10 Life Lessons Reddit Fans Learned From Horror Movies

Horror fans have seen so many tropes that they often joke about what characters should and shouldn’t do. For instance, it’s never a good idea to run upstairs because that’s where the killer usually is, and going into a dark forest or abandoned house tends to spell death and disaster. While it’s possible to joke about how scary movies teach people to avoid monsters, ghosts, and slasher villains, there are some real life lessons to be found in these types of films.

Although some lessons found in horror movies can seem silly and obvious, Redditors have mentioned some helpful pieces of advice that they have thought carefully about after watching several scary movies.

10 Care About Other People

Some horror movie main characters are ditzy, but others are wise, able to see through fake people, and will stop at nothing to get what they want, which is usually to survive until the end of the film.

Redditor Ghostface215 wrote that Sidney Prescott in Scream teaches fans the lesson of “staying caring and compassionate despite being through more than the average person.” Whether watching Sidney’s Scream action scenes or smaller moments between Sidney, Gale, Dewey, and Tatum, Sidney always wants to be there for her friends.

9 Be Grateful

Redditor said Jonah_Cade said that there’s a life lesson from the Saw franchise: “Don’t take your life for granted.” The fan noted that Jigsaw says in one scene, “Most people are so ungrateful to be alive, but not you…”

Even though this is a disturbing slasher franchise, with some of the goriest deaths imaginable, it’s true that this is a piece of life advice that audiences can take from it. Anyone watching will definitely feel grateful not to be in these awful situations.

8 Friends Should Help Each Other

There are many close-knit friend groups in horror movies, especially when the story is about teenagers fighting a serial killer or villain. Redditor LibraryGhoul posted that “in every slasher film you need to stick with your friends,” which is a great lesson. Redditor LouisTully900 said that It: Chapter Two has a “heartfelt message about the true value of friendship.”

There are definitely many pieces of advice about how important friendship is in several horror movies, as characters band together to defeat a common enemy and reach their goal of survival.

7 Process Grief And Other Emotions

The Babadook tells a sad story about Amelia, a widowed mother whose husband, Oskar, died in a car crash. Now Amelia is raising Samuel and their lives change when they find a book called Mister Babadook about a frightening monster who begins haunting them.

One Redditor said that movie tells a lesson about grief, namely that people “should face it and learn to live with it and that will ultimately help us move on.” The Babadook has a scary monster movie character that fans have never forgotten.

6 People Should Listen To Their Gut Instincts

There are many examples in the horror genre of main characters who have been in a creepy situation or place without thinking too much about it. In most of these cases, characters can rely on their own perceptive and self-awareness more often.

One Redditor said, “Horror movies in general taught me to listen to my gut because it’s rarely wrong.” Laurie Strode in the Halloween franchise is a good example of a character who can tell that something is up and that she has to spring into action.

5 Selfishness Is A Bad Personality Trait To Have

One Redditor posted that there’s a smart life lesson in Drag Me To Hell: “Don’t be selfish/greedy.”

As Christine Brown, who works as a loan officer, gets caught up in a client who puts a curse on her, she knows that she is doomed. While this is is a very intense story and might be an extreme and scary example, it’s true that audiences can take the lesson to heart that being selfish is a bad idea.

4 Think More Critically

When fans observe the smartest horror movie main characters, they often look around at the situation that they find themselves in and use some critical thinking skills. This helps these characters stand out since others deny that there’s a threat or danger.

Redditor Spartaren said that horror movies can teach audiences that “Things aren’t always what they seem” and people should “Think about your decisions.”

3 Be Self-Aware

There are many moments in horror movies when audiences want to yell at the screen and tell characters to look behind them or be more discerning about where they are. Redditor newhorizonskyline wrote that fans can learn an important life lesson from these films: “Always be aware of your surroundings.”

In the opening scene of Urban Legend, for example, a character gets into their car without looking into the backseat first and a killer murders them, which is based on the classic scary story that everyone has heard.

2 Don’t Leave The House Without A Charged Cell Phone

While it’s possible to joke about how characters always have dead cell phone batteries, and this is generally considered to be one of the worst horror movie tropes, this is necessary so characters are helpless in the face of a killer.

There is actually some smart advice here, though. Redditor WardnessoftheNorth2 said that horror movies show audiences to “Keep your phone charged.” It’s true that it’s useful to have a full cell phone battery when leaving the house.

1 Being Calm Will Be Helpful In Most Situations

Redditor 1515jpeg wrote that in most horror movies, it seems like the best advice is to always “stay calm.”

This is a great life lesson, even though horror fans don’t ever find themselves in the same eerie life or death scenarios that their favorite movie characters do. There are so many situations when trying to stay calm, rational, and try to figure out a smart solution will be the best idea.

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Aya Tsintziras
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Aya Tsintziras is a freelance writer who writes about pop culture and TV. She has a Political Science degree from the University of Toronto and a Masters of Journalism from Ryerson University. She loves coffee, reading, working out, and watching TV. She lives in Toronto with her husband.

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