The Unofficial Survival Guide: 10 Rules to Make it Through a Scary Movie Unscathed

Many horror movies follow a group of friends on an adventure that goes terribly wrong. More often than not, the friends end up parting ways to try and find safety, which usually backfires.

One example is in the underwater horror film 47 Meters Down (2017) when one of the friends leaves the safety of the shark cage to search for a shark-free route to the surface.

Sex is a common theme in horror films and is a classic example of something you see on screen and know something will probably go wrong because it's a horror film. The Cabin in the Woods (2011) plays on this trope during the scene where the couple has relations in the woods and soon dies a brutal death.

While some horror films jump into the terrors immediately, some take a slow-burn approach, where the creepy events start slowly and eventually reach a horrifying climax.

But the thing is, characters often stick around through the scary events even when they have a chance to escape because they won't accept what's happening around them.

In The Taking of Deborah Logan (2014), one of the students working on the thesis project decides to bounce after witnessing one too many spooky occurrences in the older woman's house, resulting in him escaping with his life.

What's with the trend of horror film families deciding to move into dilapidated old homes with known rumors of being haunted? Take Sinister (2012), for example.

A man moves his whole family into a house he knows could be haunted simply because he wants to write a novel about it. I bet you can guess what ends up happening to them. Avoiding living in a scary old mansion that all the town's residents stay far away from is a great way to save your life and your entire family.

Pets often sense danger before we do, but unfortunately, a dog;'s frantic barks late at night often go ignored in horror films, leading to fatal results for both the people and the dog in the story.

In The Hills Have Eyes (2006), a family is trapped in the desert and hunted by a band of people mutated by radiation. When one of the family dogs runs away, that's a clear sign to the family to do everything possible to get out as soon as possible.

A common trope in horror movies is that people of color typically die first. While this racist theme is more prevalent in older horror films, it continues to this day.

The survival horror Wrong Turn (2021) follows a group of friends who find themselves hunted in the woods on the Appalachian trial. The first people to die are two people of color who are also gay.

The premise of so many horror movies revolves around a group of people heading to an abandoned location to poke around, create a film, or explore.

Think Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum (2018) or Among the Living (2014). Whether the characters explore an abandoned insane asylum, school, hospital, or town, there's never good news waiting on the other side.

When the victim in a horror film gets the upper hand over their opponent, I often find myself screaming at them to make 100% sure that the killer is dead. In many films like He's Out There (2018), the protagonist gets a chance to attack the killer but runs before realizing he's still alive and out to get her.

You're Next (2011) is an excellent example of a film where the victim actually makes sure her assailant won't escape their encounter with his life. And guess what? She's the only victim in the movie to escape with her life.

I always cringe whenever a character in a horror film is alone in their home, and they hear a strange noise in the basement, only to pursue the source of the sound while calling out, "Hello?"

If I were in that situation, I would sprint out my front door to a neighbor's house and call the police right away. We all remember Ghostface in Scream stating, “Never say ‘who’s there?’ Don’t you watch scary movies? It’s a death wish. You might as well come out to investigate a strange noise or something.”

What other unofficial rules do horror movie characters need to follow to survive?

This thread inspired this post.