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If there’s one horror trope that has — and always will — withstand the test of time, it’s the questionable decision-making by the main protagonists. When buckling in for a high-stakes slasher or a deeply disturbing paranormal thriller, one thing you can bank on is the characters making the worst possible choices in a live-or-die scenario. Oftentimes, it even results in their demise. There are plenty of dumb horror characters out there, but only a few of them lived to regret their poor judgement.
As in most horror movies, the blatant disregard for safety and reckless impulsivity gives the bad guys a tremendous advantage. Jason Voorhees and Pennywise never relied on stupidity to secure a kill, but it certainly helps, and when your prey practically places themselves in the palm of your hand, there’s nothing left to do but crush them like a grape. Be warned: these decisions are very, very dumb.
10. Darry and Trish Jenner Investigate The Creeper’s Lair (Jeepers Creepers)
When driving along an empty country road, you catch a non-human serial killer in the act of dumping a body down a pipe. The sensible course of action would be to flee the scene immediately, take note of the road name, and alert the cops. In hindsight, this is nothing more than common sense, but not for Darry Jenner.
Played by the incomparable Justin Long, Darry allows his compassion to get the better of him. Instead of running for the hills at the sight of the Creeper, he chooses to further investigate and wind up in the heart of the creature’s lair. And we all know how that ended.
9. The Gang Decides To Split Up (The Cabin in the Woods)
None of the Cabin in the Woods crew are particularly intelligent. When a horde of the undead descends upon the remote cabin you’re lodging in, the appropriate response would be to evacuate immediately.
Instead, they determine that splitting up will “cover more ground” as they attempt to discover the source of these mysterious attacks. We can’t blame the students entirely, however, as they probably learned everything they know from watching too much Scooby-Doo.
8. Antagonizing the Spirit (Paranormal Activity)
Katie and Micah from Paranormal Activity are the epitome of dumb horror characters, though Micah more specifically. His girlfriend falls victim to a vengeful spirit, so instead of exhausting every possible method of banishing the demon from their home or consulting professional guidance from a medium or priest, Micah decides to enrage the spirit to expose it and capture indisputable proof that it exists.
To make matters worse, Micah is even advised on numerous occasions not to attempt communication without a demonologist present. Spoiler: he doesn’t listen.
7. Throwing Away the Map (The Blair Witch Project)
Heather, Josh, and Mike are understandably frustrated when their venture into the Black Hills near Burkittsville, Maryland, becomes a lost cause. After trekking through the forest for several days, the trio declare themselves hopelessly lost. Unbeknownst to them at the time, the Blair Witch had placed a curse on Black Hills that prevented them from leaving.
Afterwards, having grown impatient with their plight, Mike reveals he had kicked their map into the creek, rendering them helpless. It wouldn’t have mattered all that much given the curse, but without that knowledge prior to the incident, Mike could have seriously harmed their progress.
6. Reading the Necronomicon (The Evil Dead)
Perhaps one of the dumbest decisions ever made by a horror character belongs to Scott from The Evil Dead, assisted by the one and only Ash Williams. When they find an ominous book bound in human flesh, known as the Necromicon, Scott and Ash decide to aimlessly skim through it.
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10 Best Horror Games of 2023Scott finds some alarming incantations and accidentally resurrects a demonic entity. The term “accidentally” is used loosely in this context, since Scott should have known better. Ash becomes the sole survivor of the whole ordeal while his companions perish.
5. Putting Both Hands in the Razor Box (Saw II)
John Kramer is the absolute personification of moral ambiguity, but for all the flaws in his philosophy, he does provide his victims with a chance at survival. Unfortunately, some of the participants are just too thick-skulled to retain the rules of the game. Or too air-headed, which is a more appropriate term for Addison, a young sex worker placed in the Nerve Gas House with several other wrongly convicted felons.
She stumbles upon the Razor Box, but rather than thinking twice about how to proceed and obtain an antidote to the poisonous gas coursing through her veins, she sticks both hands straight in. Not the sharpest tool in the box.
4. Watching a Haunted Video Tape (The Ring)
In high school, everyone tossed around wild conspiracy theories or participated in relatively harmless internet challenges. For the most part, youngsters retain a certain level of maturity towards stunts deemed too dangerous to replicate. When a mysterious video tape makes the rounds in The Ring, teenager Katie dies exactly seven days after watching it.
This prompts Rachel, Katie’s sister, to find the cursed tape and test its legitimacy for herself. Now, out of all the dumb horror characters in existence, Rachel doesn’t do herself any favors by knowingly watching a cursed tape.
3. Monologuing With a Serial Killer (Texas Chainsaw Massacre)
Sally Hardesty had waited 50 years to confront Leatherface, the cannibalistic serial killer who slaughtered her friends. In true Laurie Strode and Michael Myers fashion, one would expect Sally to gun Leatherface down the second she laid eyes on him (or at least attempt to). Instead, she enters the orphanage that Leatherface calls home, holds him at gunpoint, and demands he reflect on the pain he inflicted on her friends.
When he doesn’t react, then walks away, Sally watches him leave. She doesn’t pursue him, nor does she put a bullet in his back like any sane person would. Sally winds up dead — unsurprisingly — for wasting her golden opportunity.
2. Dewey Fails to Execute the Double-Tap (Scream V)
Any criticism towards Dewey is blasphemy to the Scream fanbase, but he certainly made a grave mistake against Ghostface in Scream V. Everyone knew it was coming, but no one quite expected Dewey to die under such avoidable circumstances. While Sam, Tara, and Richie escape from the hospital, Dewey is left behind to finish off Ghostface.
When Dewey confronts Ghostface, however, he doesn’t follow through with the double-tap (made famous by the movie Zombieland). Instead of finishing off Ghostface for certain, Dewey doesn’t make it, much to the dismay of fans.
1. Taking His Kid Sister to a House Party (Hereditary)
Even without your younger sister tagging along, driving under the influence is extremely dangerous. While Peter was the driving force behind this fatal decision, it was his mother who forced Charlie to go along.
In actuality, both Annie and Peter were to blame, but Peter’s ignorance towards Charlie’s allergies in unfamiliar surroundings triggered the domino effect that led to her gruesome death. There’s a lesson to learn in all of this — ditching your sister at a house party to smoke weed is irresponsible.
