In a genre that’s known for having characters that make stupid decisions, it’s always refreshing to see a character who actually knows what they’re doing! Whether the decision made a small or huge impact in their survival, these are some of the smartest decisions in the horror genre. I hope you enjoy and let me know which decision deserves to be in this series! (SPOILER ALERT!!!)

When Trina And Abbey Tricked The Mother – Mother’s Day

Trina (Tiana Pierce), Abbey (Nancy Hendrickson), and Jackie (Deborah Luce) were three college best friends who planned a special trip every year to reconnect. This year, they camped deep in the woods. They had a blast catching up and reminiscing about the past. The next night became a nightmare as two psychotic brothers kidnapped them and took them home. For the amusement of their sadistic mother (Beatrice Pons), the brothers raped and tortured Jackie while her friends could do nothing but listen. While everyone was distracted the next day, Trina and Abbey were able to untie themselves, find Jackie, and escape the family. As they tried to go for help, Jackie succumbed to her injuries and Trina and Abbey realized escaping wasn’t enough… they now wanted revenge. They came back and killed the two brothers and Mother was now all alone. Unaware her sons were dead, Mother went to the basement to look for them. Abbey popped out, screaming with a knife in her back. This was a trick to make Mother let her guard down and think her family won. Abbey playing dead bought them enough time to finish off the last piece of the demented puzzle.

When Katie Made Herself Puke – I Spit On Your Grave 2

Katie Carter (Jemma Dallender) was an aspiring model who answered an ad for free professional photo shoots. That was a big mistake as one of the three brothers in charge of the shoot, Georgy (Yavor Baharov) developed an obsession with her. He broke into her apartment, raped her, and killed her neighbor. The other brothers helped him clean up and frame Katie for the murder. They then drugged her and took her with them to Bulgaria. With her naked and chained in their basement, they decided to earn some extra money with her body. They made her swallow Ketamine in order to keep her docile. When they left, she noticed a window and found her ticket out of there. She stuck her fingers down her throat and made herself throw up the drugs. She then pretended to be out of it long enough for Georgy to dress her and turn his back to her. She then grabbed a bucket and hit Georgy multiple times. She was able to climb out of the window and run far enough to find people and authorities. Her escape was short lived, but she certainly made them see she wasn’t going down without a fight!

When Father Tom Tricked The Spirits – Ouija: Origin Of Evil

After the patriarch of the Zander family passed away, Alice (Elizabeth Reaser) and her daughters, Lina (Annalise Basso) and Doris (Lulu Wilson) struggled to make ends meet. With Alice’s spiritual medium hustle failing, they needed a new angle. After Lina mentioned adding an Ouija board to the act, Alice gave it a try, unaware of the traumatic events that she would kick off. The spirits haunting their house latched onto young Doris, making the family believe she was a genuine conduit. As Doris and Alice did more readings, Lina noticed Doris wasn’t acting like herself, so she went to the family friend, Father Tom (Henry Thomas) for help. He went to their house to test these spirits. He acted like he wanted to talk to his deceased wife and whenever he asked a question, he thought up a random answer or no answer at all. He later told Alice everything, proving that the spirits were pretending to be dead loved ones and they were merely reading the minds of those looking for answers. It was a very clever way for Tom to find out exactly what was going on and convince Alice that they were all in danger.

When Judy Turned The Projector On – Annabelle Comes Home

Judy Warren (Mckenna Grace) was the daughter of famed paranormal investigators, Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga). She faced bullying and plenty of hauntings herself. Since Ed and Lorraine were out of town the night before her birthday, she celebrated with her babysitter, Mary Ellen (Madison Iseman) and Mary Ellen’s friend, Daniela (Katie Sarife). What Judy didn’t know was that Daniela only went to her house to break into the Warrens’ room full of haunted artifacts and find some way to communicate with her deceased father. While on her search, she touched many cursed objects and she even used the key to unleash the worst one of all, Annabelle. The trio soon found themselves surrounded by ghosts and demons alike, one of which was a possessed wedding dress that got ahold of Daniela. As Daniela tried to kill Mary Ellen and Judy, Judy remembered a recording of one of her father’s exorcisms. She threw on the projector, and Ed’s prayers filled the room, stopping possessed Daniela in her tracks. Judy was able to get her father’s help even when he wasn’t home. She was always such a bright character!

When Muldoon Asked One Simple Question – The Grudge

Detective Muldoon (Andrea Riseborough) moved to a new town with her son, Burke (John Hansen) after losing her husband. Her first case involved a car crash, and when they found the dead woman’s last known location, they went to the house and discovered a horrific sight. The house was cursed by vengeful spirits who tormented and killed everyone who stepped foot inside. Muldoon was marked as soon as she entered. After being terrorized and driven crazy, Muldoon cracked the mystery behind the curse. Worried for Burke’s life, Muldoon figured if she burned the house down, the curse would be lifted. She drove with her son to the house and made him stay in the car. After she completely doused the house and was ready to light it up, she halted when she saw Burke just standing there. Unsure if it was really her son, she asked him the one question Burke always had the answer to: what do we do when we’re afraid? This time, Burke didn’t know the answer, and Muldoon knew immediately that it wasn’t her son, but the spirits tricking her. She then lit the fire and ran out to join her real son.