I can't help wondering whether the bit in The Keep, in which an evil of Lovecraftian type pretends to be scared of and controlled by religious symbols from faith A but not faith B in order to induce a crisis of conscience in the character who is its most dangerous opponent, a devout follower of faith B, by "proving" faith A "right", is intentional commentary on this trope.

(Don't read The Keep. It is, other than abovementioned mildly clever bit, a bad book.)