Which is scarier the woods or a house.

[DrFrankensteinsGirl]

Ok so I just spent all day in the woods, getting mud on the tires and all over myself. But it got me thinking what do you guys think would be the scarier situation being trapped in a haunted house, castle, etc. or being lost in the woods at night with a killer or supernatural creature after you? We'll count cabins as a woods scenario instead of haunted house territory.

___________

"Enjoy that dead girl's body."

[MichaelMyers]

Depends, is Nick Saban in the house?;)

Not sure how a cabin counts as part of the woods instead of a house. Isn't a cabin a type of house.

I would much rather be in a haunted house than pursued by a supernatural force in the woods. A woods chase on foot is much more difficult to survive, IMO. At least in a house you are on firm footing. It has at least a semblance of order as opposed to the wilderness.

[DrFrankensteinsGirl]

Depends, is Nick Saban in the house?;)

Not sure how a cabin counts as part of the woods instead of a house. Isn't a cabin a type of house.

I would much rather be in a haunted house than pursued by a supernatural force in the woods. A woods chase on foot is much more difficult to survive, IMO. At least in a house you are on firm footing. It has at least a semblance of order as opposed to the wilderness.

If Nick Saban was in the house he'd be runnin from me, I'm an Auburn fan lol. I count cabin as in the woods because in most cabin in the woods movies the victims end up out of the cabin and being tormented in the woods like in Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2, Cabin in the Woods, etc.

[The Villain]

I've always found the woods to be a dark, magical, wonderful, terrifying place that seems to exist in a different universe then the rest of the world. I've always loved the woods for those reasons and it's for those reasons that i would find it scarier. A house is filled with the souls of the dead who are not at rest.

The woods are filled with so much more at least that's where my mind goes when i'm in the woods.

[Sculpt]

If the choice was haunted house with a ghost(s), or in the woods with a real live killer or creature after me, I'd take the house. If the killer/creature is in the house too, it'd depend on the house. I giant house, especially if I'm familiar with it, would be better, as there's doors to close and lock, places to hide, phones to call, impromptu weapons, etc. But a small one or two room place becomes more like a cage, where I'd rather have the space the woods provides, especially if the attacker is slower or winded.

General scarier environment? For me, I don't find either scary. It's all circumstance. In the woods you're so exposed, no home, can't move silently. In the house, so many hidden spots close to you.

[CaraBloodyCara]

Good question. I guess it really depends on the situation. If it's a house in the suburbs, with lots of neighbors around (unless they're all aliens or bloodsucking mutants of some sort), then there's a general degree of safety and protection to be felt. But if it's some ranch house or farmhouse in the middle of BFE, that adds some discomfort and imagination.

The woods for me, though. Much as I love spending time in nature, it makes you really vulnerable. I got dragged to a few parties in the woods as a teenager, and I remember thinking that some mutated, unkillable dude could pop up out of nowhere with a machete and brutally murder all the underage drinkers and fornicators and no one would ever see it coming. Seemed likely and favorable to me.

[knife_fight]

If Nick Saban was in the house he'd be runnin from me, I'm an Auburn fan lol. I count cabin as in the woods because in most cabin in the woods movies the victims end up out of the cabin and being tormented in the woods like in Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2, Cabin in the Woods, etc.

War Eagle, my friend! AU Alum here.


I am probably more scared of a haunted house. Being in the woods at night is a foreign environment for modern man and is supposed to be scary.

A home is supposed to be our sanctuary. It's scarier, to me, for something horrible to happen when you don't expect it, or when you feel safe.

I feel more comfortable in a home, and thus it would be scarier to be uncomfortable there.

I guess that's what I'm trying to say.

[ImmortalSlasher]

I would immediately say the woods. Just because. I also remember Agent Mulder saying once that you forget when you leave the city and you're in the woods that everything wants to get you. Even if you are familiar with the woods and open areas. They can be a scary place at night. And that's without some killer creature after you.

But I thought about a "haunted" house or other area. See a normal house would be fine. But haunted is another thing all together. The ghosts or whatever can play some major tricks on you. You might as well be in the woods. The house would be just as bad. I've been indoors and under the influence and it's scary. With a ghost who knows what could happen.

So I say they are equally scary.

[ChronoGrl]

So I agree with everyone that it depends on the situation, but I look at it from the angle of: Which environment would I have the best chance of escaping the Big Bad In? and my gut reaction is The Woods. It's all about where you can hide - You can be trapped in a house, but I feel like I would fare better in the woods in terms of places to hide and escape from and to.

[ferretchucker]

Although I do agree that there are more places to hide in the woods, I also worry that they're easier to get lost/disorientated in and you're much more exposed. Much tougher to check your back in the woods than in a haunted house.

[Bastion1023]

Woods are to easy to get lost in, snuck up on, trip, fall in a hole or otherwise lost. In a house, even a small one I feel like I would have a fighting chance. The opportunity for weapons, ability to barricade in or trap the bad guy or create a defensible position.

[ChronoGrl]

Although I do agree that there are more places to hide in the woods, I also worry that they're easier to get lost/disorientated in and you're much more exposed. Much tougher to check your back in the woods than in a haunted house.

True - Then of course, you could wind up in a Blair Witch situation where you're going round and round and round................ I don't know why but that's still less scary to me than being stuck in a closet just knowing that you're going to be demolished any second.

Related note - When I can't sleep at night I pontificate on what I'd do if a Killer came into our house... Overwhelming conclusion is that my closet is such a pit I could just bury myself in clothes and they would never find me............



Woods are to easy to get lost in, snuck up on, trip, fall in a hole or otherwise lost. In a house, even a small one I feel like I would have a fighting chance. The opportunity for weapons, ability to barricade in or trap the bad guy or create a defensible position.

True story - I used to keep a hatchet by the bed just in case... My fiance made me put it somewhere else, though, for fear that I'd fall on it. :o

If a Killer's downstairs in our condo, we're screwed; I don't think I have anything in my room I could use as a weapon (does a heavy Yankee Candle jar count?)

[LongingLoner]

I think it all depends on the way it is presented in a film. For the most obvious reasons, a scene inside a house needs to add the effect of darkness and usually some sort of pulsating lights effects. Not to mention sounds, etc. Scenes in the woods give off natural effects that give help to that fear factor; Even in a fully sunny day the trees give off an eerie effect of darkness and shadows and as others have mentioned it is very easy to get disoriented and lost in the woods.

[Kandarian Demon]

It's actually funny... it's no big secret that I have dendrophobia. I think trees are the creepiest things ever. But horror movies that takes place in the woods don't nescesarily make any impression on me... like the Blair Witch, for example, which I didn't find scary at all.

In "real life", I am pretty sure that I'd be much more scared if I was in the woods... but for a movie, I usually find the haunted house stuff more scary. Of course, it does depend on the movie, and especially how it's been filmed.

[Bastion1023]

True story - I used to keep a hatchet by the bed just in case... My fiance made me put it somewhere else, though, for fear that I'd fall on it. :o

If a Killer's downstairs in our condo, we're screwed; I don't think I have anything in my room I could use as a weapon (does a heavy Yankee Candle jar count?)

Death by candle is possible with those large ones from Yankee, and potentially humiliating. Intruder is bludgeoned AND he smells like the most amazing Pumpkin Spice Latte or Summer Peaches. He seemed so vicious and scary before that fabulous scent.

[Ice Pik]

I'd go with woods, you can always get out of a house through a window or door at any 15 ft radius, not always the case with woods.

[ChronoGrl]

Death by candle is possible with those large ones from Yankee, and potentially humiliating. Intruder is bludgeoned AND he smells like the most amazing Pumpkin Spice Latte or Summer Peaches. He seemed so vicious and scary before that fabulous scent.

I like the way you think. :D

[Jack C]

For me personally I'd be more afraid of being trapped in a house. I grew up on a farm and I'm very comfortable in the woods - just run as fast as you can and find some good thick underbrush to duck down in and wait for the killer to lose track of you. Being trapped in a house would be much worse. Though unlike people in horror movies, I'd probably just jump through a window if it was a matter of life and death :p

As far as movies though, it totally depends on the lighting, the theme music, how the whole thing is presented etc.