The 'evil child' trope is quite prominent. Characters like Tate in the first season exhibit disturbing and malevolent behavior that defies their innocent appearance. It's a classic horror trope that American Horror Story uses effectively.
In 'Tv Tropes Christmas Horror Story', a frequent trope is the subversion of Christmas traditions. For example, instead of presents bringing joy, they might bring death or some kind of curse. The setting of a snow - covered, idyllic Christmas town being a facade for a place full of horror is another. Characters might initially be excited for the Christmas season, but then things quickly turn dark. This plays on the audience's expectations of the Christmas season being a happy time, and then shatters those expectations with horror elements.
The show also makes use of the 'body horror' trope. There are many scenes that involve grotesque physical transformations or mutilations, like the various monsters and creatures that appear throughout the different seasons. It's a way to shock the audience and create a sense of unease.
In a particular fridge horror story, a woman stored some leftover soup in the fridge. A few days later, when she took it out, there were black moldy patches all over the surface of the soup. It looked like some sort of alien growth. She realized that the fridge's temperature had somehow malfunctioned without her noticing and had caused this horror in her food.
It's a horror story set during Christmas. It likely plays with common TV tropes in a spooky, Christmas - themed context. Maybe it has elements like a haunted Christmas setting, or evil versions of Christmas characters.
Typically, they have a strong sense of atmosphere. For example, they use dark and gloomy visuals, along with eerie music and sound effects to create a spooky mood.
One fridge horror story could be finding a half - eaten sandwich in the fridge that you don't remember making or leaving there. It gives a creepy feeling as if someone else has been in your kitchen without your knowledge.
The scariest one I heard was about a family that kept finding small, bloody handprints on the inside of their fridge. They thought it was a prank at first, but when they checked the security cameras, there was no sign of anyone entering the kitchen at the times the prints appeared.
Through setting. A common trope is the use of isolated locations like old mansions or haunted forests. For example, in many horror visual novels, the moment the characters enter an old, decrepit building, it immediately sets a spooky mood.
The 'Haunted House' trope is frequently seen. It sets the stage for many horror visual novels. The old, dilapidated building with a dark history provides a perfect backdrop for scares. There's also the 'Cursed Object' trope. This could be a piece of jewelry or an old book that brings misfortune and horror to those who come into contact with it.