10 Best Back From The Dead Moments In Horror Movies

Which shocking horror moments saw these characters come back from the dead?

By Steven Davies /

Horror movies always try to twist and spin a story to ensure that their beloved genre icons survive or get resurrected in time for the sequel. Even if you see a body disintegrate into dust, you can never fully count a character out of returning at some point in the future. The genre loves this trope, and it has resulted in some amazing scares over the years.

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That's because at a base level, a supposedly dead character reappearing later in the story, or an unforeseen plot development managing to resurrect the presumed-killed, is great at taking audiences by surprise. It can often make for a satisfying and unexpected twist in the tale - when done right anyway.

Which movies managed the best moments when a character was bought back from the dead though? And what was the most unexpected way in which it happened?

10. Jack Comes Back Deader Than Ever - An American Werewolf In London

Director John Landis’s 1981 horror-comedy An American Werewolf in London has become a cult classic. The movie starred David Naughton and Griffin Dunne as two American backpackers who very quickly regret their decision to go traipsing across the English moors. A mysterious and vicious beast attacks them in the night leaving David (played by Naughton) injured and Jack (Dunne) dead - well, undead.

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The beast, which is discovered to be a werewolf, has not only mauled Jack to death but has left him cursed. Whilst in the hospital recovering David makes a terrifying discovery that he himself is now a werewolf following the attack. An important detail revealed by his recently departed friend. A friend who very quietly and shockingly appears to David in his room, complete with clawed face and blood-soaked clothes, and nonchalantly asks for a piece of toast.

An American Werewolf in London has plenty of tongue-in-cheek humor running throughout. This almost unexpected reappearance of Jack in such a subtle manner is particularly effective. Not only does it serve to surprise viewers but also offers them a good indication of how the tone for the rest of the movie will likely play out.

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