10 Horror Movie Characters Who Didn’t Know They Were The Killer

6. Tara - Shrooms

Shrooms Tara
Vertigo Films

An Irish-set slasher, 2007's Shrooms sees a group of friends tormented and brutalised by something during a camping trip in the woods. Having taken some trippy mushrooms that grow in those woods, the pals aren't sure whether they're really being stalked by a mysterious serial killer, or whether it's merely part of a hallucination caused by the shrooms.

In Lindsey Haun's Tara, we have a character whose mushroom experience gives her the power of premonition. Unfortunately, those premonitions revolve around Tara being able to see the impending deaths of her friends.

By the time paramedics arrive on the scene at Shrooms' close, it's shown how Tara has in fact been the one committing all of the murders seen throughout the film. Rather than the urban legends rumoured to have once stalked the woods and nearby buildings, these acts were carried out by a Tara who'd had her mind altered by Galerina, aka the eerily-named death bell mushroom.

What's a major shame here, mind, is that Shrooms flew a little under the radar after its brief, limited theatrical release. While it's obviously not an all-time great of the genre, Paddy Breathnach's picture has plenty on offer to appeal to horror hounds.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer and Presenter, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund and Eli Roth to Kevin Smith and the Russo Brothers, to Kevin Conroy and Frank Miller, to Bret Hart and Sting, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, and Brian Flynn, to many, many more. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is a long-standing season ticket holder and an FSA Award-winner for his time co-hosting the Fearless in Devotion podcast.