10 Smartest Decisions In Slasher Horror Movie History

5. Staying Silent - You're Next

You're Next
Lionsgate

You're Next is one of the great modern-day slasher movies, with Sharni Vincent's turn as badass survivalist Erin a standout of the horror genre.

Having grown up in a compound setting where she had to learn essential survival skills, Erin was quick to rely on these instincts when she finds herself in the middle of a home invasion featuring a group of killers in animal masks. And thanks to these skills and her own instincts, Erin was able to overcome the odds and make it out of Adam Wingard's 2011 picture in one piece.

When it comes to one particularly smart decision from Erin, that would be how she opted to stay quiet when answering the phone.

With the cat out of the bag that the killers had been hired by Felix and his partner Zee as part of a plan to have an inheritance would head their way, Erin ends up killing Felix via a blender and then stabs Zee to death. It's then that Felix's cell phone rings - and Erin opts to pick up the call.

Giving him enough rope to hang himself with, Erin's silence sees her partner Crispian on the other end of the call as he reveals that he was also in on this murder spree - which puts all of the puzzle pieces together for Erin.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

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.