History Film / HomeMovie

* AbusiveParents: Dave's are implied to have been.

* TheAlcoholic: Dave.

* AnimalMotifs: Dragons.

* BatterUp: [[spoiler:Jack beats the parents with one.]]

* {{Callback}}:
** Emily pretends to be dead while Clare is dragging her through the forest in the wagon at the beginning, [[spoiler:and in the end Clare is in the exact same position in the wagon as Emily is dragging her back to the house.]]

* CreepyChild: '''AND HOW'''.

** David jokingly [[spoiler: framing his early home videos as an ApocalypticLog]].
** Dave contemplating devoting his Christmas sermon to the decidedly un-Christmas topic of [[spoiler: Cain and Abel. It's only that there's no Abel...]]
** [[spoiler: "Dead things go in trash bags."]]
** [[spoiler: PsychoShowerMurderParody (see below).]]

* FreudianExcuse: Nope. At one point that seemed to be where the film was going, with Clara implying ParentalAbuse on part of David, but it got subverted pretty quickly. There was no abuse, and even more than that, in the end one can't help feeling that the total absence thereof made the kids ''worse'', thus making it a possibly unique case of ''inversion''.

* {{Gasshole}}: Dave is a minor example, making crude jokes as his wife prepares the turkey for dinner.

** The last big reveal and MoodWhiplash come right after.

* HolyBurnsEvil: Jack and Emily repeatedly interrupting Thanksgiving prayers ''might'' be a downplayed example of this trope.

* HostileShowTakeover: A ''very dark'' example.
-->'''Jack:''' "Hi, welcome to ''The Jack and Emily Show!''".

* MoodWhiplash: Almost inevitable, given that all the events depicted occurred on major holidays.

* OffWithHisHead: [[spoiler:It's a surprise that dog lasted as long as it did.]]

* RedHerring: After it was revealed that the children had been bitten, Dave's troubled childhood and his drinking problem hinted to Clare that there might have been some ParentalAbuse involved, and there's also the fact that Dave had playfully bitten Clare early in the movie. [[spoiler: It's pretty quickly established though that the children did it to themselves, possibly aiming at WoundedGazelleGambit.]]

* RoomFullOfCrazy / TortureCellar: [[spoiler: The clubhouse.]]

* ForTheEvulz: The film toyed a little bit with supernatural and psychoanalytical explanations of the kids' behavior, and neither was definitely ruled out. But, all that said, in the end the impression is that the kids' motivation actually boils down to this.

* DropTheHammer: The kids grab one for the big night, but are never actually shown using it.

* DaylightHorror: [[spoiler:When the kids try to kill Christian. It's also just barely dawn as Clare is being chased through the woods.]]

* FreudianExcuse: {{Averted|Trope}}. At one point that seemed to be where the film was going, with Clara implying ParentalAbuse on part of David, but it got subverted pretty quickly. There was no ParentalAbuse, and even more than that, in the end one can't help feeling that the total absence thereof made the kids ''worse''.

* KarmaHoudini: Downplayed. [[spoiler: We don't see Jack and Emily receive any comeuppance for their actions, but Clara and Dave on their last day alive managed to properly alert authorities about the murder attempt by their children, so [[KarmaHoudiniWarranty the punishment might well be just round the corner.]]

* KarmaHoudini: Downplayed. [[spoiler: We don't see Jack and Emily receive any comeuppance for their actions, but Clara and Dave on their last day alive managed to properly alert authorities about the murder attempt by their children, so the punishment might well be just round the corner.]]

* ShesGotLegs: We get to see a feet-to-head shot of Clare's.

* DontGoInTheWoods: Inverted. [[spoiler: If only the parents had gone into that "clubhouse" earlier...]]

* TastesLikeDiabetes: In-universe, the kids' Thanksgiving pilgrim costumes:
-->'''Clare:''' "You guys look so cute, I'm gonna vomit."

* KnifeNut: Emily briefly wields one.

* {{Meganekko}}: Clare, in her work attire.

* AdultFear: Maybe the ultimate one. [[spoiler: Your children turn out to be of complete monster stuff.]]

* FreudianExcuse: At one point that seemed to be where the film was going, with Clara implying ParentalAbuse on part of David, but it got subverted pretty quickly. There was no ParentalAbuse, and even more than that, in the end one can't help feeling that the total absence thereof made the kids ''worse''.

* BrotherSisterIncest: Downplayed in that little points towards an actual incest - but the kids always sleep in the same bed despite having two separate ones.

* {{Manchild}}: Dave. He loves bad jokes and dressing up in costumes for the holidays. and not just the holidays you usually wear costumes for.

* RedHerring: After it was revealed that the children had been bitten, Dave's troubled childhood and his drinking problem hinted to Clare that there might have been some ParentalAbuse involved, and there's also the fact that Dave had playfully bitten Clare early in the movie. [[spoiler: It's pretty quickly established though that the children did it to themselves, possibly aiming at WoundedGazelleGambit.]] There is a couple of references to fire early on in the film... but nothing remotely resembling that is ever forthcoming.

* AdultFear: Maybe the ultimate one. [[spoiler: Your children turn out to be of CompleteMonster stuff.]]