Body Horror

Basic Information

Body horror is a horror trope. It happens when a character is slowly turned into something different, or when another entity invades his body and turns it against him.

Body horror is distinguished from standard shape-shifting in that it typically happens gradually, is almost always unwanted (at least before the victim goes mad) or unexpected, and the victim is shown from a sympathetic point of view. An enemy werewolf is just another monster, but an old friend who's undergoing the change in stages is Body Horror.

See Also

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News: Tree man 'who grew roots' may be cured
Trope: Orifice Invasion
Trope: Nightmare Fuel
Trope: Painful Transformation

Sources

TV Tropes Wiki entry

Game and Story Use

• This can be an extremely frightening experience for a player character. Just make sure that the characters still have something to do until the conversion/takeover is complete. If the body horror effect chosen is so unpredictable and dangerous that the victim has to stay in a locked cell, then the victim can no longer participate in an adventure - which is bad for gaming.