Have you ever wondered if horror movies know something about stupidity we don’t?

Bad decisions are a common trope in horror. A Geico commercial made fun of this often illogical decisions made by characters in horror genre, which typically leads to their gruesome end. In the ad, a group of friends is being chased by a masked man, and instead of choosing a sensible hiding place, one of them suggests hiding behind a wall of chainsaws. This pretty much sums up the genre.

I’ve recently rewatched the first season of a horror show called “From.” It’s a fairly unique premise, but if I had to compare it to anything, it’d be a combo of “Lost and Wayward Pines,” but extremely darker.

“From” is about a group of people who, once they arrive, are stuck in a town where they are hunted by strange supernatural creatures every night. The show got me thinking: of all the genres, why do characters in the horror genre make the dumbest decisions? Believe it or not, dumb decisions might be the smartest thing in horror—for the writer.

*Spoilers Ahead* The people of the community have managed to form a functioning society and are able to keep the death toll down. Halfway through the show, however, a character does something so stupid that I’m left scratching my head and wondering how, after everything he knows about these creatures, this moron falls in love with one of them. To be fair, the creatures resemble ordinary people until they’re ripping their prey apart.

Each home is protected by a talisman, which prevents the creatures from entering. They can only enter if a window or door is left open. As a result, everyone in the town has their windows and doors shut at night. Curtains or any type of cloth covering, block the windows because these creatures are tricky and will stand at the window and try to get them to open the window.

Horror stories wouldn’t progress without people making bad decisions.

One of these creatures has been playing with this guy’s emotions for weeks now. You know where this is going, right? Yep, he did the one thing he knew he shouldn’t do; he opened a window and invited the creature into the house. With a house full of people, this guy said he was lonely, and the creature played on his need for companionship. I’m there shaking my head, thinking to myself, “What a moron,” while the creatures massacred everyone in the house. Then it dawned on me: Idiots allow a story to progress in the horror genre.

Bad decisions are a staple of horror fiction. Although it might make the audience want to pull their hair out at times, terrible judgments bring excitement, tension, and a feeling of urgency to the story. In fact, if there were no bad decisions being made, it would be pretty boring. There would hardly be a sense of dread or suspense in watching a scary movie or reading a horror book if everyone always made smart decisions.

Dumb decisions might be the smartest thing in horror

So, in horror fiction, what constitutes a good, terrible decision? It depends on the type of horror genre. One typical unwise decision in slasher films is for friends to split up, which just makes them easier prey for the murderer. Another common blunder is entering a dark cellar or attic knowing there’s something lying in there ready to murder you. And don’t even get me started on people who decide to investigate strange noises late at night.

In haunted house stories and other supernatural tales, oftentimes it’s curiosity that gets people into trouble, like when someone decides to open that door they shouldn’t have or read that creepy old book they found under the bed. Other times, people make dumb choices because they want to prove themselves brave or tough, like when they go looking for ghosts even after being warned not to do so by credible sources (like their best friend who happens to be psychic). 

Without idiots or people having terrible judgments, horror stories wouldn’t be scary or fun to read or watch. Just think about all of the classic horror movies and books: These tales of terror rely on the stupidity of people to set up the scares, and without them, we would be deprived of some truly spine-chilling moments. If the characters were smart and made good decisions, there would be no suspense and no scares. So next time you find yourself shouting at your TV or in a book, remember that it’s thanks to poor judgements of these idiot characters that you can enjoy a good scare.