10 Horror Movie Characters Who Did Everything Right And Still Failed

10. Allison Kerry - Saw III

Though the earlier Saw films had Jigsaw (John Kramer) espouse the philosophy that each of his "test subjects" were given a "fair" opportunity to earn the right to live, that all changed in Saw III, when his disillusioned apprentice Amanda (Shawnee Smith) began rigging games to be totally unwinnable.

And the most devastating victim of Amanda's chicanery was surely Detective Allison Kerry (Dina Meyer), a fan favourite character who proved herself to be a smart and resourceful cop in the first two movies.

But at the start of Saw III, Kerry is kidnapped and placed in a trap as apparent punishment for being too obsessed with her work. To survive, Kerry needs to grab a key in a vat of acid to free herself from a contraption hooked into her ribcage, and being the gutsy hero she is, she does as instructed.

Yet despite "beating" the trap, the key doesn't free Kerry due to Amanda's shenanigans, leaving her helpless as her ribcage is torn out. 

As arguably the smartest heroic character in the entire franchise and someone who didn't really put a single foot wrong, Kerry's death was a huge bummer.