History Main / RaincoatOfHorror

[[quoteright:346:[[Film/It2017 https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/it_georgie_raincoat.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:346:...Yep, definitely a horror work!]]

* ''Film/DontLookNow'': The protagonist keeps catching glimpses of a figure in a red raincoat that might be the ghost of his daughter (who was wearing a red raincoat when she died).

* ''LightNovel/{{Bakemonogatari}}'': [[LovableSexManiac Suruga Kanbaru's]] aberration, [[spoiler: the Rainy Devil]], is often depicted as a monkey wearing a raincoat. [[spoiler: Kanbaru dons one herself when she's possessed by it.]]

Raincoats are getting to be common item in the horror genre, to the point where you can almost expect a work to be a horror, or horror elements to suddenly enter a work, by the sight of a significant character wearing a raincoat.

* ''Film/FridayThe13th1980'': Significant parts of this film take place when ItWasADarkAndStormyNight, and the counselors wear raincoats accordingly.

* ''Film/KillerDreamHome'': The psychotic Morgan Dyer wears a blood red raincoat when breaking, entering and killing. Until the final confrontation when she decides it's no longer necessary and switches to [[EvilWearsBlack an all-black outfit]].

* ''LightNovel/{{Bakemonogatari}}'': [[LovableSexManiac Suruga Kanbaru's]] abberation, [[spoiler: the Rainy Devil]], is often depicted as a monkey wearing a raincoat. [[spoiler: Kanbaru dons one herself when she's possessed by it.]]

* ''VideoGame/GoosebumpsHorrorTown'': Thalia [[spoiler: who is actually a disguised monster]] wears a bright yellow raincoat and rainboots. She wears them to keep her makeup intact.

* ''VideoGame/{{Terraria}}'': There is a cosmetic raincoat-outfit available in the game, but the only way to obtain it is by killing zombies (classic horror monsters) who are wearing raincoats.

[[folder:Fanworks]]
* ''Fanfic/UndergroundLab'': [[OriginalCharacter Liberty]] and [[WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse Lucy]] wear raincoats due to rainy setting of their universe's Royal Woods. they keep wearing these during the investigation of the AbandonedLaboratory in the sewers of Royal Woods, where they face hostile robots and Liberty is slowly losing her mind to the [[ArtifactOfDoom Umbra Gem]].
[[/folder]]

Perhaps it's because raincoats are often (though not always) colorful and provide a SplashOfColor against the dark backgrounds common to horror, thus allowing the directors to emphasize the characters who wear them...or the [[BloodSplatteredInnocents blood on said characters]]. Perhaps it's because raincoats, particularly yellow ones, tend to be associated with children, making them perfect for a CreepyChild, or any other use of SubvertedInnocence. Perhaps it's because raincoats cover a lot of a person's body, so similar to the concealment of InTheHood, the raincoat adds a layer of mystery: there could be scales, slime, or tentacles beneath, and we'd never know until TheCoatsAreOff. Perhaps it's because yellow raincoats are also commonly associated with [[FatherNeptune grizzled old mariners or fishermen]] with horrifying tall tales. Or perhaps it's simply because a raincoat is what a character would be likely to wear when ItWasADarkAndStormyNight, which is a common ambiance for horror works.

* "Something in the Rain" by Seanan [=McGuire=] (published in the anthology ''Defying Doomsday'') is set in a world where the rain is full of deadly flesh-eating microorganisms, so the protagonist has to layer herself in two raincoats, rain boots, plastic wrap, and gloves to ensure she's absolutely waterproof before going outside. She even lampshades that she looks like "something out of a low-budget horror movie".

Perhaps it's because raincoats are often (though not always) colorful and provide a SplashOfColor against the dark backgrounds common to horror, thus allowing the directors to emphasize the characters who wear them...or the [[BloodSplatteredInnocents blood on said characters]]. Perhaps it's because raincoats, particularly yellow ones, tend to be associated with children, making them perfect for a CreepyChild, or any other use of SubvertedInnocence. Perhaps it's because raincoats cover a lot of a person's body, so similar to the concealment of InTheHood, the raincoat adds a layer of mystery: there could be scales, slime, or tentacles beneath, and we'd never know until TheCoatsAreOff. Or perhaps it's simply because a raincoat is what a character would be likely to wear when ItWasADarkAndStormyNight, which is a common ambiance for horror works. For this reason, yellow raincoats are also commonly associated with [[FatherNeptune grizzled old mariners or fishermen]] with horrifying tall tales.

* ''Film/AliceSweetAlice'': The titular character wears one identical to the killer who she's suspected of being.

* ''LightNovel/{{Bakemonogatari}}'': [[LovableSexManiac Suruga Kanbaru's]] abberation, [[spoiler: the Rainy Devil]], is often depicted as a monkey wearing a raincoat. [[spoiler: Kanbaru dons one herself when she's possessed by it.]]

* Jonas, the ''de facto'' protagonist of the German Netflix series ''Series/{{Dark|2017}}'', wears a conspicuous yellow raincoat (which even gets featured prominently on the promo poster).

Perhaps it's because raincoats are often (though not always) colorful and provide a SplashOfColor against the dark backgrounds common to horror, thus allowing the directors to emphasize the characters who wear them...or the [[BloodSplatteredInnocents blood on said characters]]. Perhaps it's because raincoats, particularly yellow ones, tend to be associated with children, making them perfect for a CreepyChild, or any other use of SubvertedInnocence. Perhaps it's because raincoats cover a lot of a person's body, so similar to the concealment of InTheHood, the raincoat adds a layer of mystery: there could be scales, slime, or tentacles beneath, and we'd never know until TheCoatsAreOff. Or perhaps it's simply because a raincoat is what a character would be likely to wear when ItWasADarkAndStormyNight, which is a common ambiance for horror works. For this reason, yellow raincoats are also commonly associated with [[FatherNeptune grizzled old mariners or fishermen]] with horrifying tales.