dungeons, underground passages, crypts, catacombs

a passion drivien, willful villain

omens and ancestral curses

Horrifying or terrifying events or the treat of such

Extream landscape, like rugged mountains, thick forest or icy waters, extreme weather.

labyrinths (mazes), dark corridors, winding stairs

shadows, beams of light in the darkness, a flickering candle, the only source of light is failing

A hero whose true identity is revealed by the end

A curious heroine with a tendency to faint and need to be rescued frequently

has a castle, ruined or intact, haunted or not

Magic, supernatural manifestatiions, or suggestion of supernatural

runied buildings which are sinister or sad