The Scooby Doo Corollary

The Film Yap Lexicon is comprised of terminology for certain cinematic phenomena that occur often enough to form discernible patterns — typically events or circumstances that are patently ludicrous to customs of narrative or known science and, on occasion, the result of misguided choices by filmmakers. Although these terms could take their name from numerous films, they are principally derived from the prime examples of this phenomena.

The tendency in horror movies for a large group of people to split off into smaller groups in an effort to find the villain or escape. This tactical error allows the villain to more easily dispatch his victims, fighting groups of 2 or 3 at a time rather than one large group of 6 or 7, allowing him to more quickly pile up bodies.

Named for the tendency of the characters in Scooby Doo to split up into smaller groups to investigate, when it inevitably led to one of the groups (usually Shaggy and Scooby Doo) being menaced by the villain and never leading to a positive conclusion. Also as this phenomenon is repeated in slasher films, the Scooby gang never learned their lesson since they repeated this same mistake in virtually every episode.

What movies demonstrate "The Scooby Doo Corollary”? Comment below and offer your own entries to the Film Yap Lexicon at lexicon@thefilmyap.com!