
* ThePowerOfLove
* ScienceIsBad
* SexIsEvil
* SinsOfOurFathers - a lot of the time, the characters suffer because of something that their ancestors did long ago
* TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Time Period ]]

* TheCavalierYears - the first gothic horror story came out towards the end of this era
* TheEdwardianEra - the genre was on its death bed by then, but there were still authors willing to write in it
* UsefulNotes/TheEnlightenment
* TheGayNineties
* GenteelInterbellumSetting - primarily for later, more [[ScoobyDooHoax rationalist]] takes on the genre, but also because this was the last era when BigFancyHouse settings were still commonly lived in in popular media. At least in developed countries, it's also the last era when electric lighting was still generally unreliable, not too widespread, and prone enough to flickering out.
* TheMiddleAges - used to be a popular setting for gothic fiction authors, but nowadays is associated with [[StandardFantasySetting "Tolkienesque"]] [[MedievalEuropeanFantasy elements]].
* RegencyEngland
* UsefulNotes/TheRenaissance
* UsefulNotes/TheSpanishInquisition
* UsefulNotes/VictorianBritain
* VictorianLondon

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