The Alien: Covenant thread got me to wondering, has there ever been a horror movie where the characters aren't complete dumbasses? What I mean is, are there any horror movies where people don't make typical mistakes like splitting up in haunted houses, poking space eggs or going into buildings with dead bodies littering around? I'd wonder if a horror movie could work with smart characters.
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Horror Movie Dumbasses?
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Last: 6 yr ago by VanZandt92
"Get out"
Zombieland and Shaun of the Dead "acting dead" scene
Cabin in the woods has one character that tries to be the logical one if I remember correctly
it takes too much effort for the writer to be creative in those cases.
the vast majority of horror is just convenience.
the characters are conveniently out of cell range. conveniently out of phone charge.
etc.
and the biggest kicker. it is usually one bad guy vs multiple victims.
and somehow this one guy is able to overcome the larger herd in spite of his split attention.
the vast majority of horror is just convenience.
the characters are conveniently out of cell range. conveniently out of phone charge.
etc.
and the biggest kicker. it is usually one bad guy vs multiple victims.
and somehow this one guy is able to overcome the larger herd in spite of his split attention.
"the shining" is also pretty good, imo.
Probably my favorite horror movie from the last decade, such a solid film.derekjohnson15 said:
Cabin in the woods has one character that tries to be the logical one if I remember correctly
I would contend that the characters in the first "Scream" are actually fairly intelligent for teenagers.
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Actually for Bill Murray, it wasn't so smart.spanky said:
Zombieland and Shaun of the Dead "acting dead" scene
Well, he did make it longer than others
There was a commercial that aired in recent years - I know, not a movie - where there were a bunch of doofuses doing stupid horror movie things, wanting to hide from a killer, and one actually has a great idea - get in the idling car that is nearby to get away, but then they all revert to form by hiding out in a shed full of blades and cutting tools, all while the killer watches with a dumbfounded WTF look on his face. Probably an Alflac commercial.
The movies mirror reality. The typical dumbass walking down the street is no smarter than a horror movie character.
You could post a flashing sign saying "Do not poke this alien's egg or you will DIE," and it wouldn't take 20 seconds for someone to come along....
You could post a flashing sign saying "Do not poke this alien's egg or you will DIE," and it wouldn't take 20 seconds for someone to come along....
"head for the cemetery!"
Hostel.
You check in, they set you up in a room full of hotties. everyone gets laid. on the 2nd night, they take you out clubbing and drug you and sell you on the black market.
except, the main character goes to take a piss and ends up locked out in the alley, saving his life.
He goes back to the hostel the next morning, and his buddies are gone, BUT there's a new group of hotties. Instead gaming the system and getting a free night of poon (knowing that they don't abduct you until the 2nd night), he goes off looking for his friends and gets tortured. yes, he finally escapes, but his friends are all dead and he only got laid once.
You check in, they set you up in a room full of hotties. everyone gets laid. on the 2nd night, they take you out clubbing and drug you and sell you on the black market.
except, the main character goes to take a piss and ends up locked out in the alley, saving his life.
He goes back to the hostel the next morning, and his buddies are gone, BUT there's a new group of hotties. Instead gaming the system and getting a free night of poon (knowing that they don't abduct you until the 2nd night), he goes off looking for his friends and gets tortured. yes, he finally escapes, but his friends are all dead and he only got laid once.
I guess you could say the girl in the M.Night film: Split.
She was thinking logically and told the other girls what would and wouldnt work.
She was thinking logically and told the other girls what would and wouldnt work.
Silence of the Lambs. I like how she made the best of a bad situation and took his dog hostage.
How about the best sci-fi/horror film of recent times: Sunshine.
Aliens was pretty good. Even when the new LT collected mags from everyone they did what any of us would've done...pulled out hidden spare ammo and went out shooting.
aTmAg said:
Silence of the Lambs. I like how she made the best of a bad situation and took his dog hostage.
Good one.
On the dumbass side in the Walking Dead how many times did people go off by themselves and without telling anyone? Got a little tired of that story line.
I absolutely hated Carl in the first two seasons cause of this. I wanted him to get eaten so bad.coupland boy said:aTmAg said:
Silence of the Lambs. I like how she made the best of a bad situation and took his dog hostage.
Good one.
On the dumbass side in the Walking Dead how many times did people go off by themselves and without telling anyone? Got a little tired of that story line.
schmendeler said:
"the shining" is also pretty good, imo.
The wife/mom definitely takes the cake as a stupid person.
To me she's irritating, but I'm not sure what else she could have done.
Eddie Murphy routine from the 80s.
(NSFW language)
(NSFW language)
Cabin in the Woods wasn't real horror... it was making fun of all those "stupid decision" horror movies.
Zombieland and Shaun of the dead were not horror movies... they were comedies.
Zombieland and Shaun of the dead were not horror movies... they were comedies.
Cabin In the Woods was more explaining the stupid decisions -- the horror movie characters are being "guided" into the bad decisions.
As for the alien egg... To be fair that we didn't really learn not to mess with the alien egg until the original Alien... and Covenant is a prequel to that -- they haven't learned that mistake yet
Someone mentioned "Get Out"... but the guy sees proof that his girlfriend has been with a lot of different people who have turned up gone and yet he goes downstairs with her before securing the car keys?
I'd say there are plenty of horror movies where the characters are fairly smart -- but if characters don't end up in bad situations then it's not much of an entertaining movie. I can't really think of any boneheaded moves in Night of the Living Dead... In 'The Thing' they for the most part make good decisions all things considered. 'Halloween' and 'Halloween 2' no one really knew anything was going on until it hit a boiling point.
Plenty of other examples.
As for the alien egg... To be fair that we didn't really learn not to mess with the alien egg until the original Alien... and Covenant is a prequel to that -- they haven't learned that mistake yet
Someone mentioned "Get Out"... but the guy sees proof that his girlfriend has been with a lot of different people who have turned up gone and yet he goes downstairs with her before securing the car keys?
I'd say there are plenty of horror movies where the characters are fairly smart -- but if characters don't end up in bad situations then it's not much of an entertaining movie. I can't really think of any boneheaded moves in Night of the Living Dead... In 'The Thing' they for the most part make good decisions all things considered. 'Halloween' and 'Halloween 2' no one really knew anything was going on until it hit a boiling point.
Plenty of other examples.
"Someone mentioned "Get Out"... but the guy sees proof that his girlfriend has been with a lot of different people who have turned up gone and yet he goes downstairs with her before securing the car keys? "
She didn't know he knew at that point. He was trying to play it cool before she gave up the pretense.
She didn't know he knew at that point. He was trying to play it cool before she gave up the pretense.
schmendeler said:
"Someone mentioned "Get Out"... but the guy sees proof that his girlfriend has been with a lot of different people who have turned up gone and yet he goes downstairs with her before securing the car keys? "
She didn't know he knew at that point. He was trying to play it cool before she gave up the pretense.
He asked for the keys multiple times before they went downstairs and she "couldn't find them"... and then once downstairs when the rest of the family shows up he continually asks her for the keys... If he knows that she's a "bad guy", then why would he think she is going to magically find the keys and let him leave?
I thought the movie was great, but that was a just an example of how even in good movies stupid decisions are made.
It's been a decade since I've seen in, but the characters in 28 Days Later weren't stupid, were they? Not ridiculously so, anyway.
Oculus comes to mind
Characters in the original Poltergeist were decently intelligent.
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