Top 10 Dumbest Decisions by Horror Villains

“Hellraiser” (1987)

At the beginning of the film, Frank purchases the Lament Configuration cube, which when solved, can summon demonic Cenobites that would have him participate in sadistic “pleasures.” However, upon solving the cube, Frank literally gets buyer’s remorse as the Cenobites’ version of pleasure and his are wildly different. Perhaps he should’ve thought of that before playing with a mystical artifact that opens up spiritual dimensions. Even after managing to escape the Cenobites and wreak his own kind of havoc, it’s only a matter of time before they catch him and continue his eternal torture.

“Dawn of the Dead” (1978)

While a gang of bikers invade our protagonists’ mall, they mess with zombies that have overrun the place in reckless ways, including throwing pies in their faces and spraying them with seltzer. But perhaps the dumbest biker is the one who decides to sit down and have his blood pressure taken. When using such a device, you have to sit still for several seconds while your arm is strapped into the machine, which would make you easy pickings for the zombies, as the biker eventually becomes. While it’s important to test your blood pressure and those machines are always tempting to try out, maybe wait until there isn’t a zombie swarm nearby.

“Hush” (2016)

The intruder takes pleasure in harassing Maddie, a deaf writer living out in the middle of nowhere. At one point, when the intruder is behind an oblivious Maddie and about to kill her, he talks out loud, thinking that she can’t sense his presence. However, what he doesn’t count on is that she can feel the breath that comes during his speech. This sensation on the back of Maddie’s neck alerts her to his position and she’s able to turn the tables and shortly afterward kill him. The movie’s called “Hush” for a reason.

“Carrie” (1976)

As an act of undeserved revenge against Carrie, Chris and her boyfriend Billy plan the pig’s blood prank at the prom that drives Carrie mad and results in her killing everyone in the gym. After the mayhem at the prom, Chris and Billy decide the best way to handle the problem they’ve created is by running over the triggered prom queen. Keep in mind this is after they’ve witnessed how powerful her telekinetic wrath is. After everything they were responsible for, they should’ve hightailed it to some other town and laid low until Carrie’s rampage was over.

“Scream 4” (2011)

Recovering in the hospital, Jill talks to Dewey while trying to conceal the fact that she’s the one of the killers. However, during their conversation, she brings up a detail that unwittingly gives away her secret. At first, this goes over Dewey’s head, but when he brings it up with Gale soon after, they’re able to piece this conclusion together and help stop Jill. The obvious lesson here is when you’re dealing with veterans like Dewey and Gale, it’s best to keep your mouth shut around them. Or you should at least keep the chit-chat to a minimum.

“A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors” (1987)

To stop Freddy once and for all, Neil and Donald go to a junkyard in order to consecrate his remains and send his spirit to the afterlife. To stop them from completing this ritual, Freddy possesses the bones of his skeleton and kills Donald. However, he merely knocks Neil out and shovels a little dirt on him before returning to the dream world to haunt more teenagers. Neil eventually regains consciousness and finishes the job, thus stopping Freddy. Freddy’s the kind of villain that’s usually on top of things, so it’s surprising that he doesn’t snuff out Neil when he has the chance.

“It” (2017)

To lure the rest of the Losers Club into its lair, Pennywise kidnaps Beverly and brings her into sewers. With all due respect to Pennywise, this plan makes little sense. The Losers Club had broken up at this point, so it would’ve been easy to pick off the kids one by one when they’re alone and at their most vulnerable. Pennywise has nothing to gain and everything to lose by facing the Losers Club all at the same time. Sure enough, the kids learn how to work together and defeat the entity.

“Aliens” (1986)

Weyland-Yutani executive Carter Burke organizes a trip with the colonial marines to a space colony in the hopes of bringing the aliens to Earth to use as bioweapons. It doesn’t take an Ian Malcolm to see how this plan could potentially backfire. If a few aliens get loose, they could potentially reproduce at a geometric rate and become an invasive species that threatens the Earth. It’s this irresponsible thinking and prioritization of profit over human decency that makes Burke a complete sleaze. Once his plan is exposed by Ripley, it doesn’t take long for Burke’s fate to be sealed.

“The Silence of the Lambs” (1991)

One of the most thrilling showdowns in movie history has to be the one between Clarice Starling and Buffalo Bill. When Starling tracks Bill to his basement, he turns off the lights, sending the room into pitch black. The serial killer has a huge advantage in this environment because he comes prepared with night-vision goggles. However, he blows this opportunity because the sound of him cocking his gun gives away his location, and Starling is able to take him down just as she’s within his sights. The frontiersman Buffalo Bill would be ashamed.

“Signs” (2002)

In this M. Night Shyamalan film, an alien invasion is stopped once it’s discovered that water is a substance that’s corrosive to them, prompting a common complaint among viewers. Knowing that water is their weakness, why would an alien species come to a planet that’s 70% full of the stuff? Even if they didn’t immediately know, with such technology that allows them to travel through space, couldn’t they research the planet before invading? Though the movie has excellent buildup with tension leading up to the climax, the twist at the end makes it hard to take the threat seriously.