Salazar Lines   Noun, e.g., Even the ghost story classic “The Changeling” (1980) unfolded according to the Salazar Lines.

Definition: Stages in the plots of most ghost, demon and vampire movies.

History: Named for Abel Salazar, star of several Mexican ghost and horror films, e.g., “El Ataud del Vampiro,” (1957), “El Espejo de la Bruja” (1960), “La Maldicion de la Llorona" (1961), “The Brainiac” (1961), “The Living Head” (1969), “El Vampiro” (1968), etc.  Salazar became legendary for voicing verbatim the same lines of dialogue in ghost/horror movies that signaled standard plot stages. To wit:

• “Must be the wind.” Characters hear something spooky and explain it away.
• “Must be your imagination.” One character sees the ghost, demon or monster, but when others look, nada.  
• “What can it be?” All our heroes are spooked and consult books, microfilmed newspapers, diaries, letters, local historians, hieroglyphs, priests and/or monks for an explanation.
• “What can we do?” Characters recruit medium, exorcist and/or ghostbuster, or stock up on holy water, crosses, rosaries, silver bullets, stakes, neck braces, etc.
• “Who would believe this?”  Evil is defeated, but leaves our heroes with nothing to show for their experience.  

Adding to the mystic of the Salazar Lines was their lightening delivery. Dubbing the Salazar Lines in English was a race against Abel Salazar’s Espanol lips. The result: Salazar Lines are easy to miss because they go by you like fastballs.