We can calculate the distance between two points by using the distance formula. 
Distance formula: 

Our two points we are given in this problem are: (1, 4) and (-5, -4), so plug in the appropriate points into the formula.
x2 = -5, x1 = 1; y2 = -4, y1 = 4

 =
 = 


The distance between the two points, (1, 4) and (-5, -4) is 10 units.