Top 10 Dumbest Characters to Survive in a Horror Movie

“Pet Sematary” (1989)


Oftentimes in horror movies, stupid characters are necessary to get the ball rolling. In that department, Louis is very useful. First of all, his negligence leads to his little boy running out to the middle of the road. Then, against the wishes of his elderly neighbor, he meddles with the forces of nature and resurrects his deceased son. Once that plan backfires horribly, he decides to resurrect his wife even though it turned the previous things he’d buried into malevolent entities. In the final scene, it’s kind of ambiguous as to what Louis’ fate is once he brings his wife back. What is clear is that he never learns from his mistakes.

“The Shallows” (2016)


Despite being a med student, Nancy doesn’t exercise a lot of caution. She goes out surfing alone in Mexico with strangers because her friend decided not to show up. When a shark attacks, she decides to use her last flare to set whale oil on fire in an attempt to kill the shark. She’s lucky this reckless stunt didn’t cause a fire that got out of hand. Instead, the shark becomes more aggressive because of the fire, so she doesn’t end up ahead anyway. Fortunately, she is able to survive the shark attack and become stronger than ever.

“Saw 3D” (2010)


This man made a name for himself writing a book about his experience surviving a trap set up by Jigsaw. There’s just one problem: he made the whole thing up. His grift takes a lot of nerve but doesn’t show a lot of sense. Dagen should have known that Jigsaw’s minions wouldn’t take his stolen valor lightly. John Kramer tried to call Dagen out, but the fraud wasn’t smart enough to take the hint. Unfortunately, other people in his life paid for his stupidity. Kramer’s acolytes could have easily killed this moron, but letting him live with the consequences of his actions was a much more effective lesson.

“I Know What You Did Last Summer” (1997)


This final girl is out with her friends one night when they accidentally run over a man. Rather than report this to the authorities, they dump the person’s body in the ocean and participate in a coverup. Julie could have gone to the cops, but she let Barry pressure her into participating in the coverup. When someone starts stalking them over the incident a year later, Julie could have gone to the authorities but decides to keep it to herself. As a result, most of her friends end up getting killed, and she’s consumed with guilt that ruins her life. What was the point of staying silent? Just to be a team player for Barry?

“Hostel” (2005)


As this American tourist clubs his way through Europe, he doesn’t show a lot of respect or consideration for the people in the countries he’s visiting. When a shady character tells him about a hostel in Slovakia where girls fall for American guys, Paxton is gullible enough to believe him. Later in Slovakia when he’s looking for his friend, Josh, he wanders deep into a torture chamber, ignoring all of the red flags that the building isn’t safe for tourists. Initially, Paxton looks like the character who gets bumped off while the more thoughtful Josh seems like the protagonist who will survive. Yet, director Eli Roth makes Paxton the unlikely hero who gets away… until the sequel.

“Zombieland: Double Tap” (2019)

Normally in a zombie apocalypse, the dimwits tend to be weeded out early. However, Madison is a notable exception, having been able to survive in a freezer at a shopping mall for ten years before Columbus found her. A vapid airhead, Madison has no survival instincts, common sense, or sense of self-preservation. One notable example of her lack of judgment was eating a trail mix bar despite having a deadly nut allergy because of a horribly misinformed assumption. Through sheer luck, though, she is able to beat the odds and survive the apocalypse.

“Gremlins” (1984)


When Billy originally received his pet mogwai, Gizmo, he was given three simple yet crucial rules to properly take care of the creature. Through his carelessness, these rules are immediately broken, thus creating a horde of gremlins that wreak havoc on Billy’s entire hometown. In the film’s climax, he splits up from the group he’s with and faces off against the main gremlin Stripe alone in the dark. At the end of the movie, Gizmo’s original owner takes the pet mogwai back, which was definitely for Billy’s own good.

“Poltergeist” (1982)


Let’s say ghosts abduct your daughter, and you have to hire a team of paranormal specialists to rescue her. Once you get her back, you hightail it out of the house where the freakish event occurred, right? Well, not if you’re the Freelings. After their ordeal, they decide to stay for one more night before moving out. As a result, a sinister spirit referred to as “The Beast” unleashes a host of horrors before causing the house to collapse into another dimension. We’re just saying it wouldn’t have killed them to stay at the motel a night earlier.

“Bram Stoker’s Dracula” (1992)


First off, it didn’t help that Keanu Reeves was cast in this role around the time of his surfer dude image thanks to movies like “Bill & Ted.” When playing John Harker, Reeves also didn’t do the best job maintaining a consistent British accent. Having said all of that, Harker overlooked some major red flags during his stay at Dracula’s castle. If any sane person had witnessed these things, they would have gotten out of Dodge. Fortunately, he is able to escape the castle after Dracula left him with the count’s brides.

“Jeepers Creepers” (2001)


Throughout the movie, Trish takes actions that make things harder for her. Against her better judgment, she listens to her brother Darry about going back to investigate some mysterious activity from a motorist who ran them off the road. Instead of running off as soon as she sees the Creeper, she stays around long enough for the Creeper to notice her and follow her. When she comes across a psychic who appears to know what’s going on, she blows the psychic off rather than ask relevant questions that could help her and her brother. It’s almost like Trish doesn’t want to make it to the end, but she ends up surviving because the Creeper chose to take her brother over her.

What horror movie character were you surprised didn’t end up receiving a Darwin Award? Let us know in the comments.