Some things are not always as they seem. The same could be said about people or other things that breath, or things that are no longer alive. While it may be a surprise when someone discovers the truth, it's just as shocking to those that no one else is able to see.
You Can See Me? - A basic reaction by a character who is invisible or caught in some kind of magical disguise when another character is able to perceive them.
This trope is a staple among ghost stories, altered sometimes by the ghosts knowing that certain people can see them, making them ghost magnets. Ghost Town (above) and The Sixth Sense are prime examples.
"Yeah. Dead people. You heard me!"
If a character doesn't know they're a ghost, that makes things awkward for tenants who rent their apartment.
"I like your hair ..." "I like your ectoplasm ..."
In the novel (and film) The Last Unicorn, after the creature transformers into a woman, the twisted King Haggard is able to discern what she really is.
(Someone make a live-action film, please?)
How about the spooky ringwraiths? They see invisible Frodo. Frodo, in turn, sees them as something else!
"Take the ring first, then stab him!"
It's pretty much inevitable for a character to say this when their identity is compromised. Though you have to admit, the question is a little silly. If someone asked you that, you'd more likely say, "I think you should see a psychiatrist." This makes the trope more or less a comical rather than a dramatic element in a scene.
And yes - I admit to having used this one.
Ever used this trope before? What examples did I miss? Ever see something that no one else could?
I'm David, and there's a SPIDER on your SHOULDER!