Is it possible to make a horror movie without characters making stupid choices? I feel like the plot is driven in most horror films simply because the characters are dumb. I know there's the argument that during scary situations, people panic and don't think straight.
Like, Seth not closing the door of the cop car? I was literally yelling at the tv.
Please, name some horror movies where the characters are not constantly being idiotic.
Wasn't he too cold to close it? That's what I assumed.
shareI was scratching my head at the door scene as well, but did some research on our bodies at low temperatures, he lowered himself to 88 degrees:
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33 °C (91 °F) - Moderate to severe confusion, sleepiness, depressed reflexes, progressive loss of shivering, slow heart beat, shallow breathing. Shivering may stop. Subject may be unresponsive to certain stimuli.
32 °C (90 °F) - (Medical emergency) Hallucinations, delirium, complete confusion, extreme sleepiness that is progressively becoming comatose. Shivering is absent (subject may even think they are hot). Reflex may be absent or very slight.
31 °C (88 °F) - Comatose, very rarely conscious. No or slight reflexes. Very shallow breathing and slow heart rate. Possibility of serious heart rhythm problems.
28 °C (82 °F) - Severe heart rhythm disturbances are likely and breathing may stop at any time. Patient may appear to be dead.
24–26 °C (75–79 °F) or less - Death usually occurs due to irregular heart beat or respiratory arrest; however, some patients have been known to survive with body temperatures as low as 14.2°C (57.5°F).[10]
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So realistically, he was lucky to be awake at that low.
Agreed, I despise dumb characters too. I love when they fight back and make clever choices, such as in:
- Severance: the characters who survive are not idiotic at all, especially the girl.
- The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (remake): Jessica Biel is anything but the usual stupid chick.
Boycott movies that involve real animal violence! (and their directors too)
You're right, it's very difficult. Most movies require from fans to suspend our disbelief quite a bit, and, although I have no problem doing that, it's hard to excuse reasonably intelligent adults making such obvious mistakes time and again. It's almost like you expect them to make those mistakes, from running to find the source of that unnerving noise to not closing doors when they're being chased by a monster.
And none of those characters have ever seen a horror movie before.
Yeah, the car door was dumb too. I was pissed as well. I also thought it was stupid for his girlfriend to leave her post and stop throwing the fireworks. I understand she wanted to see her boyfriend, but she was helping him most by keeping an eye on the monster and making sure it was distracted.
sharewell, dumb choices need to be made or else you would rarely have a horror movie. I mean every slasher ever wouldn't be working. "Hey mates, let's go party with drugs, no cellphones and lots of girls in this old, stinky, creepy shack I found!" --- "Yeah totally! Ooooor we could just hang out at home and party there. I'll get some pizza." --- "Great idea! *beep* that shack." If horror movies were logical no zombie outbreak would happen, because every single cop, soldier, tough guy would just headshot the zombie. Nobody would try to go against Michael Myers, or nearly stab him to death and then walk away just to see him get up, or disappear. If a guy like Michael came after me and I'd manage to knock him out cold I'd take off his damn head and mail it to frickin' China. I think you get the gist. The only fear you have to fear is fear itself, because mostly you're smart enough to outwit the danger. The horror movie victims aren't smart enough for that, so you're actually inclined to fear for their lives.
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