10 Horror Characters You Really Wanted To Live (But Knew They Were Doomed)
Horror movies are rarely kind to their protagonists, but we wish these guys had managed to escape!
Horror movies are funny things.
Even casual fans know the tropes of the genre by now; going into a dark room alone equals death, sleeping with someone equals being maimed, when the previously demure and quiet girl starts spitting feisty one liners and screaming with anger rather than fear, that means she’s the final girl, etc, etc.
Which is why it’s strange we still hope for different fates to befall the leads of these films.
We know by now what a horror movie victim looks like, but that doesn’t stop us from wishing that just maybe they’ll make it out alive this time. We know when the score begins to spike that something bad is going to happen, but we still yell at the screen in case they hear us. Hell, sometimes we even root for the villain despite knowing that the plucky band of teens will eventually come out on top.
True, horror has learned to subvert expectations – and there is nothing wrong with leaning heavily into these beloved motifs – but we can’t help but wish these ten characters got dealt a different hand by fate.
10. Helen Shivers - I Know What You Did Last Summer
I Know What You Did Last Summer could’ve easily been
another Scream-inspired knockoff that faded into the sea of similar movies, but
writer Keven Williamson (who also penned the adventures of Sidney Prescott a
year prior) carried something unique into this flick: authentic dialogue,
genuine scares and, most importantly, characters you care about rather than just
cannon fodder.
One of these characters is Helen Shivers, played by Sarah Michelle Gellar. Helen seems on the surface to be another superficial beauty queen, but she is far more than that.
Combining a clever character arc with the natural charm of Gellar, Helen is easily the film’s most likable character. This makes her fate all the harder to watch.
Even though the final girl’s place is firmly taken, viewers couldn’t help but hope Gellar's character would also wriggle her way out of the jaws of death by the end of the film.
Sadly, after a dynamic and thrilling chase sequence, she makes one terrible mistake. For some reason, Helen stops dead in her tracks to have a little look around, which allows the killer to get the jump on her!
How dare you, Helen?! We were rooting for you!! We were all rooting for you!!