10 Exact Horror Movie Moments You Knew Characters Were Screwed

Horror movie cowards = dead meat...!

28 Weeks Later
Fox

If there's one single thing audiences expect out of horror movies, it's surely death. The genre is entirely intertwined with morbidity, frequently turning human non-existence into a rollercoaster ride of popcorn-munching entertainment.

And while nobody's terribly surprised when the douchebag gets split in two by the axe-wielding psychopath, there are nevertheless movies which set up characters to die in distinctive and unique ways.

Whether placing an insurmountable hurdle in front of the doomed hero, having a certain supporting character commit an irredeemable sin, or awarding the protagonist a suspiciously happy ending, we all knew that these movie characters had a grim death awaiting them.

In some cases audiences were totally sympathetic to what the characters were going through, while in others they were actively cheering on their demise, and occasionally viewers were simply left screaming at those who effectively marched themselves to their own deaths.

These are the moments which made it clear these characters wouldn't be getting a happy ending, but rather a grim death signposted in beaming neon...

10. The Giant Monster Arrives - The Mist

28 Weeks Later
MGM

Frank Darabont's The Mist is a masterfully bleak adaptation of Stephen King's novella, yet given the film's standing as a multiplex sci-fi horror, audiences were nevertheless expecting protagonist David Drayton (Thomas Jane) and his son Billy (Nathan Gamble) to make it out in one piece.

But alas, Darabont had other plans entirely.

Near the end of the movie, moments after discovering his wife dead and his house destroyed, David and a small group of fellow survivors drive their car through the mist, only to come across a gigantic, six-legged Lovecraftian monster.

It's a jaw-dropping moment that's equal parts beautiful and terrifying, but more than anything else, it's the turning point at which David and his friends lose all hope of survival - and we as audience members know it too.

It's not much longer before the group agrees to a suicide pact in order to be spared a worse fate. And so, David kills the three other survivors as well as his own son, only to discover moments later that the military is starting to win the fight against the monsters. Brutal.

David may have technically survived the events of the movie, but he was spiritually defeated in the most thorough way possible. And let's be honest, does anyone really think he lived much longer after the end credits rolled?

Contributor
Contributor

Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.