Best mystery movie stupidity of all time

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Underwater picture

Stupidity: Norah is an experienced engineer and handywoman, still, she doesn't even bother herself for a second to at least TRY to fix the faulty escape pod.

Dangar

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Drowning Mona picture

Stupidity: Phil and Rona are in their usual cabin for their usual get-together when Phil tries to tell Rona that Mona is dead, but Rona says, "You'll find me floating at the bottom of the Hudson." If you are floating in a body of water, you are on the top, not the bottom.

kh1616

More Drowning Mona stupidity
Luce picture

Stupidity: When Amy heard Luce coming toward the kitchen, she "hid" his school paper and bag of fireworks in a kitchen cupboard, apparently while knowing Luce would be doing the dishes (and putting them away in the cupboards). Amy and Peter were on the patio (with the door open) just outside the kitchen when Luce was doing the dishes yet Amy made no attempt to prevent Luce from finding his paper and bag of fireworks (which he did). (00:16:20 - 00:21:00)

KeyZOid

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The Gourmet Detective picture

Stupidity: In the flashback about the way the victim was poisoned, it would seem that the murderer straight out went to a waitress and handed them a single chalice of poisoned champagne, ordering the waitress to give that exact glass to the victim. That's just a little bit absurd; if it's a flashback based on a testimony, the case should have been solved in 0.1 minutes once the waitress says that that very well known person asked them to bring a glass to the victim - it's a request highly unusual and that would be easily remembered. If it's just some wild guess of the detective, that's a mighty strange way to imagine how things went, rather than just the killer slipping venom in the victim's glass when they were not looking. (01:04:00)

Sammo

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Ten Little Indians picture

Stupidity: Ilona Bergen's murder happening as shown is laughable; she sees the hand with the syringe coming, slowly, at her, and not only she can't defend herself or avoid it (because, damsels in distress in the 60s, you know), but she does not even scream. There's no way the killer could have been sure, or even take a calculated risk, to murder her in such a way. (00:55:25)

Sammo

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Escape Plan picture

Stupidity: The security system is able to automatically ascertain the malfunction to the exact valve, and the electrical problem, but the alarm is not triggered at that point, but only when the holding cells are already filled with water and Breslin is making his return. They are on a ship, the fact that it's taking on water feels like a pretty important issue to monitor.

Sammo

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Phantasm picture

Stupidity: When Jody traps Michael in his room, he does so by sticking a screwdriver between the the door and the jamb. This likely wouldn't accomplish much regardless, but it especially wouldn't work in this situation because the door opens into the room, so Michael could simply open the door and the screwdriver would fall on the ground.

Aaron Craig

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Panic Room picture

Stupidity: When the police turn up the first time the mother lies to them to get them to go away but the burglars can't hear the conversation. She could have told them exactly what was happening and that she had to make it look like she'd got rid of them. She could have then smashed all the cameras and just let them in.

Danhit

Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: This was a character decision, and a completely understandable one. Her daughter was being held hostage in the panic room. She decided to cooperate with their demands for the safety of her daughter. Your idea is a solid one, but she simply did not think of it in her state of mind. She opted to get rid of the police, and her decision is not a movie mistake.

jshy7979

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Girl on the Third Floor picture

Stupidity: The marble somehow got under Don's skin at the bottom of his leg and was moving up the length of his body. Instead of heading off the marble in order to intercept and stop it from continuing up his leg, Don got a knife/box cutter and jabbed it into his skin near the bottom of his leg and trailed the marble, causing a long gash that served no purpose (other than creating a lot of blood and making a gory scene). The marble eventually exited his body via his eye. (01:04:40)

KeyZOid

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Rosewood Lane picture

Stupidity: In the opening scene, Sonny has come to her now-deceased father's house. Police and the coroner are in the basement taking notes while standing around the body - which is face down and awkwardly lying at the bottom of the steps. Det. Sabatino informed Sonny that the death was ruled accidental due to a high blood-alcohol level. Detectives or the coroner did not rule out other possibilities: natural cause, suicide, or murder. High blood-alcohol level could be secondary.

KeyZOid

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Daphne & Velma picture

Stupidity: During the ghost chase montage, why would Velma look for her glasses with her hand in midair instead than on the ground? No matter how nearsighted you are, the closest wall, or obstacle, is meters away and you'll never find your glasses anywhere but the floor. She does it for a longer time than anyone would. (00:52:40)

Sammo

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The Vanished picture

Stupidity: Throughout the entire movie the police just don't seem to be doing their job. From the beginning they never taped off the RV as a possible crime scene, for 4 days every night the police always have their cherries on, and they are standing in front if the lake looking in the same spot about 50 yards away from the RV. They never searched the buildings on the grounds; which the mother searched and found the sicko responsible for making filthy movies. They also never searched the trash. Doesn't jive. (00:00:01 - 01:50:55)

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Murder at 1600 picture

Stupidity: Anyone with a job in the White House would have to be known to the Secret Service on a daily basis, so the two Secret Service agents that find Cory the janitor should have been aware of his identity without him having to state who he was and that he worked there.

More Murder at 1600 stupidity
The Omen picture

Stupidity: The babies could have simply been swapped at the start. There was no reason Father Spiletto needed to inform Robert Thorn of his son's death and then convince him to take a different child instead.

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Suggested correction: Perhaps, but then again the Satanists were trying to cover all bases. If they simply swapped them, the parents may start questioning things when Damien grew up and they might have noticed that he didn't look or behave like either of them. For insurance they could have brought Robert Thorn into the plot (without his knowledge of the full story), so that if she asks any questions he could simply stick to the story, offering a cover to the Satanists. During the conversation, he mentioned that the baby dying would be devastating to his wife (which is why he agreed to the switch) so his intentions were pure, even though it ends badly and tragically for both him and his wife.

dewinela

More The Omen stupidity
November Criminals picture

Stupidity: Addison got out of his car to drop his college application into a USPS curbside mailbox. A curbside mailbox is designed to be conveniently accessible from a vehicle (provided the vehicle is pulled up close enough to the curb). (00:02:50)

KeyZOid

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The Pledge picture

Stupidity: The end fell apart. It took convincing to get the police at the picnic area; however, while Jack was cracking up, they just left alone with his gun. After the stakeout was a bust, why didn't the police just question the girl: "Who told you to come here? Who was to meet you here?" Also, they police see a smashed black station-wagon. Was there no connection to the previous child's drawing?

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La Confidential picture

Stupidity: When White and Exley meet outside the motel and realise they've been set up, White suggests they leave, but Exley says it's too late. It wasn't even close to too late. There were no other people around, they had cars and there was a road right in front of them. Then they decide to go trap themselves inside the motel. It seems like they wanted to be shot.

MikeH

More La Confidential stupidity

Stupidity: I seriously doubt that any Mexican Mafia cartel operating here in the U.S. would waste their time eliminating two simple patrol officers. There's nothing to gain by doing so, and it would bring a war between themselves and the police, which in return would bring hundreds of arrests of key members, drug busts, raids of their operations within Southern Cali, etc. They wouldn't risk their business taking millions of loss of revenue all to kill two patrol beat cops.

More End of Watch stupidity
Monster House picture

Stupidity: If the weak spot of the house is the fiery chimney, then the kids could have just thrown the dynamite into it instead of lighting it themselves. They put themselves in unnecessary danger for the sake of drama.

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Suggested correction: You don't think that once Nebbercracker noticed the house had the spirit of his wife, he would have realised this could happen one day. In order to protect her, he most likely blocked off the fireplace.

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Body Double picture

Stupidity: Despite being assaulted by an intruder that she managed to temporarily fend off, the female neighbor takes forever to say something when she calls the police, which is just enough time for the villain to regain his senses and attack her with a huge drill.

Movielover1996

More Body Double stupidity

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