10 Horror Movie Survivors Killed Off In The Sequel

Apart from maybe action, no movie genre churns out sequels on the same level as horror. If any slasher, monster B-movie, or found-footage feature rakes in the cash, then it's sure to spawn a batch of follow-ups. And if the main character becomes an icon, they're likely to show up again and again.

Now, some sequels go in a different direction, causing the story to focus on an entirely new cast. But if the previous instalment had a couple of survivors, viewers expect them to make an appearance. And if the characters in question keep showing up in the promotions, it's logical to believe they'll play a major part once again. 

That's why it can be infuriating when the hero from a previous instalment makes their triumphant return, only for them to be snuffed out. Sometimes, they wind up dead before the opening credits have finished.

Being the devil's advocate, offing characters like this can benefit the viewing experience. Since audiences anticipate these survivors to make it out alive again, it's shocking when they're among the first to kick the bucket. 

Other times, bringing back a beloved character only to have them killed off ruins the whole film.

Even though these 10 characters made it alive before, they weren't so lucky the second time around.

As the title suggests, William Lustig's slasher centres around a serial-killing police officer called Matt Cordell. When a patrolman called Jack Forrest (Bruce Campbell) becomes the prime suspect for the murders, he has no choice but to track down the psychotic cop himself to clear his name. 

Despite Cordell's apparent death during the final showdown, he returned in the sequel as a zombie, more powerful than ever. When he resumes his killing streak, Jack dismisses reports, certain that Cordell is gone for good.

Sadly, he's proven wrong in the worst way possible in Maniac Cop 2. While Jack reads a news story about how he saved the city from Cordell's tyranny, the maniac cop fatally stabs him from behind. Since Jack was depicted as a smart, intuitive, and resourceful person, it was surprising to see him being taken out of the picture so early on.

But another reason why Jack's death was shocking was the fact he was played by Bruce Campbell. Since the Evil Dead star has a rep for portraying undead-killing heroes, nobody expected him to check out in the first 20 minutes.