10 Horror Movie Characters WAY Better Than Expected
2. Helen Shivers - I Know What You Did Last Summer
On paper, Helen Shivers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) in I Know What You Did Last Summer didn't seem like much to write home about - a cliched airheaded beauty queen who plays second fiddle to the more wholesome protagonist, Julie James (Jennifer Love Hewitt).
But despite dying in the movie, Helen ultimately became the series' most popular character, in large part due to her deeper-than-expected character development, especially in the post-accident portion of the movie.
Helen is revealed to be more tragic and complex than her initial presentation implied, and it certainly didn't hurt that Sarah Michelle Gellar gave it her all in the role.
And of course, who can forget Helen's iconic death scene, coming at the end of a taut chase sequence that's far and away the single best scene in the entire franchise?
In fact, Helen has such esteem among the franchise's fanbase that many question to this very day whether she should've been the protagonist instead of the rather less-interesting Julie.