Top 10 Smartest Horror Movie Decisions That Still Got People Killed
#10: Disabling & Disposing of a Killer Doll
“Child’s Play” (2019) When it comes to murderous dolls, Chucky’s “kill count” is hard to beat. And while you’d think defeating a pint-sized toy would be easy - you’d be wrong. Leave it to a couple of kids to make the smartest decision in putting an end to the demented doll’s atrocities. In 2019’s “Child’s Play” reboot, Andy, Falyn, and Pugg are so horrified by Chucky’s actions that they disable the corrupt Buddi doll and promptly throw it in the trash. It’s a simple yet effective solution that would have worked had the creepy building repairman not made the foolish decision to restore the toy - thus allowing Chucky to strike again… and again… and again…
#9: Developing a Humanity-Proving Test
“The Thing” (1982) What to do when an otherworldly parasitic life-form has assimilated itself in a member of your crew, but you’re not sure which one? Why, just develop a sure-fire test to draw the creature out. That’s the decision R.J. MacReady made when he tied up a team of men in order to confirm their “humanity.” The helicopter pilot’s experiment included prodding everyone’s blood samples with a heated wire to see whose DNA would react defensively. The test was ultimately successful, but unfortunately resulted in the alien creature violently exiting one crewman and savagely mauling another. Clever idea – fatal oversight!
#8: Sending a Cursed Viral Video
“Truth or Dare” (2018) Desperate times call for desperate measures! And in the Blumhouse-produced horror film “Truth or Dare,” Olivia Barron finds herself in one very desperate situation. Thanks to a cursed game of truth or dare, a group of college friends must follow through with their twisted tasks or else face dire consequences. In an attempt to substantially delay her turn, Olivia decides to upload a YouTube video in which she utters the forbidden phrase, thus condemning everyone who watches it. It’s an admittedly smart move, albeit one that sentences a large number of people to certain doom. Talk about a game of life and death!
#7: Fortifying the House
“The Purge” (2013) During a night in which all crime is legal, including murder, perhaps the best thing to do is ride out the madness someplace safe! Well, the first installment of “The Purge” horror franchise actually sees James Sandin make the smart decision of barricading his gated-community home – complete with fortified shields and metal plating. Unfortunately, the father of two and top employee of the defense system’s company later admits to his family that their setup isn’t as effective as it looks. Add in a vengeance-seeking stowaway and a pack of determined intruders, and the Sandin home became anything BUT a safe haven on this fateful Purge Night!
#6: Using Surveillance Cameras to See
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“Bird Box” (2018) The Sandra Bullock-starring phenomenon that is “Bird Box” definitely upped the onscreen terror by pitting humans against invisible entities that, well, if you see them - you die. And, while some characters get around by wearing blindfolds and using satellite navigation, there was a much smarter solution out there – in theory, of course. It’s early on that BD Wong’s character, Greg, comes up with the genius idea to watch the monsters through the home security feed. Explaining that it’s likely harmless to do so given he’s just going to be seeing “pixels and heat,” Greg even ties himself up to be on the safe side. Unfortunately, he was wrong… so very wrong!
#5: Creating a Makeshift Hazmat Suit
“10 Cloverfield Lane” (2016) Having to escape the confines of a strange man’s bunker is bad enough, but being led to believe the outside world is now a toxic wasteland - that’s worse! In the spiritual successor to “Cloverfield,” Michelle finds herself in quite the predicament when she is told that she’s been rescued from the aftermath of a dangerous attack that’s left outdoor air unsafe to breathe. Planning to flee, she smartly begins to craft a makeshift hazmat suit. But, when Michelle’s work is discovered, a dire set of circumstances unfolds - including our heroine discovering that her extracurricular suit-making wasn’t needed, as it’s actually hostile aliens that pose the real threat. Nice try though!
#4: Lowering One’s Body Temperature
“Splinter” (2008) If horror films have taught us anything, it’s that deadly alien organisms are not easily outsmarted. A couple of characters in the 2008 cult favorite “Splinter” came rather close, however. After a freaky fungus wreaks havoc at a gas station, it’s hypothesized that the organism hunts based on temperature, attacking the warmest thing it can find. And so, the character Seth smartly packs himself with ice bags to lower his body temperature. The goal - sneak past the creature and use a police car radio. Problem - he didn't plan on needing the car keys. Alas, it’s not long before his body temperature rises, and the lethal chaos continues!
#3. Leaving the House
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“Sinister” (2012) Sometimes the best decision in a horror film is to just get up and leave. That goes double if you’re in a home where mysterious occurrences start happening. Make that triple if said occurrences are paired with creepy old tapes of heinous murders! And so, in the deeply frightening movie “Sinister,” true-crime writer Ellison Oswalt makes the smart choice to take his family out of their new home upon seeing a demon in his loft. Unfortunately, it turns out that by moving, he's actually set off some kind of evil ritual, where death is the ultimate end result. Woops!
#2: Meeting in Public
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“The Invisible Man” (2020) The clever choices made in Leigh Whannell’s take on “The Invisible Man” are actually plain to see. It’s in this modern retelling that the tormented Cecilia makes some well-thought-out decisions, including meeting her sister in a packed restaurant. This, of course, is a smart attempt to ensure that her invisible tormentor, Adrian, doesn’t try anything while others can bear witness. Only, it has the opposite effect, as invisible Adrian makes quick work of her sister and slips the weapon into Cecilia’s hand. Our heroine was able to use her smarts again on a later occasion though, this time by faking an attempt to end her life in order to draw Adrian out. It was a shrewd move, but unfortunately another that resulted in mass casualties. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Holing Up at the Sheriff's House “Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers” (1988) Planning a Surprise Ambush “Doctor Sleep” (2019) Creating a Noisy Distraction “A Quiet Place” (2018) Distracting Freddy Krueger Through Humiliation “Freddy vs. Jason” (2003) Finishing the Game “Saw III” (2006)
#1: Nuking the Planet from Orbit
“Aliens” (1986) Exhibiting sound advice and keen instincts throughout the “Alien” film franchise, Ellen Ripley is considered one of the smartest protagonists in horror cinema history. So, things were actually looking up in the sci-fi thriller’s second outing when Corporal Hicks heeded Ripley’s suggestion to call in a “drop ship” and nuke the site of the deadly Xenomorphs from orbit. Little did they know a rogue alien would cause the dropship to crash into an armored personnel carrier – naturally the one housing all of the marine’s weaponry. With the occupants of the ship no more, and everyone else stranded on a hostile alien planet without artillery, this became the ultimate case of a good idea gone bad!
