10 More Dumb Decisions In Horror Movies That Got The Villain Killed

Why don't villains ever kill their victim at the first given opportunity? Not only is this trope non-sensical, it usually leads to the antagonist's death.

And few adversaries demonstrate this fact better than IT's big bad, Pennywise. In the 2017 adaptation, a teenager called Billy discovers his hometown has been invaded by a shapeshifting clown who feeds on fear. When Pennywise eats Billy's little brother, Georgie, he and his friends vow to destroy the demonic jester.

Pennywise has plenty of chances to kill the children, but chooses not to, knowing they will taste better when their fear has peaked. Pennywise's hesitance gives Billy and his mates enough time to band together and pulverise the devilish joker, forcing him to go into hiding for years to heal.

In his defence, Pennywise assumed a bunch of kids who call themselves The Losers Club would be easy pickings. After his initial defeat, he should wise up for their next encounter.

Despite having decades to plan out a more efficient strategy, Pennywise attacks his prey the same way as before, refusing to finish the job, even when they're offered to him on a silver platter. Pennywise's ineffective method allows The Loser Club to get the drop on him again, killing him for good this time.

Now, you could argue that Pennywise can't slaughter his victims until they are ripe with fear. However, he repeatedly murders children without hesitation, including Georgie, proving he doesn't need to prolong their demise to be satiated.

And yet, Pennywise rarely kills the main characters when he needs to, purely for the sake of the plot.