History Film / UnderTheSilverLake

* SuccubiAndIncubi: Owl's Kiss is very reminiscent of those: she [[OutWithABang seduces men, and then kills them in their sleep]].

* SuccubiAndIncubi: Owl's Kiss is very reminiscent of those: she [[DeathBySex seduces men, and then kills them in their sleep]].

* TheNineties: The film portrays Silver Lake as obsessed with vintage culture. Sam appears particularly stuck in the 90s. He's a huge fan of Nirvana, RetroGaming, vinyl records and ''Wheel of Fortune''. He goes to a club on "old music day" and dances to rock hits from the 90s. Even the conspiracy that he investigates hides clues referencing old Hollywood and 90s nostalgia.

* {{Succubus}}: Owl's Kiss is very reminiscent of those: she [[DeathBySex seduces men, and then kills them in their sleep]].

** After Sam wakes up on the couch the day after some kids vandalized his car, his hand is stuck to an Amazing Spider-Man comic book from the table. Creator/AndrewGarfield played Spider-Man in ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan''.

* RuleOfThree: Various sets of three women crop up throughout the film.

* LighterAndSofter: Compared to David Robert Mitchell's previous film ''Film/ItFollows'', although it does have a few scenes (especially those involving Owl's Kiss) that would not be out of place in a horror film.

* AscendedToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: [[spoiler:The cultists believe that death is merely a gateway to another, more enlightened state of existence]].

** Patrick Fischler's character [[spoiler:dies after encountering a monstrous, AmbiguouslyHuman creature]]. As the movie itself has some considerable similarities with ''Film/MulhollandDrive'', it is likely that the choice of an actor [[CastingGag was intentional]].

** Bar Buddy plays ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBrothers'' on Sam's Nintendo Entertainment System. Some ''Nintendo Power'' magazines also show many vintage games.

** The Songwriter. Assuming he really did write all the hit songs of the last three generations as he claims - ''plus'' at least one classical song - and to be both connected and in-demand long enough to have influenced said generations, he'd have to be well over 100. Not to mention having the kind of creative range needed to churn out several unique tunes every year stretches the logic of how much mental capacity a normal person could possess. Adding to this is that when [[spoiler: Sam bashes his head in, his skull is completely hollow]].

* FirstWorldProblems: [[spoiler:The Cult is full of wealthy people who believe that since they have everything and still feel unhappy, that they should ascend to some mystical plane of existence rather than try to make the world a better place]].

* HorribleHollywood: Hand in hand with MysticalHollywood detailed below. Silver Lake is grotesquely gentrified, a Dog Killer is roaming the streets, a seemingly mystical being called [[spoiler:Owl's Kiss]] is killing people off, everyone is either miserable, unsuccessful, or [[spoiler:in an elaborate death cult.]]

->''You/All alone''
->'' You and I/Two of us''
->''Turning...like teeth''
->''Sigh/Oh dear''
->''Siamese/Kitty cat''
->''Forever...linked''
->''From...tusk to tail''
->''In tales of dust...you and I''
-->--'''Jesus and the Brides, "Turning Teeth"'''

--> '''The Songwriter:''' I created so many of the things that you care about. The songs that give your life purpose and joy. When you were fifteen and rebelling, you were rebelling to my music. ''[starts playing "Smells Like Teen Spirit" on the piano]'' Uh-oh! That's one you know. That song was not written on a distorted guitar. Oh, no. I wrote it. Here, on piano, somewhere between a blow job and an omelet. There is no rebellion. There's only me earning a paycheck.
--> '''Sam:''' I don't believe you.
--> '''The Songwriter:''' Well, good! Because the real message was not meant for you. So it's better if you just smile, and you dance, and you enjoy the melody, because this ugly old man, ''me'' -- I am the voice of your generation, your grandparents', your parents', and all the young people that follow you. […] Everything that you hoped for, that you dreamed about being a part of, is a fabrication. Your art, your writing, your culture is the shell of other men's ambitions, ambitions beyond what you will ever understand.

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: The Songwriter delivers a particularly scathing one to Sam, telling him that the supposed counterculture he idolizes so much is just another part of the entertainment industry that exists solely to make money out of young people's dreams and desires.

** Comic Man is an even more extreme example of this trope, having dedicated his entire life to collecting and over-analyzing enormous amounts of pop cultural artifacts and locking himself in his house out of fear that he will be killed by the conspiracy if he ever goes out. [[spoiler: Even with his paranoia, he ends up dead at the hands of the Owl's Kiss.]]

* TheDulcineaEffect: Sam only spent one night with Sarah, but that's enough for him to go on a long, increasingly complicated quest to find her after she goes missing. It's implied that he doesn't actually care that much Sarah herself, and his obsessive focus on rescuing her is merely an attempt to find a purpose in his otherwise aimless life. [[spoiler:When he finally gets into contact with her, she's surprised he was even looking for her in the first place, because they hardly know each other.]]

* ItsAllAboutMe: [[spoiler: Jefferson Sevence abandoned his wife and children, leading them to believe he'd died a grisly death all so he could sleep around with women young enough to be his daughters, none of whom have any agency beyond him. He even allowed his daugther to be killed just to keep his whereabouts hidden. All because he felt entitled to a life better than the one he had, which happened to be a pretty damn sweet life.]]

* FirstWorldProblems: The Cult is full of wealthy people who believe that since they have everything and still feel unhappy, that they should ascend to some mystical plane of existence rather than try to make the world a better place.

* TheDulcineaEffect: Sam only spent one night with Sarah, and that's enough for him to go on a quest to find her. [[spoiler:When he finally gets into contact with her, she's surprised he was even looking for her in the first place, because they hardly know each other.]]

* ActorAllusion: After Sam wakes up on the couch the day after some kids vandalized his car, his hand is stuck to an Amazing Spider-Man comic book from the table. Creator/AndrewGarfield played Spider-Man in ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan''.

%%* AllForNothing: see ShaggyDogStory

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* ADateWithRosiePalms: Sam masturbates in front of a collage of paraphernalia at one point.

* IdentificationByDentalRecords: Invoked. The cult [[spoiler:faked the death of Jefferson Severence]] by leaving most of his teeth, some skin and secondary organs at the crime scene.
* IdiotPlot: Sam would probably have gained answers much quicker if he didn't accost Sarah's roommate in the women's restroom before manhandling her for understandably giving him attitude. The same roommate appears towards the end and seems much less hostile, so her rudeness wasn't likely her natural disposition.

* AmbiguouslyHuman: It is never revealed whether the Owl's Kiss is a real supernatural creature or just a masked SerialKiller with an unusual ''modus operandi''.

** A ''VideoGame/LegendOfZelda'' map has plot significance.

** Finally, there is the Dog Killer story, which is introduced as a part of the conspracy, but never actually resolved. If [[spoiler:Sam is really the Dog Killer, it indicates he's been having mental health problems ever since his breakup.]]