Supernatural-Proof Father: Difference between revisions

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* Genderflipped in ''[[The Shining]]''. Jack and his son are the only two to experience the hotel's evil haunting. Jack is slowly driven insane in part by his inability to tell his wife what's going on, and his son (being psychic) is getting bombarded with oh-so-horrible ghostly memories. His wife is quite firmly grounded in reality, and in fact proves to be more than Jack or the Hotel can readily handle even after he goes batty on her.
* Genderflipped in ''[[The Shining]]''. Jack and his son are the only two to experience the hotel's evil haunting. Jack is slowly driven insane in part by his inability to tell his wife what's going on, and his son (being psychic) is getting bombarded with oh-so-horrible ghostly memories. His wife is quite firmly grounded in reality, and in fact proves to be more than Jack or the Hotel can readily handle even after he goes batty on her.
* In the [[Silent Hill]] movie, the main protagonist's husband believes that their daughter has simply gone insane, and tries as hard as he can to keep his wife from driving her to the titular town. This is a debatable example, because he might just be smart enough to realize that taking someone who yells the name of a place in her nightmares to that very place is a little like looking for a gas leak in a dark room with a match.
* In the [[Silent Hill]] movie, the main protagonist's husband believes that their daughter has simply gone insane, and tries as hard as he can to keep his wife from driving her to the titular town. This is a debatable example, because he might just be smart enough to realize that taking someone who yells the name of a place in her nightmares to that very place is a little like looking for a gas leak in a dark room with a match.
* Averted in ''[[The Monster Squad (Film)|The Monster Squad]]'', where Sean's dad quickly gets the picture after seeing Dracula blow up his partner with a stick of dynamite, and spends the rest of the movie helping his son battle the monsters. Bonus points for also being a ''cop''; you know how [[Police Are Useless|they]] usually fare in this type of movie...
* Averted in ''[[The Monster Squad]]'', where Sean's dad quickly gets the picture after seeing Dracula blow up his partner with a stick of dynamite, and spends the rest of the movie helping his son battle the monsters. Bonus points for also being a ''cop''; you know how [[Police Are Useless|they]] usually fare in this type of movie...
* Several of the ''[[A Nightmare On Elm Street (Film)|A Nightmare On Elm Street]]'' films.
* Several of the ''[[A Nightmare on Elm Street]]'' films.
** It was hinted in ''[[Freddy vs. Jason (Film)|Freddy vs. Jason]]'' (and even before that) that at least some of the parents, as well as certain members of the police department, knew that the new wave of teen deaths weren't a coincidence which, in turn, lead to the dream suppressant drug ''Hypnocil'' and a [[The Trope Without a Title|"Don't Say That Name" policy]].
** It was hinted in ''[[Freddy vs. Jason]]'' (and even before that) that at least some of the parents, as well as certain members of the police department, knew that the new wave of teen deaths weren't a coincidence which, in turn, lead to the dream suppressant drug ''Hypnocil'' and a [[The Trope Without a Title|"Don't Say That Name" policy]].
* The film ''Audrey Rose'' concerns Ivy Templeton, a preteen girl tortured by horrific nightmares of dying in a car crash. When her parents are approached by a man named Elliot Hoover who claims that Ivy is the reincarnation of his dead daughter Audrey Rose (who died in a car crash at the exact moment of Ivy's birth), Ivy's father refuses to believe it. He holds fast to his belief even after the evidence becomes overwhelming enough to have convinced his wife, leading to serious tension between the two.
* The film ''Audrey Rose'' concerns Ivy Templeton, a preteen girl tortured by horrific nightmares of dying in a car crash. When her parents are approached by a man named Elliot Hoover who claims that Ivy is the reincarnation of his dead daughter Audrey Rose (who died in a car crash at the exact moment of Ivy's birth), Ivy's father refuses to believe it. He holds fast to his belief even after the evidence becomes overwhelming enough to have convinced his wife, leading to serious tension between the two.
* Averted in the first ''[[Phantasm (Film)|Phantasm]]'' movie. The protagonist's [[Promotion to Parent|older brother and father figure]] is the second person to figure out the supernatural goings-on at the cemetery, and he also subverts [[Adults Are Useless|Adults are Useless]] by grabbing his shotgun and Colt 1911 and investigating things firsthand. On the DVD commentary, the director talks about about how he hates this trope, and it was his goal to avert it from the beginning.
* Averted in the first ''[[Phantasm (Film)|Phantasm]]'' movie. The protagonist's [[Promotion to Parent|older brother and father figure]] is the second person to figure out the supernatural goings-on at the cemetery, and he also subverts [[Adults Are Useless]] by grabbing his shotgun and Colt 1911 and investigating things firsthand. On the DVD commentary, the director talks about about how he hates this trope, and it was his goal to avert it from the beginning.
* ''[[Insidious]]'' cleverly plays with this trope, and deconstructs it. {{spoiler|The father was made to repress his memory of a ghost that's been haunting him when he was a kid. Also the son basically inherited his dads ability to astral project into the spirit world, or the ''further''}}.
* ''[[Insidious]]'' cleverly plays with this trope, and deconstructs it. {{spoiler|The father was made to repress his memory of a ghost that's been haunting him when he was a kid. Also the son basically inherited his dads ability to astral project into the spirit world, or the ''further''}}.
* While not a father, Micah in ''[[Paranormal Activity]]'' refuses to believe that he and Katie are being haunted by a demon and before he takes it seriously he [[Too Dumb to Live|mocks and taunts it]].
* While not a father, Micah in ''[[Paranormal Activity]]'' refuses to believe that he and Katie are being haunted by a demon and before he takes it seriously he [[Too Dumb to Live|mocks and taunts it]].
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** Inverted in ''Paranormal Activity 3'', where the mother is the one who refuses to believe anything strange is going on despite it affecting her husband and children.
** Inverted in ''Paranormal Activity 3'', where the mother is the one who refuses to believe anything strange is going on despite it affecting her husband and children.
* Played painfully straight by ''[[Don't Be Afraid of the Dark]]''.
* Played painfully straight by ''[[Don't Be Afraid of the Dark]]''.
* Taken to [[Arbitrary Skepticism|idiotic extremes]] in ''[[The Haunting of Molly Hartley (Film)|The Haunting of Molly Hartley]]'', where the eponymous character's father refuses to believe her when she tells him about the Satanic cult that is after her, even though he had made a literal [[Deal With the Devil]] to save her life several years prior.
* Taken to [[Arbitrary Skepticism|idiotic extremes]] in ''[[The Haunting of Molly Hartley]]'', where the eponymous character's father refuses to believe her when she tells him about the Satanic cult that is after her, even though he had made a literal [[Deal with the Devil]] to save her life several years prior.
* In "The Canterville Ghost," people can only see ghosts if they already believe in ghosts. The dad, because he doesn't believe in ghosts, can't see them, and because he can't see them, it reinforces his belief that ghosts aren't real. He blames the ghost's activities to pranks on the part of the children, to the shock of the ghost in question.
* In "The Canterville Ghost," people can only see ghosts if they already believe in ghosts. The dad, because he doesn't believe in ghosts, can't see them, and because he can't see them, it reinforces his belief that ghosts aren't real. He blames the ghost's activities to pranks on the part of the children, to the shock of the ghost in question.


== Literature ==
== Literature ==
* This trope is analyzed in detail in Berkeley professor Carol J. Clover's treatise on gender in horror films ''Men, Women, and Chainsaws''.
* This trope is analyzed in detail in Berkeley professor Carol J. Clover's treatise on gender in horror films ''Men, Women, and Chainsaws''.
* ''[[The Colour Out of Space (Literature)|The Colour Out of Space]]'' by [[HP Lovecraft]], where the father is the last one in the Gardner family who is alive and relatively sane.
* ''[[The Colour Out of Space]]'' by [[H.P. Lovecraft]], where the father is the last one in the Gardner family who is alive and relatively sane.
* In ''[[Peter Pan]]'' Mr. Darling's refusal to believe in the existence of Peter Pan (in spite of his wife's, and even his dog's, efforts to convince him otherwise) indirectly results in the departure of the children to Neverland. Afterwards, he even {{spoiler|sleeps in a kennel}} to atone for this.
* In ''[[Peter Pan]]'' Mr. Darling's refusal to believe in the existence of Peter Pan (in spite of his wife's, and even his dog's, efforts to convince him otherwise) indirectly results in the departure of the children to Neverland. Afterwards, he even {{spoiler|sleeps in a kennel}} to atone for this.
* Some literary scholars claim that the father in ''The Erlking'' by Goethe represents the enlighted attitude of his time and is thus unresponsive to the supernatural phenomena his son (and for that matter all children - and women due to their sensitive nature) are capable of sensing.
* Some literary scholars claim that the father in ''The Erlking'' by Goethe represents the enlighted attitude of his time and is thus unresponsive to the supernatural phenomena his son (and for that matter all children - and women due to their sensitive nature) are capable of sensing.
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== [[Live Action TV]] ==
== [[Live Action TV]] ==
* The Made for tv movie '' The Haunted'' had a father who didn't experience any of the supernatural happenings that the other family members was experiencing, Until he was raped by a female ghost/demon.
* The Made for tv movie '' The Haunted'' had a father who didn't experience any of the supernatural happenings that the other family members was experiencing, Until he was raped by a female ghost/demon.
* Completely averted in ''[[Supernatural (TV)|Supernatural]]'', since the father is the one that finds the mother's body trapped on the ceiling, sees the ceiling light on fire, and then spends the rest of his life seeking out the demon that did it so he can avenge his wife. And he immerses himself in the supernatural and even raises his sons like soldiers to take over "the family business" when they grow up.
* Completely averted in ''[[Supernatural (TV series)|Supernatural]]'', since the father is the one that finds the mother's body trapped on the ceiling, sees the ceiling light on fire, and then spends the rest of his life seeking out the demon that did it so he can avenge his wife. And he immerses himself in the supernatural and even raises his sons like soldiers to take over "the family business" when they grow up.
* In ''[[The Miraculous Mellops]]'', the father and some other adults don't believe in anything outside an ordinary lifestyle. While the father is affected by one supernatural event and the aunt suddenly learns forign languages, they [[Flat Earth Atheist|still doesn't believe it's supernatural]], and thinks the kids are still playing games.
* In ''[[The Miraculous Mellops]]'', the father and some other adults don't believe in anything outside an ordinary lifestyle. While the father is affected by one supernatural event and the aunt suddenly learns forign languages, they [[Flat Earth Atheist|still doesn't believe it's supernatural]], and thinks the kids are still playing games.
* In ''[[Round the Twist]]'', Tony Twist, father of the three kid protagonists, is the last to believe the ghost in the first episode is real. Despite continuing strange goings on in Port Niranda, he's also most prone to [[Arbitrary Scepticism]].
* In ''[[Round the Twist]]'', Tony Twist, father of the three kid protagonists, is the last to believe the ghost in the first episode is real. Despite continuing strange goings on in Port Niranda, he's also most prone to [[Arbitrary Scepticism]].
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