The Stuff of Nightmares... Best & Worst Horror Movie Runners Ranked!


As runners, it's always a tough mental battle having to watch horror movies on the big screen.

Not because they're scary, but more so because almost always the victims have terrifying running form.

Whether it's ridiculously falling down and breaking something, or just not having any knee drive, the form just isn't there. 

Here we analyze some of the best and worst examples of running in horror movies, or lack thereof. If we are missing any great examples, add them in the comments below and enjoy the holiday! 


Some of The Best Examples 


One of the best runner or runners in any horror movie ever are the high school athletes in Jeepers Creepers 2. Finally, someone realized their life was on the line and put it into gear.

In this backroad thriller, the athletes get stranded on a team bus when that creepy scarecrow thing attacks. They waste no time and clock some fast 40's.

Ultimately though, things didn't turn out great for everyone ...considering that scarecrow thing can smell fear. 

Jeepers Creeps 2 Running Form: 9/10



Another great example of running was in Jordan Peele's, 'Get Out,' which reminded us that sometimes you are invited but not welcome. Interestingly enough, it was not necessarily the main victim that was putting on the jets, but merely a gardener who had to get some laps in at night. 

His scene was the most analogous to track and really had us excited for the indoor season because this dude knows how to take a sharp turn! Just look at the slight lean and great arm drive!

Get Out Running Form: 10/10



Enough about the victims, though. In World War Z, the real stars were the zombies.

Despite being only half-dead...just like a 5am practice (studio laughter), these zombies know how to sprint. Maybe it's because they're really hungry, or maybe they're just fast overall but have inherently great form. They sprinted and chased down nearly everyone in the world and in one scene were running fast enough to scale a very big wall. Talk about power. 

World War Z Running Form: 8/10 (lack arm movement)


Some Decent Examples


Now, the victims in World War Z actually put up a good fight, too. They exhibited good endurance (the adrenaline helps) and good form throughout the movie.

The examined population here, though, is a little skewed since the slow ones were already gone. But none the less, you could consider some of these characters as pleasure runners. 

World War Z Victim's Running Form: 5/10



The Stephen King remake, 'IT' was really good. We highly recommend IT (get it!), but also recommend not talking to clowns... especially ones in sewer drains (studio laughter). The kids in this movie weren't the best runners, but whether they were chasing paper boats or running away from clowns you could see they knew how to run.

They exhibited good strides for their height and decent arm flow, but they could have tightened it up a little bit and moved their heads less, you know? But then again, would your form be perfect after seeing Pennywise? 

IT Character's Running Form: 6/10


The Worst of The Worst (You're A Goner)

Finally we get into the worst of the worst. The movies that are just hard to watch as a runner. 


Despite being one of the most profitable movies ever, 'The Blair Witch Project' definitely can't be confused with the Oregon Project. This trio of victims could not run well at all and scored an abysmal ranking by us due to how many times they got lost in the woods. Come on guys, have you never ran on trails? 

After making more wrong turns and completely getting lost, they chose to blame a witch instead of themselves and even fell down some stairs in a basement...smh.

This movie was scary, but their form was the real scare. 

Blair Witch Project Character's Running Form: 3/10



Finally, the worst runner in the history of the world ...Michael Myers! Despite exemplifying great upper body strength and always wearing a loose fitting mechanic's outfit made for late night runs, he just never seemed to learn how to run in his own movie, 'Halloween.' 

We are talking about someone who had nine different Halloweens to learn how to run, but yet he could never go faster than about a 30-second pace per 100m. He should take a Halloween off and try a tempo run or something. 

Michael Myers' Running Form: 0/10


Late addition: Technically not running, but the priest in 'The Exorcist' has been a scar on the Georgetown University running scene, with thousands of people a year going to the spot of his infamous fall on campus.

You know it was a bad fall, considering more people know about the "Exorcist Stairs" on campus than can name a runner on the team. 

Photos here are from movies produced by the following studios: Paramount, SkyDance, Compass, Falcon, Blumhouse, Monkeypaw, United Artists, Myriad Pictures, and Haxan. Images used are all from IMBD and Google.