Why So Many Horror Movies Rely On The Deus Ex Machina Trope – Screen Rant

Deus ex machina, a classic plot device that originated in Ancient Greek theater, is the perfect trope for horror movieshere's why.

Deus ex machina is a common plot deviceor trope that is commonly utilized in movies, and especially in the horror movie space. The trope occurs when an unexpected power or event abruptly saves an otherwise hopeless situation. Deus ex machina isn't merely a plot twist or a convenience, because the power or event that comes to the rescue is always something sudden that was hitherto unknown. The most popular examples of deus ex machina in general cinema include a bucket of water killing the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz and R2-D2 using never-before-mentioned rocket boosters to save Padm in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. Anotherfamous deus ex machina moment in modern film is the T-Rex suddenly showing up to fight off the raptors at the end of Jurassic Park.

The origin of the expression "deus ex machina", which is Latin and literally translates to "god of the machine", is rooted in Ancient Greek history. In Greek theater, actors who were portraying gods were brought onstage using a machineeither a crane that lowered them from above or a riser that brought them up through a hidden door in the floor. The gods' appearances would always resolve the conflict of the play. The most popular Greek play that employed deus ex machina is Euripides' Medea.

Related:How The Darkness Highlights Horror's Most Problematic Trope

While thefunction of deus ex machina is to solve an otherwise unsolvable problem,it can also be employed for other reasonslike to surprise an audiences, to bring a story to a happy conclusion, or to act as a comedic device. In movies including Shaun of the Dead, Monty Python's Life of Brian, and Adaptation,deus ex machina is used ironically and comicallythe movies are self-aware about using the trope. For numerous reasons, the deux ex machina trope works very well in horror movies, often because they create hopeless situations that require intervention.

The trope is, indeed, perfect for horror movies. When a character is in a terrifying, seemingly hopeless circumstance, it's common for something unlikely to suddenly happen, saving their lives. Deus ex machina is particularly evident in the 2005 sci-fi thriller,The War of the Worlds; after alien invaders destroy nearly all of humanity, they are suddenly killed by bacteria.

The trope is also apparent across theANightmare on Elm Street franchise, especially in the 1988 fourth installment, The Dream Master. When the protagonist Kristen dies, her powers suddenly and inexplicably pass on to Alice, even though it had been stated throughout the movie that peoples' dreams and powers are their own personal domains. Deus ex machina is also evident in more modern thrillers; in The Shallowsa 2016 shark movieNancy conveniently finds a flare gun sitting on a buoy, and uses it to escape her otherwise fatal situation. In the 2018 post-apocalyptic horror movie,A Quiet Place, the Abbott family discovers the hearing aid trick just as all hope seems to be lost.

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Why So Many Horror Movies Rely On The Deus Ex Machina Trope - Screen Rant