Pulling Practical Jokes on people is all well and good in a comedy -- it's part and parcel of the laugh department, and we love watching some pompous ass get taken down a peg or two in some clever and humorous fashion. But in a drama, mystery or horror movie, a practical joke, if it's not played with cruel and malicious intent by cruel and malicious people, has a very high chance of going horribly wrong and ending with somebody getting seriously hurt or even killed as a result of the prank, such as the old guy you meant to give a harmless scare turning out to have a heart condition, or someone cracking their skull after slipping on a banana peel, or any number of other horrible unforeseen consequences.