Hannah Elkin '26
Horror movies have long been a staple of the film industry, captivating audiences with suspense and fear. However, as of recently, the genre has fallen short of its purpose to write a compelling, scary story without the need for superficial jumpscares and screams.
Rather than investing in smart characters who, admittedly, can panic but soon recover and devise a game plan to escape from their situation, horror movies opt for the easier route of dumb and dumber characters who have no self-awareness and rely on sudden jumpscares and screams to elicit a reaction from their viewers.
The genre’s repeated use of a superficial story bombarded with jumpscares not only undermines the potential narrative of the movie but also continues the cycle of predictable tropes which is why horror movies nowadays suck.
Take for example the infamous death of Tatum Riley in the first Scream movie from 1996. While at a party, Tatum finds herself alone in the garage, grabbing beers from the fridge, when she encounters Ghostface. Instead of being immediately on alert and locating her options for escape, Tatum walks up to Ghostface and asks him if he wants to play psycho killer, to which he nods.
She then pretends to be a “helpless” victim until Ghostface grabs her and slices through her arm with a knife to show her that he is serious about killing her. Faced with this sudden realization, Tatum decides to fight back against Ghostface, throwing beer bottles at him until she makes the dumb decision to escape through a small pet door installed in the garage.
Predictably, Tatum gets stuck in the small space and dies when Ghostface activates the garage door which lifts her up, crushing her face into the metal beam. Tatum’s actions that lead up to her death are a perfect example of the dumb decisions that characters in horror movies make when deciding between survival or dramatic efforts to escape from their killer.
I believe that Tatum could have still survived had she kept throwing beer bottles at Ghostface and activated the garage door to escape instead of taking her chances, escaping through a small door meant for pets.
Of course, however, one could argue that with the sudden rush of adrenaline, irrational decisions are bound to be made by horror movie characters who genuinely fear for their lives, however, in my opinion, I think that fear can be used as a motivator in horror movies so that characters have a reason to survive.
In the 2011 movie You’re Next, for example, the Davidson family gathers at their vacation home to celebrate their parent’s wedding anniversary when they are suddenly attacked by mysterious intruders, creating a sense of panic and terror throughout the house.
Crispan’s girlfriend, Erin, however, reveals that she is capable of fighting back amongst the chaos by setting up booby traps throughout the house and transforming ordinary kitchen appliances into weapons.
In one particular scene of the movie, Erin is caught off guard by the attack of an intruder who crashes through the window, but quickly regains her senses and grabs a hammer to knock his knees out before smashing his head in, ensuring that he never gets back up. Erin’s quick decision in that moment is an example of using fear as motivation for survival because had Erin not quickly assessed her situation and grabbed a hammer, she would have surely died by the ax of the intruder.
I will concede, however, that despite having dumb characters, some horror movies can actually be quite fun and thrilling to watch such as the 2022 movie Talk to Me.
In the beginning scene of the movie, the viewers are introduced to a group of teenagers playing a party game with an embalmed hand that allows them to conjure and communicate with spirits. However, one character in particular, Hayley, takes the game too far by allowing her friend Mia to stay under the control of a spirit that ends up causing supernatural occurrences to take place.
Predictably, Mia is heavily influenced by the spirit inhabiting her body and the friend group becomes traumatized by the bizarre events that happen to them. Talk to Me is an exceptional movie that explores the underlying themes of addiction and grief. But I can’t help but wonder: if those kids never messed with the embalmed hand to call upon the dead, maybe Mia could have found alternative ways to cope with her grief of losing her mother.
In conclusion, the prioritization of jumpscares and screams over the development of smart and resourceful characters undermines the genre of horror which is supposed to provide insight into the human psyche, relationships, and our deepest fears.
Lately, I feel like movie directors have strayed away from these three essential facets that make up the average person by prioritizing things that make the viewers jump from surprise instead of having a sensible, reasonable character, like Erin for example, who can assess their near-death situation, accept that they are scared, but are still determined to survive even if it means they have to kill somebody else.
I hope that in the near future, more movie directors take inspiration from the movie You’re Next in order to create unforgettable movies that don’t rely on silly tropes for dramatic effects, but rather exploit the intelligence of the human race who can be unpredictable and ruthless when forced into a corner.