Summary
Horror protagonists are either known for being exceptionally intelligent or unimaginably stupid, both in live-action films and video games. Many of them stereotypically — in conforming with conventional horror tropes — fall into the latter category, but once in a while, a protagonist comes along who proves their worth by adapting to and overcoming the plight in which they find themselves. Be it actual intuition and survival instincts or sheer dumb luck, some horror characters defy expectations to make some of the smartest, most self-sufficient choices in the face of danger. Most of the time, these split-second decisions or carefully thought-out tactics are their saving grace, as it keeps them alive throughout the game.
Smarts are often associated with academics, but it isn’t always textbook knowledge that makes horror protagonists exceedingly intelligent. Oftentimes, it’s the will to live and the innate ability to improvise that ensures their survival and the survival of those around them. These horror protagonists are some of the most exemplary survivalists the genre has to offer.
After his wife Jodie died, Harry Mason was forced to raise his adoptive daughter, Cheryl, alone for four years, which is already a testament to his ability to adapt and overcome unforeseen circumstances. For Harry to be an accomplished writer, he must be relatively book-smart, butwhen Cheryl goes missing in the town of Silent Hill, Harry proves that he’s also competent and resourceful. While he can be relatively clumsy, Harry is a perceptive critical-thinker, as shown by how he manages to solve Silent Hill’s many puzzles and manages to discover Cheryl’s fate at the hands of a cult called “the Order.”
Once Harry and baby Cheryl (long story) escapeSilent Hill, Harry is forced to fend off members of the Order and relocate for his and the girl’s safety. Harry made the executive decision to dye Cheryl’s hair and hide out incognito by changing her identity (renaming her Heather). This is how Harry and Heather managed to remain alive all those years, all while Harry raised Heather to be an extension of himself — independent yet compassionate.
Emily’s fate inUntil Dawndepends entirely on the player’s choices, so theoretically, Emily can either be laughably bone-headed or easily the smartest member of the group. Canonically, as Emily tells Jessica that she has a 4.0 GPA during an argument, it can be assumed that Supermassive Games intended for Emily to be the smartest character — at least on paper. In Chapter 6, Emily ventures to the radio tower (with or without Matt) to contact the local Park Ranger Service, but the tower collapses. Emily can find a flare gun here, which — if he is still alive — she can give to Matt, but both decisions have their benefits, as the flare gun can be used in self-defense by either character.
In Chapter 7, Emily must navigate the Blackwood Mines alone while finding clues pertaining to the disappearance of Hannah and Beth Washington. Rather than hiding out in the lodge or goingLone Rangerlike Mike, Emily enlists the help of Matt to call in an emergency rescue. In fact, Emily is the whole reason that the surviving members of the group can be evacuated at the end ofUntil Dawn, as she is the one who suggests venturing out to the radio tower.
While Ellie Williams is a formidable and intelligent protagonist and certainly a suitable choice, she had to learn everything she knows from somewhere. After the outbreak takes away his daughter at the start ofThe Last of Us, Joel becomes a hardened and ruthless smuggler with very little remorse, but when he meets Ellie, Joel finds a renewed purpose. When the Fireflies taskJoel with transporting Ellie across post-apocalyptic America, he realizes he needs to keep his wits about him if both of them are to make the journey unscathed.
As a seasoned survivalist, Joel is a cunning and capable marksman, tactician, and combatant. But, he doesn’t just exhibit physical prowess, as Joel is able to navigate his surroundings effortlessly to find alternate routes, adeptly craft materials, and fend off hordes of Infected with relative ease. Joel is also a talented guitarist, which takes a level of patience, persistence, and knowledge to master.
Perhaps Joel’s biggest lapse in judgment came when he saved Abby Anderson, a decision that would cost him dearly later on. Besides Joel becoming more lenient in his old age, he was always able to face off against overwhelming odds and rarely ever found himself cornered or outmatched by any opponent, both Infected and otherwise.
Ada Wong’s ingenuity and artfulness know no bounds, especially when she’s acting as a double agent and manipulating various officials to serve her own self-interest. At all times, no one quite knows with whom Ada aligns herself — be it the forces of good or evil — and that’s precisely what makes her so undeniably genius. She always holds her cards close to her chest and never, ever bluffs, even when the chips are down and her back is against the wall. Ada doesn’t necessarily possess a genius-level intellect like Albert Wesker, but her brilliance manifests in other ways, such as when she managed to survive the outbreak in Raccoon City alongside Leon Kennedy inResident Evil 2. Ada Wong has long been a fan-favorite character from the series, and after making a big splash inResident Evil 4 Remake’s Separate Ways DLC, it might be time for Capcom to deliver a more Ada-focusedREtitle in the near future.
Ada is also one of the few individuals to ever outwit Wesker,whom she worked alongside for several yearsbefore ultimately back-stabbing him for personal gain, especially after developing a fondness for Leon. In her time as a hired mercenary, Ada has been employed by dozens of powerful organizations, all the while working to undermine them and further her own needs. Ada has a tendency to get herself in sticky situations, but thankfully, she’s also adept at weaseling her way out of them, often with unclear means.
Similarly to Ellie inThe Last of Us, Clementine fromThe Walking Deadwas forced to mature much faster than normal after losing those closest to her. Clementine displays remarkable intelligence andlearns a great deal from Lee Everett, including the art of practicality and the necessity of survival. Due to possessing a level of intelligence far beyond her years, Clementine was able to adapt to the post-apocalyptic world despite her perceived innocence. But, when Clementine is faced with some difficult decisions in later chapters, she sheds the last of her idealistic views and becomes more heartless and cynical. Clementine no longer clings to a hopeful outlook and instead focuses on doing whatever it takes to survive, even if it isn’t the “righteous” or “virtuous” thing to do.
Due to her young age, Clementine’s survival relies on resourcefulness rather than brute strength, and as the game progresses, she becomes more aloof and self-sufficient. Clementine avoids traveling in larger groups in her mid-teen years, much preferring to operate on her own terms. She utilizes her common sense and inherited skills from Lee to outlast many of the other survivors, even though she happens to be half their age by the game’s end.
Jill Valentine may not rank anywhere close to the realintellectuals of theResident Evilfranchise, such as Dr. William Birkin and Alex and Albert Wesker, but Jill is the embodiment of a whole different definition of “intelligent.” For starters, Jill became the only woman to ever join Captain Wesker’s Alpha Team after impressing him during her time as a S.T.A.R.S. operative, which is no small feat considering Albert Wesker’s scathing approach to selecting trainees. Jill is an infamous locksmith, able to pick a lock using pretty much anything at her disposal.
Jill is also a jack of all trades; ex-special forces, bomb disposal expert, and intelligent enough to face off against the likes of Albert Wesker, as well as solveResident Evil’s many environmental puzzles.Jill has remained one of the most enduringResident Evilprotagonists, even going toe-to-toe with Nemesis inResident Evil 3and managing to use her own cunning and surroundings to her advantage to kill it once and for all.
Amanda Ripley had some huge shoes to fill, being the daughter of a renowned Marine Corps member and a pivotal figure in understanding and combating the Xenomorph species. Needless to say, Amanda lives up to Ellen’s legacy and then some. During the events ofAlien: Isolation, Amanda travels to Sevastopol Station in the hopes of unearthing details regarding Ellen’s supposed death. She winds up becoming the sole survivor of the Sevastopol Incident, but it was Amanda’s need for closure that led to her signing on for the mission in the first place.Alien: Isolationrelies heavily on stealth gameplay,as Amanda must either avoid or outsmart the Xenomorphs using the tools provided to her. She is a gifted engineer and well-versed in more complex weapons such as the flamethrower and the high-tech tracker to locate enemies.
It should be noted that available weaponry (besides high-powered explosives) aboard the Sevastopol was ineffective against the Xenomorphs, which left Amanda stranded with no viable means of self-defense, leaving her equipped only with her wits and limited knowledge of the creatures pursuing her. Ripley even manages to infiltrate a nest hosting many aliens — alone — and overloads the reactor to purge them for good. It goes without saying that Amanda wouldn’t have survived as long as she did — or outlasted the others — without a considerable level of academic and practical intelligence.
Right off the bat, Isaac Clarke holds a master’s degree in engineering, so he’s on a similar level to Amanda Ripley. Isaac only takes the edge because of the circumstances surrounding his encounter with the Necromorphs inDead Space. Isaac Clarke boards the Kellion in the hopes of discovering what happened to his girlfriend, Nicole Brennan, but ends up getting more than he bargained for. At the same time,he’s battling the onset of severe psychosis. Unlike Jill Valentine or Joel Miller, who spent years adapting to their respective environments, Isaac was thrust into the deep end without any prior knowledge of the Necromorphs' existence. He literally learns about the Necromorphs as he goes, forced to think on his feet in order to make it out alive. Isaac excels at hacking and disassembling and reassembling equipment to fulfill different purposes, such as when he fashioned a Plasma Cutter out of a flashlight.
Furthermore, Isaac had no prior combat experience before taking on the Necromorphs, so he had no choice but to defend himself with whatever he could get his hands on — even if he had to make the weapons himself. He learned more about the Necromorphs' behavior by finding logs left behind by the deceased, then adapting accordingly. There’s no doubt that Isaac is horror’s most imaginative, prevailing protagonist after surviving being stranded in space with hostile creatures he knew nothing about.
