10 Exact Moments That Doomed Horror Movie Villains

9. Jack Enters The Maze - The Shining

Scream 4 Jill
Warner Bros.

Though Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) was basically a dead man the moment he agreed to serve as the caretaker of the Overlook Hotel, one very specific decision ensured his more immediate demise.

When pursuing his son Danny (Danny Lloyd) with murderous intent in the film's climax, Jack chases him out into the cold and then into the Overlook's elaborate hedge maze.

In a showing of exceptional smarts, especially for an embattled child, Danny creates a false footprint trail in the snow, ensuring his father loses track of him and gets lost in the maze, ultimately freezing to death while Danny escapes.

Now granted, we don't really know exactly what happened to Jack at the end of The Shining - was he absorbed into the Overlook? - but from what concrete evidence we see in the movie itself, Jack's big mistake was chasing Danny into the maze rather than simply waiting him out.

After all, he had to exit eventually, right?

Contributor
Contributor

Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.