10 Horror Movie Characters Who Had To Die To Win
8. Sheriff Eben Oleson - 30 Days of Night
This 2007 graphic novel adaptation is no genre classic, but directors David Slade, stars Josh Hartnett and Melissa George, and the rest of the creative talent were able to craft a solid if unspectacular horror feature with the requisite atmosphere, tone, and overall bleakness.
One of its few truly standout moments (beyond its impressive tracking shot of the carnage brought about by the vampires' attack) is the death of Sheriff Eben Oleson (Hartnett). After a gruelling month of trying to fight off the invasive undead beings, Oleson realises that the only way to fight off the vampires is to become one himself in order to protect his wife Stella (George).
His plan is successful as he is able to defeat the vampire leader Marlow (Danny Huston) after a brutal bout, but it comes at the cost of his own life as the Alaskan polar night that enabled the vampire attack comes to an end. Admittedly, the ending is bleak, given that Stella and Eben had only just reconciled during the attack, but it fits the rest of the movie's tone and drives home Eben's love and committment to his once-estranged wife.