The scariest horror movies to me are the ones in which the "fatal mistake" of the protagonists that causes them to be victimized by some great evil is something that literally anyone might do or experience. - A car breaking down somewhere remote, looking at a screen when there happens to be a cursed broadcast playing, visiting a distant relative for the first time.
You can't plan for murderers in the woods, the internet being haunted that day, or Great Auntie Carol turning out to be a werewolf! It makes the story relatable and scary because it reminds us that death is unpredictable and indiscriminate.
One reason Freddy Krueger is so lasting in our public consciousness is because there's no way to avoid him - if you sleep, if you dream, then 1-2 Freddy's coming for you!! Terrifying!
On the flip side, the least frightening horror movies to me (not necessarily bad, just way less scary) are when the protagonists are essentially being punished for doing something fucking WILD that I would never do in a million years!
I'm never going to rescue a kidnapped child and then kidnap her myself to wait until the rescue can look more heroic on me, so I'm not worried about accidentally killing a little girl with my antics and generating a RICHLY-DESERVED revenge ghost. (Seance 2001)
I'm not going to defraud cancer patients with fake medicine! (Saw X)
I'm never going on an expedition in Antarctica. That's how you get The Thing! That's where it lives. There's no reason to go down there! It's crazy talk. (The Thing 1982) (I'm not saying people who go to Antarctica deserve to die by alien blob monster; I'm just saying my disabled ass cannot even a little bit relate to the bonkers behavior that led them to Antarctica in the first place. Literally couldn't be me.)
I'm not saying Candyman in the mirror even one time! I'm not solving the Lament Configuration! I'm not going cave diving! I'm not going into the Creeper pipe!
Tbh I actually really appreciate these kind of movies because it lets me relax a lot more while I watch. The most intense horror movies can make me question existentially who I am and how long I have to live and why. But some of the most fun ones simply assure me that I'd never be as stupid as these characters, so I can just relax and have a good time!
