Halloween time calls for watching a ton of horror movies. There are so many thrillers, slashers, and psychologically scary films that make the spooky season that much more terrifying and fun. But we also find that the more we watch these films, the more we're convinced that we would definitely survive a horror movie if placed in the same position as some of these characters.
It's common for scary stories to have a lot of the same tropes. As such, when watching enough of these movies, it's easy to convince oneself that all of the characters are doing things wrong. Of course we wouldn't react to a murderer that way, or we would definitely go to the police in this type of situation. Who made all these horror characters so dumb?
Some of the most common horror movie tropes can be found in the slasher film genre. Popularized in the 1970s and '80s, many of the movies in this genre featured young high school kids making poor choices that quickly led to the end of their lives -- usually by knife attack. These movies often leave viewers wanting to shout at the screen about all the mistakes the characters are making that should be avoided to stay alive.
These kind of tropes also inspired Jesse Eisenberg's character's "rules" about surviving in Zombieland -- such as always double checking that a would-be killer is actually dead when they get attacked and being prepared to run if need be.
(Leave the heels at home if in a horror movie, ladies.)
Think surviving a horror movie would be a piece of cake? Take this quiz to find out for sure.
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You:
A. Recite what's written. Ya only live once.
B. Call an Uber. Ain't nobody got time for this weird crap.
C. Are hesitant but don't want to look like a wuss, so you go with the group ... but look for a sharp object to keep nearby.
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You:
A. Run up the stairs because they're right there, and the front door is a little further.
B. Run out the front door so you're not trapped in a small space with a known killer.
C. Run into a room and barricade the door to wait for the help you didn't actually have time to call.
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... and that parts of their dreams are coming true. You:
A. Tell them that they're being silly and to go to bed.
B. Pack up and leave town while also alerting the authorities on the way. We take no chances when it comes to our children's safety.
C. Watch them while they sleep to make them feel safer, but probably accidentally fall asleep yourself.
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You also start to see and hear strange things in the home. You:
A. Do nothing. Houses don't come cheap, and this one was a great deal. Who can't handle some odd sounds now and again?
B. Move, immediately.
C. Decide to keep living there but have a priest come bless the house.
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You:
A. Decide to have a baby with your husband, even though babies' primary function in the first few months of their lives is to uncontrollably make noise.
B. Keep to yourself, make no noises, have no babies, and try to survive the best you can in this hellscape.
C. Decide to have a baby but build it a soundproof crib for future crying sessions.
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You:
A. Also watch it, alone, in a creepy cabin, because you're an "investigative journalist."
B. Stay far away from anything that anyone claims to be cursed. It's just not worth it.
C. Watch the movie but with friends so you're all in this together.
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You and your significant other:
A. Split up to increase your odds of finding a child.
B. Stick together, because you need all the help you can get.
C. Split up but call out to one another so you know the other person is alive and still looking.
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You:
A. Decide to also go camping there because some time has passed since the incident. You also hitchhike there with a stranger for good measure.
B. Stay far away from the lake that everyone is telling you is cursed.
C. Bring some friends as backup but go to the camp anyway.
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You:
A. Hold a séance to communicate with the probably, definitely, evil spirits in your home.
B. Move, immediately.
C. Decide to stay, but investigate the house's history to figure out why there might be spirits there.
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You:
A. Get in quickly without checking the back seat for the very killer you're trying to escape.
B. Stay away from the car altogether. It's the perfect hiding spot for a murderer.
C. Decide to get in the car but grab a nearby weapon just in case you spot the killer.
