10 Horror Movie Franchises That Stupidly Killed Off Their Best Character

Because Saw's central antagonist John Kramer (Tobin Bell) was terminally ill from the very beginning, fans knew a time would come when he would have to bow out. But with James Wan and Leigh Whannell's gorefest making crazy money, it was decided the Saw series would continue after Kramer met his demise.

When Saw II concluded with Kramer's former victim Amanda (Shawnee Smith) revealed as his apprentice, it seemed like she was being set up as the new Jigsaw Killer.

She might not be as compelling as Kramer, but Amanda had the potential to be a thought-provoking villain. Despite being tortured by Kramer, she willingly became his companion and eventually developed a deep personal connection with him. But because of her mental instability, Amanda found herself going against her master's wishes, which left her riddled with guilt and shame.

Although there was a lot to explore, the filmmakers killed Amanda off in Saw III, alongside Kramer. After that, it was revealed that Kramer had three more secret apprentices.

Not only were these new villains unappealing, it made the franchise's continuity borderline incomprehensible. The overarching narrative would've been much smoother if Amanda didn't get the boot after only three instalments.