# What is extremely common in TV or movies but almost never happens in real life? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 6, 2021, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311 "2021-02-06T04:16:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 194
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2024, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/3867 "2024-06-27T09:45:18Z")
If you’re getting attacked in the shower a lot, maybe start taking baths? Or stay out of motels? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2024, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/3868 "2024-06-27T13:33:06Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Inexplicably, the rod remains in place. This part seems plausible to me, as some (though not all) shower curtain rods are pretty solidly installed. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2024, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/3869 "2024-06-27T13:43:26Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Scene: A person taking a shower. For whatever reasons they find themselves in physical distress. They collapse, and in an effort to remain upright, grab onto the shower curtain. This doesn’t work, and they drag the shower curtain to the floor with them. The curtain rings part, one by one and come down with the wreckage. > > Inexplicably, the rod remains in place. Frankly, that’s the precise description of the (in)famous shower murder scene in “Psycho”, and that has become such a cliché that maybe we think that is has become a frequent meme in thrillers, but I don’t remember ever having seen a similar scene in another movie. I’m sure there are such scenes (I haven’t seen all movies ever made), but in these cases the directors would have just ripped off Hitchcock. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2024, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/3870 "2024-06-27T13:52:41Z")
And some shower curtain rings are really cheap - my parents had cheap plastic ones that absolutely would have come apart while leaving the rod in place. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2024, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/3871 "2024-06-27T14:33:28Z")
Wasn’t the shower curtain pulled down in Seven Pounds at the end? (The Will Smith movie.) I want to avoid spoilers! ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2024, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/3872 "2024-06-27T15:08:59Z")
Yes, many shower curtain rods are just held to the walls by pressure, but others are actually screwed into the wall and are fairly solid. It really depends on the particular shower as to whether the dying victim would be able to pull the rod down or not. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2024, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/3873 "2024-06-27T16:58:31Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > but I don’t remember ever having seen a similar scene in another movie. It happened to Billy Butcher on _The Boys_ a couple of weeks ago when his illness led to a woozy spell while he showered. Remember, I said the subject was in distress, but didn’t specify that it was from an attack. > [@MrAtoz](#): > > Yes, many shower curtain rods are just held to the walls by pressure, but others are actually screwed into the wall and are fairly solid. My own experience has been that ALL of them are held in place by pressure. I guess I still have some upward mobility to strive for. > [@doreen](#): > > And some shower curtain rings are really cheap - my parents had cheap plastic ones that absolutely would have come apart while leaving the rod in place. Preach it! Most of mine would come off if I closed the curtain too fast! ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2024, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/3874 "2024-06-27T17:07:45Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > My own experience has been that ALL of them are held in place by pressure. I guess I still have some upward mobility to strive for. In my experience, many, if not most, shower curtain rods in hotel rooms are physically screwed to the wall. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47774/32.png) [@epbrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2024, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/3875 "2024-06-27T19:11:42Z")
I’d say yes. A couple of channels I watch on YouTube do statue pranks - the person is done up as a statue in a public area and moves when someone interacts with them. Enough of them scream at even a mild movement that I would expect a strong reaction from stumbling upon a body, unless they’d been in an episode of **Law & Order.** ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2024, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/3876 "2024-06-27T21:24:24Z")
> [@epbrown](#): > > statue pranks - the person is done up as a statue in a public area and moves when someone interacts with them. I’m waiting for someone dressed in Vantablack to stand unseen against a Vantablack background, and then emerge into view. 😈 ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2024, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/3877 "2024-07-06T01:36:17Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > Really feel in real life the cops would just drive around the dude. The scout car sees the stop sign, and radios back. That’s what the scout car is for. And the lead bikes in the ‘police convoy’ peel off and block intersections and construction works, they aren’t going to let some crane or truck or crowd move out on the road legitimately requiring a stop sign. Big cash deliveries have scout cars too. The armored truck doesn’t even turn up until the scouts have secured the destination. (Didn’t always use to be that way.) ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2024, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/3878 "2024-07-06T01:46:53Z")
> [@Galactus](#): > > Do people in real life scream hysterically when encountering a dead body, like in TV shows and movies? Kids scream hysterically when having tantrums, so perhaps there was a time when it was socially expected for women as well? The word would suggest that. I can’t think of any other explanation. In real life, people let out a yelp, and if really frighted, continue with the whimpering ‘prey animal’ thing like other mammals. The one thing you can say about people hysterically screaming in real life: they aren’t actually frightened. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2024, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/3879 "2024-07-06T02:30:02Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > The one thing you can say about people hysterically screaming in real life: they aren’t actually frightened. I dunno about that. Once I was out smoking in my carport and a car stopped in the middle of the street, then made a right hand turn and streaked across my neighbor’s front yard, coming to a stop a few feet from their house, stuck in the mud. At that point the lady driving the vehicle began shrieking hysterically, and the passenger jumped out and ran off down the hill. Apparently what happened was that she was giving a ride to someone she knew, and they had a psychotic episode or something and started beating on her while she was driving down the road. She completely panicked and ended up driving across my neighbor’s yard and started screaming when she got stuck. She seemed genuinely terrified. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2024, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/3880 "2024-07-06T12:20:12Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > She seemed genuinely terrified. But she was throwing a tantrum to make him go away. I take the evidence that women still do scream, but I’d still argue that the movie representation is false. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2024, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/3881 "2024-07-06T16:03:41Z")
The last time I encountered a skunk, the noise I made was not particularly loud, but the pitch was a lot higher than a heterosexual male cares to admit. I was not in fear for my life, but I was definitely afraid for other things. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2024, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/3882 "2024-07-06T20:26:29Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > Big cash deliveries have scout cars too. The armored truck doesn’t even turn up until the scouts have secured the destination. (Didn’t always use to be that way.) The few times I rode “shotgun” on armored cars (there was a strike by the car drivers, etc) a bank employee and a guard were ahead in just a regular car. Mind you some of the time we just delivered the cash in rental trucks (due to the strike), one time we were hauling $5000 worth of quarters (arcade games etc were big back then). Funny- three armed guards and a bank employee for 20000 quarters. That was the only time they told us what we were guarding, as the mentioned they werent expecting any issues with that shipment. > [@Galactus](#): > > Do people in real life scream hysterically when encountering a dead body, like in TV shows and movies? And drop what they are carrying? Not to my knowledge, but it was only twice. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2024, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/3883 "2024-07-06T21:10:07Z")
People loudly yelling NO THIS IS NOT HAPPENING. NO I’M DREAMING ALL OF THIS in the middle of a highly stressful situation. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2024, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/3884 "2024-07-06T21:42:11Z")
Last lines spoken in the horror film “Phantasm II”: Hero: “We’re gonna wake up, it’s a dream. It’s only a dream.” Monster: “_No, it’s not_.” ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2024, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/3885 "2024-07-06T22:00:27Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > Yes, many shower curtain rods are just held to the walls by pressure Pet peeve of mine- people who call them “tension rods”. They are in COMPRESSION dammit. I have had some shower curtain rods that the flange is screwed to the wall. You could probably pull the curtains down without pulling the rod with it. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2024, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/3886 "2024-07-07T00:32:20Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > In real life, people let out a yelp, and if really frighted, continue with the whimpering ‘prey animal’ thing like other mammals. The one thing you can say about people hysterically screaming in real life: they aren’t actually frightened. I’m not an expert on the topic but… I pretty strongly suspect that different people react in different ways. It would take a fair bit of convincing evidence and testimony to convince me that no one EVER screams-in-a-stereotypically-hysterical-fashion. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311.md?page=193) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311.md?page=195)