No doubt many of you have noticed how often movies reuse tropes and themes that were used many times in other movies. Sure, sometimes it can work, especially if it’s a unique twist on the concept. But that’s not always the case, and other times, the trope is run into the ground.
Well, one horror movie trope that has eluded many of us is how males in movies fall for female serial (or not) killers or straight-up monsters in female disguise just because they weren’t thinking.
Image credits: JBRylah
Writer, editor, and horror enthusiast Juliet Bennett Rylah has recently made a list on her Twitter pointing out a number of horror movies that, to put it simply, include dumb horny guys, and the internet loved it.
Image credits: JBRylah
Check out the list with all of JB Rylah’s comments included below. And while you’re down there, vote and comment on the ones you like the most!
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Species (1995)
Juliet Bennett Rylah is a writer and editor for a number of news outlets, including We Like L.A. and The LAnd Magazine, but is also an avid horror movie enthusiast.
One day, she noticed how many movies have this pretty obvious (and somewhat ridiculous) theme of sexually aroused men being seduced by murderous women (or murderous female monsters) and then, surprise, murdered to death. Or transformed into vampires. Victimized, the word I was looking for was victimized.
So, she went to Twitter to share some of her observations regarding this trope, saying “Men in horror movies are always like wow, a sexy lady just emerged from the woods/bog/cave/lake etc. and wants to kiss me? Nothing suspicious about this!”
Jennifer´s Body (2009)
No Escape Room (2018)
Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)
Just imagine if it was three men doing that with a woman. Oh and spoiler alert, it's not fine. They try to kill him
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Jonathan Harker is slowly going mad at this point of the story, and he thinks that he is dreaming in this scene (also in the book). Only when the first woman bites him does he realize that it's really happening. Dracula comes at this precise moment to stop them, and Jonathan falls back into sleep. Not the best example :-)
In fairness, Mr. Harker was definitely not fine with this, at least in the book. Ge could hardly resist, but there was vampire magic involved
Not fair, Dracula had been bleeding Harker regularly, he was in a demented and hallucinatory state and (if I recall correctly) actually thought he was with his beloved Mina.
Can't vampires hypnotize people? In the book wasn't Jonathan deeply upset with his behaviour under hypnosis because he loved Mina? Wasn't this really similar to sexual assault and being hypnotized by a vampire is like being drunk or on drugs?
Yeah that bit always seems really dumb to me... but then he obeys Draccy- boos' orders not to leave etc so he is kinda stupid anyway. Oh wait - he was actually going mad so he's not himself.
Rylah mentions a number of films (and dumb horny men in them), including Trick 'r Treat, It Follows, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Hellraiser, and many more.
Each tweet also included some hilarious comments and remarks from Rylah herself. Most of the time, she voices what’s going on in the minds of the male characters before their impending doom, but there are also other comments like her saying where she herself would have probably died.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)
Rylah also provided some context on how there are also mythologies that are based on seducing men:
“The baobhan sith gets you when you have horny thoughts. The patasola gets you in the wilderness. The sayona gets cheaters. A lot of sexy monsters are just hungry. The folklore is to try to encourage you to NOT be seduced by a sexy monster, but as many of you have shown… you are horny for monsters.”
She did, however, also point out that this list doesn’t say that all men in real life make poor decisions—it merely points out how a trope was used repeatedly in ridiculous ways.
Knock Knock (2015)
Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)
Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)
From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
Hellraiser 2: Hellbound (1988)
Many people found this to be a rather entertaining list. Rylah’s Twitter thread made some headlines and garnered over 28,000 likes with over 5,000 retweets.
Many in the comments pointed out some other movies that used this same trope, adding to the list of dumb guys in horror films, while others were discussing the nuances of the genre.
You can check out more by going to Rylah’s Twitter thread, but before you go, let us know what you thought about this in the comment section!
American Gods (2017)
Once Bitten (1985)
Lovecraft Country (2020)
Queen Of The Damned (2002)
True Blood (2008-2014)
Audition (1999)
Hannibal (2013-2015)
Girl On The Third Floor (2019)
It Follows (2014)
A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night (2014)
"A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night" interesting and amazing Iranian Vampire film. Highly recommend!
The Hunger (1983)
catherine deneuve and david bowie? Will die twice for the pleasure of dying again
Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)
They're so cute, bored, posh and politely blood-thirsty. Great movie with excellent soundtrack.
Trick 'R Treat (2007)
The Mortuary Collection (2019)
The Love Witch (2016)
I know very few of these movies but it is a familiar trope that a sexy woman can seduce a man and then steal his money or liver or sacrifice him with little to no effort. I'm not saying it's true, but Hollywood thinks it is
Was that comment meant for someone else Messy? It doesn't actually make sense. You okay?
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Just a consequence of the movie genre they´re in. They decide that the "suspicious" aspect isn´t a problem to get in the way. And why should it? There are weird people. Why should they assume that every weird, mysterious or even clearly supernatural/non-human being apparently interested in them wants to kill them? Looking at you, Greek mythology ...
I feel like this is a big thing in spy movies too. sexy woman flirts her way into super secure building. Gets key by seducing middle aged guard, who despite it being his job to be a little suspicious, totally falls for it because she is wearing a short skirt.
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I mean it's one of the typical horror movie characters: Horny guy, dumb blonde, smart nerd (m/w), loveable loser, etc. "Cabin in the woods" is a good satire on this.
Amazing movie. I was laughing so hard at the motorcycle jump part, I had to rewind and watch it a couple more times
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Horror movie trope: Man is minding his own business. Very hot, but very strange woman appears in his locked hotel room, car or on the lone road at night. She is very sexy but has large fangs and she has some other feature like green skin or wings. But whatever she seems to be fascinated with our male protagonist who is just a normal, not really sexy everyday man (who is also sometimes married) so he believes her that this is love or lust on first sight and immediately accepts to has sex with her in some lonely, weird place. Ok, so she has fangs, but she is hot, what could go wrong?
If a stranger is overly friendly to me in any way in any way, I'm immediately suspicious. More likely that I think they will try to sell me some multi-level marketing scheme, or pull me into some sort of religion or cult... rather than killing me, but suspicious none the less
It's as if movies write it so these horny guys are stupid. What a surprise! You think a scary movie is going to write it so a guy actually goes "NOPE" and turns the other way avoiding an hour and a half of movie time? This trope is as played out as the dumb girls in horror movies that jump into a lake without their clothes on. The only reason she's even tweeting about it is because this kinda stuff is just part of the course in scary movies.
I think it's poor writing by people looking for sexy scenes to movies (mixing danger and sex). Most of the time it paints the seduced as simple and stupid. It happens to women in movies too. Hollywood writers like the idea that people just can't help themselves.
There was enough buffy, surprised they didn't go after the xander always falls for a monster thing. They covered the praying mantis, but there were many others. He was grade A monster bait.
I get most of this stuff is kind of sad and ridiculous, but arent vampires supposed to be highly hypnotic if not drug like?
Name a horror movie which in wasn't every character dumb as ****! For real, I'd like to see one which in the plot wasn't entirely driven by the stupidity of characters.
Uuuuugh!! I love horror movies but I feel like all of these are adult movies therefor, I can’t watch them!!
Not supernatural, but, it fits the stupid man/surprisingly dangerous woman movie genre- Hard Candy
I'd betray humanity at the first opportunity. No offense, but aliens are better.
You could include "Midsommar" in this. The place is sketchy as hell, two people have already disappeared, and Mark thinks it's a dandy idea to go off with a girl whose best line is, "Come. I show you." Christian at least had the excuse that he was tripping balls.
This is nothing new. It's a syndrome in real life called, " thinking with your....... reproductive organ. " Guilty.
I know very few of these movies but it is a familiar trope that a sexy woman can seduce a man and then steal his money or liver or sacrifice him with little to no effort. I'm not saying it's true, but Hollywood thinks it is
Was that comment meant for someone else Messy? It doesn't actually make sense. You okay?
Load More Replies... Just a consequence of the movie genre they´re in. They decide that the "suspicious" aspect isn´t a problem to get in the way. And why should it? There are weird people. Why should they assume that every weird, mysterious or even clearly supernatural/non-human being apparently interested in them wants to kill them? Looking at you, Greek mythology ...
I feel like this is a big thing in spy movies too. sexy woman flirts her way into super secure building. Gets key by seducing middle aged guard, who despite it being his job to be a little suspicious, totally falls for it because she is wearing a short skirt.
Load More Replies... I mean it's one of the typical horror movie characters: Horny guy, dumb blonde, smart nerd (m/w), loveable loser, etc. "Cabin in the woods" is a good satire on this.
Amazing movie. I was laughing so hard at the motorcycle jump part, I had to rewind and watch it a couple more times
Load More Replies... Horror movie trope: Man is minding his own business. Very hot, but very strange woman appears in his locked hotel room, car or on the lone road at night. She is very sexy but has large fangs and she has some other feature like green skin or wings. But whatever she seems to be fascinated with our male protagonist who is just a normal, not really sexy everyday man (who is also sometimes married) so he believes her that this is love or lust on first sight and immediately accepts to has sex with her in some lonely, weird place. Ok, so she has fangs, but she is hot, what could go wrong?
If a stranger is overly friendly to me in any way in any way, I'm immediately suspicious. More likely that I think they will try to sell me some multi-level marketing scheme, or pull me into some sort of religion or cult... rather than killing me, but suspicious none the less
It's as if movies write it so these horny guys are stupid. What a surprise! You think a scary movie is going to write it so a guy actually goes "NOPE" and turns the other way avoiding an hour and a half of movie time? This trope is as played out as the dumb girls in horror movies that jump into a lake without their clothes on. The only reason she's even tweeting about it is because this kinda stuff is just part of the course in scary movies.
I think it's poor writing by people looking for sexy scenes to movies (mixing danger and sex). Most of the time it paints the seduced as simple and stupid. It happens to women in movies too. Hollywood writers like the idea that people just can't help themselves.
There was enough buffy, surprised they didn't go after the xander always falls for a monster thing. They covered the praying mantis, but there were many others. He was grade A monster bait.
I get most of this stuff is kind of sad and ridiculous, but arent vampires supposed to be highly hypnotic if not drug like?
Name a horror movie which in wasn't every character dumb as ****! For real, I'd like to see one which in the plot wasn't entirely driven by the stupidity of characters.
Uuuuugh!! I love horror movies but I feel like all of these are adult movies therefor, I can’t watch them!!
Not supernatural, but, it fits the stupid man/surprisingly dangerous woman movie genre- Hard Candy
I'd betray humanity at the first opportunity. No offense, but aliens are better.
You could include "Midsommar" in this. The place is sketchy as hell, two people have already disappeared, and Mark thinks it's a dandy idea to go off with a girl whose best line is, "Come. I show you." Christian at least had the excuse that he was tripping balls.
This is nothing new. It's a syndrome in real life called, " thinking with your....... reproductive organ. " Guilty.
