10 More Horror Movie Characters Who Were Seconds Away From Surviving

Horror movies love snatching away victories. There's nothing more devastating than seeing a character you've been rooting for thinking that they've managed to escape the killer, only to suddenly meet a brutal death.

These scenes can be heartbreaking, and it's because the characters themselves are literally seconds away from surviving the whole movie that it stings so much. But, this is horror, and nine times out of ten, the killer always gets the last laugh.

No matter how many times this trope plays out though, it still has the power to shock when executed well. In fact, we've already celebrated these scenes before here at WhatCulture, but there were so many memorable, impactful examples we had to leave off that it only felt right to give this topic another chance in the spotlight.

So, from unlucky heroes who could see the light at the end of the tunnel, to foolish idiots who spent too long gloating and not enough time running away, these are the horror movie characters who oh so nearly made it out in one piece.

Spoilers for all movies ahead, but especially for Scream (2022) and Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022).

By design, there are a lot of characters who were only seconds away from surviving in the Saw franchise. Of all the characters on this list, these are the only ones who have a literal timer counting down to their demise.

None have come quite so close to victory only to have it snatched away from them than William in Saw VI though. This dodgy health insurance exec is forced into a series of tests where he decides who lives and who dies out of his colleagues - a process that causes him untold levels of trauma.

Eventually he gets through his task, only to be treated to one final game. However this time the tables are turned, and it's his fate that's being decided by Pamela and Brent, a grieving mother and son.

The twist is, William previously denied Pamela's husband and Brent's father the health insurance he needed to cure an ailment that eventually killed him, and Jigsaw has now given them the ability to enact revenge should they wish. For a moment it looks like mercy might prevail, until Brent pulls the lever and sentences William to death via acid.