5. Dana Polk & Marty Makalski (Cabin in the Woods)
While they were always destined to die, it's a shame that Dana (Kristen Connolly) and Marty (Fran Kranz) really had to in the brilliant, bold finale to the best horror movie for... well, let's say years.
Cabin in the Woods, from fan-favourites Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon provides plenty of horror, humanity, humour and even a meta-critique of the current state of horror films where human lives are so easily disposable. In the finale, Dana and Marty choose not to sacrifice Marty to save the world and instead wait the end of the world with a joint and each other. It's a testament to the writing of the characters (all five of the college leads are immensely likeable) that Marty and Dana's heroism feels justified - Marty is a resilient survivalist whose conspiracy theories prove to be right and Dana is the ultimate final girl, a regular woman who becomes powerful and defeats the bad guys, even at the cost of everyone in the world. Their final moments are surprisingly sweet as the two survivors hold onto each other, their final acts on earth moments of friendship and true, all-encompassing love. This reviewer is absolutely okay with their sacrifice but don't tell me that an ending with Marty and a turned-werewolf-Dana surviving and entering the now wasteland that was America wouldn't have been pretty cool too.