10 Horror Movie Franchises That Stupidly Killed Off Their Best Character

When it comes to horror, a lot of the ensemble are there to be cannon fodder. However, the main cast are often layered in plot armour, allowing them to survive almost any grievance. And if this is a franchise we're talking about, the heroes tend to shuffle off stab wounds and bullets, allowing them to appear in a myriad of sequels.

The same logic applies to the villains. Horror fans have seen antagonists being incinerated or blown up, only to return in the follow-up without a scratch on them. Because of this, the audience are confident that characters who are funny, charismatic, or loveable will be fine, no matter what fate they suffer. As a result, it's jaw-dropping when the Final Girl, the comic relief, or the "invincible" baddie bites the dust.

Obviously, there's nothing wrong with axing a key player, so long as their demise serves a purpose. Sadly, that's not always the case. Sometimes, a popular character gets the chop before they get a chance to be fleshed out. Other times, they're killed off, purely for shock value.

Although viewers know not everybody is going to make it in a horror movie, it was heartbreaking to see the following beloved characters die.

Halloween: 20 Years Later concluded with Laurie Strode lobbing off the head of Michael Myers, supposedly putting an end to his killing spree forever. This instalment was far from perfect, but it was nice to see John Carpenter's iconic slasher saga come to an end.

At least, it would've been the end, if another instalment called Halloween: Resurrection wasn't greenlit. This unwanted follow-up opens with the revelation that Laurie didn't kill Michael. Instead, Michael placed his mask on an innocent man, compelling Laurie to decapitate him under the false impression he was her psychotic brother. Traumatised by the incident, Laurie was placed in a sanitarium.

As dumb as this premise was, it gets worse. In the first scene, Laurie ensnares the Shatner-masked maniac in a trap, allowing her to finish him off. Instead, she tries to pull off his mask, giving Michael the opportunity to stab Laurie, before hurling her to her death.

Halloween: Resurrection is a terrible movie, not just for retconning a satisfying conclusion to the franchise, but for killing off the O.G. Final Girl in the first ten minutes.

Even though fans got the chance to see Laurie Strode return when the series was retconned (again), this entire scene is painful to watch.