Are Horror Movie Characters Doomed by Bad Writing or Their Own Panic?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the portrayal of characters in horror movies, specifically examining whether their actions are influenced by poor writing or their own panic in high-stress situations. It touches on themes of rationality, character behavior, and the impact of writing quality on the genre.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants question whether horror movie characters lack intelligence or if their panic causes them to lose rationality, making it difficult to recognize simple solutions.
  • Others argue that extreme fear, such as facing a killer, significantly impairs rational thought, suggesting that characters' irrational actions may be understandable under such circumstances.
  • A participant cites a specific example from "Saw II," noting a character's inaction in a life-threatening situation, which raises questions about character decisions in horror narratives.
  • Some participants attribute character flaws and poor decision-making to "bad writing," suggesting that this is a common issue across various film genres, particularly horror and pornography.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the extent to which bad writing influences character behavior versus the impact of panic. There is no consensus on whether one factor is more significant than the other.

Contextual Notes

Some arguments rely on subjective interpretations of character behavior and writing quality, which may vary widely among viewers. The discussion does not resolve the complexities of these interpretations.

Moridin
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Are they just not that bright to begin with, or is their panic making them loose all sense of rationality so they cannot spot the easiest things? I honestly can't tell.
 
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Well I'm not sure how rational you can get if you had a guy wearing a hockey mask wielding a chainsaw walking towards you to kill you.

But yeah, would I don't think horror movies would be interesting if there weren't dummies for the killer to play with.
 
I was watching Saw II and the protagonist enters room where he is given another challenge where he is suppose to rescue a man from a silo that was beginning to be filled with chopped pig. But the protagonist just stands there and waits for no apparent reason instead of running to get the key.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_traps_in_the_Saw_film_series#Pig_vat
 
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It's the bad writing monster. It will attack just about any film but seems to have a preference for horror movies and porno.
 
Yep. Bad writers.
 
TheStatutoryApe said:
It's the bad writing monster. It will attack just about any film but seems to have a preference for horror movies and porno.

Don't forget sci fi.
 

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