Horror movies are often full of good scares, nail biting moments, and twist endings; sometimes they are so thrilling that you can’t help but imagine what you would do if you were written into the script yourself.
While we can’t offer much in the way of a “Horror Film Survival Guide”, we actually do have a pretty good suggestion for many horror film characters – invest in insurance.
No, a quality insurance policy probably isn’t going to take care of paranormal activity or ward off an ax-wielding villain…but the right insurance protection can serve you well no matter what the plot is.
So here are 5 types of insurance you may need if you’re a character in a horror film – or just a regular person dealing with the risks of everyday life.
Homeowners Insurance (Personal Liability Coverage) – In children’s animated fantasy/horror flick Monster House, the titular character (the home) makes a bad habit out of not just swallowing up neighborhood kids’ baseballs and bicycles, but also causing physical harm to people in the community.
While it makes for an exciting, albeit strange plot line, the creators of the movie (perhaps without realizing) made a really good point about the necessity of homeowners’ liability coverage.
The thing is…it doesn’t take a house with an insatiable taste for mischief for an incident to occur. Your home may have a number of overlooked risks, which can lead to serious financial hardship.
Those front porch steps, that icy sidewalk, your rambunctious new puppy named “Cujo” – they are all potential ways for folks to get injured on your property – and depending on the circumstances, you may be liable.
Liability coverage can separate your assets, livelihood and family from the financial burdens that can come with an injury or the damage of another’s property as a result of your negligence.
So we implore you to invest in a homeowners policy that offers adequate liability limits – especially if your house tries to gobble up the neighbors.
For tips on safety and liability-claim prevention this Halloween, read “Being a Homeowner For Halloween”– we don’t want any trick-or-treaters getting hurt.
Personal Auto Insurance – It’s unlikely that you’ll ever have “The Creeper” from Jeepers Creepers trying to run you off the road in a 1940’s Ford pickup, however, it doesn’t take much of an imagination to think of a number of more realistic ways where a thorough auto insurance policy would be incredibly beneficial – both on the big screen and in real life.
Take an opening scene from Jordan Peele’s horror debut, Get Out, for example. While driving to meet his girlfriend’s family, the main character strikes a deer on the road; a clever introduction of a bad omen by the director, but more importantly…a situation where we hope the driver is covered in real life.
Unfortunately, collisions with animals happen on this side of the screen more often than we’d wish.
This past month alone we’ve seen multiple cases where clients hit an animal and it did severe damage to their vehicle. One insured even hit a cow…
It’s worth noting that there are many different kinds of coverage that go into an auto insurance policy. For instance, colliding with an animal generally falls under comprehensive coverage – which you may not have on your current policy. You can learn more about different kinds of auto insurance coverage here.
Commercial Auto Insurance – Horror on the road doesn’t stop there. Let’s not forget that business vehicles can be involved in mishaps too, and commercial auto policies aren’t just for food trucks and shipping companies.
Anybody from pizzeria owners to independent contractors may need commercial auto insurance.
In fact, Courtney Cox’s character in Scream would’ve been relying on a business auto policy – and specifically, collision coverage and property damage – after she crashed her freelance reporting van into that tree.
Unfortunately, realizing that after the accident doesn’t tend to help very much; even more so if you’re being chased by a serial killer with a spooky mask.
So speak with your independent insurance agent now about what types of coverage you need on your commercial auto policy. Heck, you may have not even realized you needed a commercial auto policy.
General Liability – Protecting a business isn’t limited to what happens on the road. There are times when a general liability policy can be a real “life-saver”.
For instance, let’s say you use the wonders of modern technology to recreate dinosaurs for a fully immersive zoo where visitors can get up close and personal with the “exhibits”.
Should things get out of control (as they do in Jurassic Park), and you have a patron get hurt on your premises, you’ll likely be counting on your general liability coverage.
Okay…this example might seem even sillier than the rest, but let’s tie it into a more believable scenario.
No, you don’t have a T-Rex running around destroying everything in sight, but if you’re a real-world business owner, you do have legitimate risks.
Instead of a prehistoric zoo, you may own something more like a coffee shop or a handmade goods store.
Should, on a particularly slushy and snowy day, one of your customers slip as they enter your building, you could wind up being held accountable for their injuries. Can you afford to pay thousands of dollars (or more) in medical bills?
This is a situation where your general liability coverage comes in handy, yet “GL” isn’t limited to just that particular scenario.
General liability pays losses arising from real or alleged bodily injury, property damage, or personal injury on your business premises or arising from your operations. As you can see, it covers a broad array of losses – hence, “general” liability.
Commercial Property Insurance – If you do own a business, one of your biggest concerns may be protecting your commercial property itself.
A commercial property policy can insure you against things like fire, vandalism, and theft among other occurrences.
So whether you own a turn-of-the-century hotel and the caretaker decides it’s a good idea to wreak havoc on the place, i.e. chopping down a bathroom door…
…Or maybe just some local kids break into your business at night and take a few things; your commercial property insurance could help pay for the losses.
This type of insurance would’ve played a big role in Dawn of the Dead (2004) when a group of survivors ransack a shopping center and then (spoiler alert) hordes of zombies destroy the place later – so long as “zombie apocalypse” isn’t excluded on the policy.
The owner of the mall, and all of the businesses inside the mall, would’ve taken a pretty big hit without the right insurance in place. However, it doesn’t take a loss even close to that scale to derail your business. That’s why it’s wise to invest in commercial property insurance.
There you have it, 5 types of insurance you may need if you’re a character in a horror film.
We can’t help you fend off vampires or outrun werewolves, but we are pretty good at building insurance strategies that fit our clients’ needs. Please reach out to us if you’re ready to work with us on getting affordable, but thorough, insurance protection.
We hope you never need to utilize your insurance coverage – but should something go wrong, you need to have it sorted out beforehand. This way if you ever find yourself in the middle of a horror film, or need to file a claim in the real world, at least you’re covered.