# Shouting "Fire" in a Crowded Theater: Experimental Results? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 18, 2010, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouting-fire-in-a-crowded-theater-experimental-results/525474 "2010-01-18T22:27:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2010, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouting-fire-in-a-crowded-theater-experimental-results/525474/21 "2010-01-20T08:01:17Z")
It’s not a study that a legitimate organization is going to do. Yelling fire these days in a movie theater could have no effect. On the off chance it does have an effect, what are you supposed to do if someone gets injured? Claim ‘I was just doing a study’? You can poll people asking what they would do if someone yelled fire. Putting unknowing people at risk is a super bad idea for any study. ---
**Author:** ![KCB615](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ea666f/32.png) [@KCB615](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KCB615)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2010, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouting-fire-in-a-crowded-theater-experimental-results/525474/22 "2010-01-20T14:41:13Z")
> [@Johnny\_Q](#): > > But what happens when you shout “Movie” in a crowded firehouse? I’ve never tried that one - I can guess you’d be looked at funny. I have yelled “movie theater” in several fires before. You get a chuckle from the more educated firefighters, everyone else just looks at you, and there is quiet muttering about you afterwards. That’s about it. ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2010, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouting-fire-in-a-crowded-theater-experimental-results/525474/23 "2010-01-20T17:04:38Z")
> [@Shmendrik](#): > > What’s a fake panic? Oh no! what are we going to do?! Someone is asking what a fake panic is! RUUUUN! RUUUUUN! ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2010, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouting-fire-in-a-crowded-theater-experimental-results/525474/24 "2010-01-20T17:10:29Z")
I believe [this](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_E2_nightclub_stampede) is the sort of panic we’re talking about. 21 people dead, solely due to panic. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouting-fire-in-a-crowded-theater-experimental-results/525474/25 "2010-01-22T11:00:22Z")
[The Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beverly_Hills_Supper_Club_fire) This took place six miles outside of Cincinnati in 1977. At the bottom of the page is a list of other fires with links. Don’t kid yourself that these things can’t happen. I recently spent an evening in a nightclub that I will not return to because of overcrowding and insufficient exits. There is just no way that this place is not violating codes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouting-fire-in-a-crowded-theater-experimental-results/525474.md?page=1)