Six Lessons Learned By Horror Movie Victims That You Should Remember When Dating
6. Lesson 6: Chrissy Watkins in JAWS- Don’t Dive Into Anything
Sure it seemed like an excellent idea at the time. The perfect end to a a beach picnic date. So Chrissy strips naked and heads into the ocean. But she doesn’t just wade. No that might be sensible and not get her killed, she swims as far out as she can go before she gets attacked by Jaws.
How does this apply to my dating life?
Well, We all tend to act like Chrissy from time to time. when dating. On dates, how often do you take your clothes off and get yourself too deep in before you realize maybe it wasn’t such a good idea? By that time, of course, your head is already bobbing up and down, you’re screaming, and well it’s entirely too late for anyone to save you. If like Chrissy, on a date you smoke a little pot and have a few drinks, chances that you’ll do something stupid will rise exponentially.
The Take-Away
Don’t dive in head first into anything when you’re just getting to know someone. Wade around a bit, stay close to shore until you’re certain you know what exactly is in the water. What’s the worst that could happen? Like Chrissy, you could get eaten alive.
Lesson 5: Wendy Torrence- The Shining. You can’t fix another person. Don’t even try.
Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, and Jack Nicholson in car on their way to resort in lobby card for the film ‘The Shining’, 1980.
January 01, 1980| Credit: Archive Photos
Wendy’s husband has rage issues that led him to be fired from his teaching job. He also has a history of child abuse and alcoholism… so she decides to move with him to a hotel so he can take the caretaker position. The last person who did the job did kill himself and his family and they will be secluded and likely snowed in with no one else around for months, but likely everything will be fine, right? Wendy clearly thinks she can fix her husband, played by Jack Nicholson or she would have left him long before he was offered the position at the Overlook.
How does this apply to my dating life? So many of us make the mistake of trying to fix our significant other and in the process we end up not only not helping them, but we also wind up hurting ourselves. People with addictions, personality disorders, rage issues, etc. need professional help and likely should not be in a relationship until long after recovery, if ever.
The Take-Away- Try fixing someone and you’ll likely find yourself in a terrifying maze that’s very difficult to get out of.
Lesson #4 -Michael Douglass -FATAL ATTRACTION- Affairs Never End Well
Source: awesomebmovies.com
Dan Callagher meets hot blond, Alex, and though he’s allegedly a happily married family man, he decides to have a little bungle in the jungle. After he bangs Alex, played by Glenn Close, in every space they occupy during their evening of passion, he writes off their torrid sexual encounter as a one night stand. Alex, however, proves hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. She wants more, terrorizes his family and kidnaps his child before a violent tussle leaves her dead. In the end, It’s pretty hard to hide the obvious for Old Danny boy, who spends much of the movie trying to cover up his affair.
How does this apply to my dating life? You might think this would go without saying, but then if you do you probably don’t know how many real life people fuck up their lives and countless other lives by cheating. You are dating but you’re tired of your boyfriend, break up with him. You’re married but want to be single again? Get a divorce. And for heaven’s sake, don’t be a willing participant in an affair if you are single. Do you really need that shit? Do you really think the shape of love is a triangle?
The Take-Away: Winners never cheat. Cheaters never win. If you’re otherwise entangled, keep it in your pants. Scorn a lover, god help you when they seek revenge.
Lesson #3 Annie- Friday the 13th. When people warn you about someone repeatedly, you should probably listen.
Annie, in Friday the 13th, receives multiple warnings before she hitchhikes with a stranger to a place she is cautioned not to go and has her throat slashed. The people in the diner have no vested interest, other than Annie’s personal safety, for issuing her warnings. As you know, if you’ve seen the movie, not only does she not listen, she decides to hitchhike into the woods that have already been the sight of multiple murders. To say the least, things for Annie don’t end well.
How does this apply to my dating life? You know sometimes you’re told not to do something, or date someone but you really, really want to, and the cautionary tale just intrigues you more? You throw caution to the wind, you heed no advice from well-meaning family, friends and strangers. You many not get your throat slashed but you could set yourself up for avoidable heatbreak. The thing is people generally issue warnings out of concern, not because they want to stop you from having fun or finding the love of your life. At the very least, if lots of people are telling you a person is no good for you, or shouldn’t date them, give careful consideration to their advice.
The Take-Away: While everything in life comes with risk, you can minimize your chances of getting hurt by listening to people who only have your best interest at heart.
Lesson #2 Casey Becker in Scream: When the conversation’s not going so well, end it before things get ugly.
Casey Becker finds herself home alone and becomes engaged in a terrifying phone call. The phone call gets worse and worse but Casey does nothing to stop it. She doesn’t reach out for help, she doesn’t hang up the phone and flee for safety. Instead, she continues the conversation until the killer comes and gets her.
How does this apply to my dating life? Ok. So you may not get a terrifying, threatening call from your potential date, but how many times have you done the online thing and then agreed to an actual phone conversation to gauge your compatibility? And this is a good idea, except you know in the first five minutes from his lengthy description of what a bitch his ex was that it’s probably not going to be a match. Nevertheless, you keep talking and before you know it, you’re eating shitty, half-priced appetizers with someone you already know you don’t like.
The Take-Away: Time is precious. As soon as you realize that either the conversation is going no where or it’s somewhere you never want to go, make the call to end it before you get stuck doing something you don’t want to do.
Lesson # 1 Marion Crane in Psycho- If someone is creepy, don’t stick around and get to know them better.
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Marion Crane decides to steal 40,000. from her boss so she can continue a love affair with a man who can’t afford to make her his wife. This sets her on the path to the Bates Motel where creepy a f Norman checks her in, shows her his stuffed bird collection, and then heads to the main house to take care of his mother. When Marion overhears him arguing with his mom about her, she doesn’t throw her shit together and run out the door like a sensible person. No, instead she decides to take a leisurely shower in the seedy roadside motel run by a momma’s boy whose hobby is taxidermy. Is she serious?
How does this apply to my dating life? Obviously there are varying degrees of creepy, and everyone who enjoys taxidermy is not a psycho. But all that being said, when someone gives you the willies, probably best not to get to know them better. While personal safety may not be at issue, someone who creeps you out is likely not going to grow on you. And if you do decide to stick around you may find the creeper is not just a creeper but also a clinger, and then you’ve got a real problem on your hands. Also beware of dating people with strange parental attachments for a host of reasons. And if someone’s house is especially freaky to you, for any reason, recognize that’s not a great foundation on which to build a relationship.
The Take-Away: Don’t stay in an uncomfortable situation under the delusion that it will get better. If it’s creepy to you, whether it be creepy scary, creepy seedy, creepy gross, or any other variety of creepy, leave immediately. You can take a shower when you get home
