Horror movies are notorious for characters making terrible decisions. Join us as we count down the most mind-boggling survivors who defied logic, common sense, and sometimes even basic survival instincts. These characters prove that sometimes, luck trumps intelligence in the world of horror!
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00What's he doing?
00:03What the hell is that?
00:09Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for horror movie characters
00:12whose questionable decisions and lack of common sense didn't prevent them from making it
00:16out alive, or who survived through sheer dumb luck.
00:20Since this list shows the fate of potentially important characters, there is a spoiler warning.
00:2610.
00:31Louis Creed
00:32Pet Cemetery
00:33Oftentimes in horror movies, stupid characters are necessary to get the ball rolling.
00:38In that department, Louis is very useful.
00:41First of all, his negligence leads to his little boy running out in the middle of the
00:48road.
00:49Then, against the wishes of his elderly neighbor, he meddles with the forces of nature and resurrects
00:54his deceased son.
01:02Once that plan backfires horribly, he decides to resurrect his wife, even though it turned
01:06the previous things he's buried into malevolent entities.
01:09In the final scene, it's kind of ambiguous as to what Louis' fate is once he brings
01:14his wife back.
01:15What is clear is that he never learns from his mistakes.
01:219.
01:25Nancy Adams
01:26The Shallows
01:28Despite being a med student, Nancy doesn't exercise a lot of caution.
01:32She goes out surfing alone in Mexico with strangers because her friend decided not to
01:36show up.
01:37When a shark attacks, she decides to use her last flare to set whale oil on fire in an
01:42attempt to kill the shark.
01:54She's lucky this reckless stunt didn't cause a fire that got out of hand.
01:58Instead, the shark becomes more aggressive because of the fire, so she doesn't end up
02:01ahead anyway.
02:13Fortunately she is able to survive the shark attack and becomes stronger than ever.
02:248.
02:29Bobby Dagan
02:30Saw 3D
02:31This man made a name for himself writing a book about his experience surviving a trap
02:35set up by Jigsaw.
02:37There's just one problem.
02:38He made the whole thing up.
02:41His grift takes a lot of nerve, but doesn't show a lot of sense.
02:54Dagan should have known that Jigsaw's minions wouldn't take his stolen valour lightly.
02:58Jordan Kramer tried to call Dagan out, but the fraud wasn't smart enough to take the
03:02hint.
03:03Unfortunately, other people in his life paid for his stupidity.
03:18Kramer's acolytes could have easily killed this moron, but letting him live with the
03:22consequences of his actions was a much more effective lesson.
03:297.
03:32Julie James
03:33I know what you did last summer.
03:35This final girl is out with her friends one night when they accidentally run over a man.
03:47Rather than report this to the authorities, they dump the person's body into the ocean
03:51and participate in a cover-up.
03:58Julie could have gone to the cops, but she let Barry pressure her into participating
04:03in the cover-up.
04:04When someone starts stalking them over the incident a year later, Julie could have gone
04:07to the authorities but decides to keep it to herself.
04:11As a result, most of her friends end up getting killed, and she's consumed with guilt that
04:15ruins her life.
04:16What was the point of staying silent?
04:18Just to be a team player for Barry?
04:266.
04:28Paxton
04:29Hostel
04:30As this American tourist clubs his way through Europe, he doesn't show a lot of respect or
04:34consideration for the people in the countries he's visiting.
04:37When a shady character tells him about a hostel in Slovakia where girls fall for American
04:42guys, Paxton is gullible enough to believe him.
04:50Later in Slovakia, when he's looking for his friend Josh, he wanders deep into a torture
04:54chamber, ignoring all of the red flags that the building isn't safe for tourists.
05:02Initially, Paxton looks like the character who gets bumped off, while the more thoughtful
05:08Josh seems like the protagonist who will survive.
05:11Directed director Eli Roth makes Paxton the unlikely hero who gets away… until the sequel.
05:225.
05:25Madison
05:26Zombieland, Double Tap
05:28Normally in a zombie apocalypse, the dimwits tend to be weeded out early.
05:32However, Madison is a notable exception, having been able to survive in a freezer at a shopping
05:37mall for 10 years before Columbus found her.
05:50A vapid airhead, Madison has no survival instincts, common sense, or sense of self-preservation.
05:56One notable example of her lack of judgment was eating a trail mix bar despite having
06:00a deadly nut allergy because of a horribly misinformed assumption.
06:16Through sheer luck, though, she is able to beat the odds and survive the apocalypse.
06:264.
06:28Billy Peltzer
06:29Gremlins
06:30When Billy originally received his pet mogwai, Gizmo, he was given three simple yet crucial
06:36rules to properly take care of the creature.
06:51Through his carelessness, these rules are immediately broken, thus creating a horde
06:55of gremlins that wreak havoc on Billy's entire hometown.
07:15In the film's climax, he splits up from the group he's with and faces off against
07:19the main gremlin's stripe alone in the dark.
07:23At the end of the movie, Gizmo's original owner takes the pet mogwai back, which was
07:27definitely for Billy's own good.
07:343.
07:36The Freelings
07:37Poltergeist
07:38Let's say ghosts abduct your daughter, and you have to hire a team of paranormal specialists
07:44to rescue her.
07:45Once you get her back, you hightail her out of the house where the freakish event occurred,
07:49right?
07:50Well, not if you're the Freelings.
07:53After their ordeal, they decide to stay for one more night before moving out.
08:04As a result, a sinister spirit referred to as The Beast unleashes a host of horrors before
08:09causing the house to collapse into another dimension.
08:23We're just saying, it wouldn't have killed them to stay at the motel a night earlier.
08:312.
08:34Jonathan Harker
08:35Bram Stoker's Dracula
08:38First off, it didn't help that Keanu Reeves was cast in this role around the time of his
08:42surfer dude image, thanks to movies like Bill & Ted.
08:52When playing John Harker, Reeves also didn't do the best job at maintaining a consistent
08:57British accent.
08:59Having said all of that, Harker overlooked
09:07some major red flags during his stay at Dracula's castle.
09:11If any sane person had witnessed these things, they would have gotten out of dodge.
09:15Fortunately, he is able to survive the castle after Dracula left him with the Count's brides.
09:32Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified
09:36about our latest videos.
09:38You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
09:42If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
09:471.
09:48Trish Jenner
09:49Cheap as Creepers
09:51Throughout the movie, Trish takes actions that make things harder for her.
09:54Against her better judgement, she listens to her brother, Darry, about going back to
09:58investigate some mysterious activity from a motorist who ran them off the road.
10:07Instead of running off as soon as she sees the Creeper, she stays around long enough
10:10for the Creeper to notice her and follow her.
10:13When she comes across a psychic who appears to know what's going on, she blows the psychic
10:17off rather than ask relevant questions that could help her and her brother.
10:30It's almost like Trish doesn't want to make it to the end, but she ends up surviving
10:34because the Creeper chose to take her brother over her.
10:48What horror movie character were you surprised didn't end up receiving a Darwin Award?
10:52Let us know in the comments.
11:00Did you enjoy this video?
11:01Check out these other clips from WatchMojo and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell
11:06to be notified about our latest videos.