Line #10 Main/HauntedHouseHistorian


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11	[[quoteright:349:[[ComicBook/TheHauntedMansionFrightsOfFancy https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/disney_haunted_house.png]]]]
12	[[caption-width-right:349:Sometimes, the historian is also history.]]
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17	->'''Cinema Snob:''' Since they killed off 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.
18	->'''Abel:''' [Holds up a severed eyeball] I have ''warned'' thee... I... have warned ''thee.''
19	-->-- ''WebVideo/TheCinemaSnob'' review of ''Film/FridayThe13thPartIII 3D''
20
21	The Haunted House Historian is a character who knows the {{backstory}} of a HauntedHouse, IndianBurialGround, EldritchLocation, AbandonedHospital, or 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.
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23	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. Rarely, but not unheard of, are those that are also DeadAllAlong.
24
25	The Haunted House Historian is usually in the difficult position over whether to try and warn the protagonists because one or more of the following applies:
26	* The secret is so incredibly bizarre that [[CassandraTruth they'd be labeled as insane and ignored.]]
27	* They were involved with the secret and want to keep it hidden to avoid jail, the shame involved, or to protect another. It may be MyGreatestFailure, and they are TheAtoner looking to warn away the clueless.
28	* The secret is incredibly dangerous but not lethal unless tampered with, and the historian knows what will [[SealedEvilInACan awaken or release]] the threat. Vehemently telling the cast to avoid X usually backfires because it [[CuriosityIsACrapshoot makes them curious]] and actively seek it out and [[EvilIsNotAToy set it free]]. The double edge to this sword is that ''not'' knowing what will set it off means the main cast will inevitably blunder into it.
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30	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.
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32	----
33	!!Examples:
34
35	[[foldercontrol]]
36
37	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
38	* The Jusenkyo Guide in ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' always attempts to warn travelers not to fall into the Jusenkyo springs, but his warnings are often ignored until after someone has been cursed.
39	[[/folder]]
40
41	[[folder:Film -- Animated]]
42	* ''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.
43	[[/folder]]
44
45	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
46	* Justified in ''Film/FourteenOhEight'', where the hotel manager proves knowledgeable about the troubled past of the titular hotel room.
47	* ''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]].
48	* 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.
49	-->'''Jack''': I'll take this one, Burling.
50	* In ''Film/DarkHeritage'', Jack has done a lot of research into the Dansen clan and the Dansen mansion. However, he seems to only bring out this information when it is too late to do any good, or in circumstances when it cannot help at all.
51	* 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.
52	* ''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.
53	* Mr. Harris in the 2010 ''Film/DontBeAfraidOfTheDark''.
54	* ''Film/Ghostbusters2016'' has Patty Tolan share gruesome anecdotes about several of the places the team investigates.
55	* In ''Film/TheHaunting1963'', Mrs. Dudley actively plays this to scare the people staying in the mansion into being careful. Nell parodies the creepy speech she'd heard earlier back at her when she repeats it to Theo.
56	-->'''Mrs. Dudley:''' I set dinner on the dining room sideboard at six. Breakfast is ready at nine. I don't stay after dinner. Not after it begins to get dark. We live in town, nine miles, so there won't be anyone around if you need help...
57	-->'''Nell:''' We couldn't even hear you.
58	-->'''Mrs. Dudley:''' No one could. No one lives any nearer than town...
59	-->'''Nell:''' No one will come any nearer than that.
60	-->'''Mrs. Dudley:''' In the night...
61	-->'''Nell:''' In the dark.
62	** Dr. Markway also serves a bit of this role, having made extensive research into Hill House's history, most of which he lays out in the opening narration.
63	* 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.
64	* 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.
65	-->They've all been sort of wild.
66	* Ben Fischer (Roddy [=McDowell=]) in ''Film/TheLegendOfHellHouse'', as sole survivor of a previous investigative team, provides the backstory of the Belasco House, called the "Mount Everest of haunted houses." He relates the evil debauchery that started it all, as well as the dire fates of his colleagues on the earlier mission. Fischer advised the others on the team to do nothing to provoke the forces in the house and wait for the week to pass so they can live and collect their fees. As the casualties mount, Fischer is persuaded/forced by circumstances to take action.
67	* In ''Film/LizzieBordensRevenge'', Cindy is obsessed with the story of Lizzie Borden and keeps trotting out details about Lizzie and the murders.
68	* ''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.
69	* ''Film/Siren2010'': The primary function of the man who rents the main characters the yacht is to explain the legend of the siren.
70	* ''Film/TheWatcherInTheWoods'' has Mrs. Aylwood.
71	* ''Film/{{Wendigo}}'': The mysterious Native American who appears behind the counter of the drugstore and gives Miles the {{wendigo}} figurine and tells him the legend of the {{wendigo}}. [[MindScrew Assuming that he actually exists.]]
72	* ''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.]]
73	* An old man in ''Film/TheWorldsEnd'' provides {{Infodump}}s that help to unravel the [[TownWithADarkSecret town's dark secret]].
74	[[/folder]]
75
76	[[folder:Literature]]
77	* ''Literature/DeadSilence'' has Nysus, noteworthy for being a geek who researched all about the GhostShip Aurora from the future version of the internet, "The Forum", rather than live on or near the titular ship.
78	* In the ''Literature/{{Goosebumps}}'' book ''Literature/TheHeadlessGhost'', 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.]]
79	* 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.
80	* ''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. He initially presents it as spooky but ultimately harmless, he actually knows ''exactly'' how bad things can get when folks go messing around there.
81	* Creator/HPLovecraft's ''Literature/TheShadowOverInnsmouth'' has old Zadok Allen, a [[TheAlcoholic drunken tramp]] who nonetheless becomes an invaluable source of information on the history of [[TownWithADarkSecret Innsmouth]] and the strange forces that now shape it.
82	[[/folder]]
83
84	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
85	* ''Series/AmericanHorrorStoryMurderHouse'' has various characters who know about the house's history, but only one (Tate Langdon) who out and out warns the house is haunted. Of course, he falls squarely into CassandraTruth.
86	** There is also the driving tour that goes by the house, but all they know is that it is the "Murder House" (which still puts them leagues ahead of the poor saps who buy the house).
87	* ''Series/Goosebumps1995'': In the episode "[[Recap/Goosebumps1995S2E5TheHeadlessGhost 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]].
88	* In ''Series/MonsterWarriors'', UnabashedBMovieFan Kreeger runs a video store devoted to obscure B-grade science fiction and horror films. In particular, he is a huge fan of 1950s director Klaus Von Steinhauer and is a walking encyclopedia regarding Klaus and his oeuvre. This makes him the perfect person to advise the Monster Warriors when Klaus starts creating real monsters based on his old films and unleashing them upon Capital City.
89	* In the Creator/StephenKing mini-series ''Series/RoseRed'', Joyce Reardon is the researcher type of historian for the eponymous haunted house with assistance from Steve Rimbauer, a descendent of some of the haunting parties. Joyce is not particularly concerned about the safety of the group.
90	[[/folder]]
91
92	[[folder:Music]]
93	* In the ''Music/DreamTheater'' concept album Metropolis Part 2: Scenes from a Memory. It comes from the song "Fatal Tragedy," where the protagonist Nicholas visits the house he sees in his dream. He meets an "older man," who tells him about the murder of a young woman in the house years before.
94	[[/folder]]
95
96	[[folder:Video Games]]
97	* In ''VideoGame/LuigisMansion'', [[PunnyName Professor E. Gadd]] was introduced as an old man who knew a lot about the mansion...
98	** Played with; he knows a lot about the ''ghosts'', but [[TheLittleShopThatWasntThereYesterday the mansion appeared out of nowhere the day before]].
99	* Yamamura in ''VideoGame/SweetHome1989'', both game and [[Film/SweetHome1989 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.
100	* In ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft,'' [[TheStoryteller Lorewalker Cho]] fills this role in Mogu'shan Vaults. [[AdventureArchaeologist Brann Bronzebeard]] does an equivalent job in various Titan ruins, though Brann is less about previous knowledge and more about shockingly accurate intuitive leaps.
101	[[/folder]]
102
103	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
104	* Kumasawa, the senior maid in ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'', knows the history and legends of the island dating back before it was called Rokkenjima. Because she's a known prankster and likes to embellish stories for extra creepiness, no one takes her warnings seriously.
105	[[/folder]]
106
107	[[folder:Western Animation]]
108	* 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.
109	* Mr. Burns serves this purpose in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' "Treehouse of Horror V":
110	-->'''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 Music/JohnDenver Christmas specials.
111	-->'''Homer:''' (Shudders) [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Ugh, John Denver!]]
112	* 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''.
113	[[/folder]]

Context Main / HauntedHouseHistorian