10 Smartest Decisions In Slasher Horror Movie History

1. Helen Embracing Her Fate - Candyman

Trevor Lyle Candyman
TriStar Pictures

It may sound defeatist, but sometimes the smartest thing to do in a slasher movie is to embrace your fate.

While 1992's Candyman saw Virginia Madsen's Helen end up having a horrible death as she was burnt to a crisp, that decision proved to be a smart one where it pertains to the greater good. For Helen, that greater good was protecting the baby son of her friend Anne-Marie.

To do so, Helen ended up burning to death after finally giving in to the charming, hook-handed Daniel Robitaille. Robitaille, aka the Candyman, implores Helen - who he believes to be the reincarnation of Daniel's former lover - to join him in his quest to strike fear into the residents of Cabrini-Green in order to maintain his legacy amongst modern-day folklore, and she finally bends to Candyman's will.

It's only in doing this that Helen is able to save the life of young Anthony, even if her own fate may not be quite so much of a positive one. That said, Helen opting to give in to the Candyman did also have one added silver lining - for it allowed she herself to become a vengeance-seeking spirit who was able to slice up her cheating ex-husband.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.