12. Read From A Book Of The Dead
Whether it be the ancient Egyptian Book Of The Dead or the Necronomicon of Lovecraftian fiction, horror films have taught us that no good ever came from messing with these things. Considering that the power of these books is usually portrayed as coming from the texts being read aloud, it's surprising how easily horror protagonists manage to get themselves into this exact situation. In The Evil Dead (originally named The Book Of The Dead), five people find a tape player in their isolated holiday cabin that contains a reading from an ancient Sumerian book of the dead, the Naturan Demanto. The tape recordings were made by a professor or archaeology, who helpfully explains that it is only through the act of reciting the resurrection passage that demons would be able to possess the living... before going ahead and doing just that. The sense of deja vu is compounded by eerily similar readings in the sequel/remake Evil Dead II (with the Naturan Demanto now renamed the Necronomicon) and in The Mummy, where librarian and ancient Egyptian scholar Evie delivers the prophetic line It's just a book. No harm ever came from reading a book...