10 Most Sudden Deaths In Horror Movies You Never Saw Coming

The Shining's Dick Hallorann (Scatman Crothers) is an especially interesting example given that he actually survived the events of Stephen King's novel, and so readers surely expected him to make it through the (admittedly loose) adaptation too.

And even if you hadn't read the book, Hallorann was set up to be a survivor and even a saviour for Danny (Danny Lloyd) and Wendy Torrance (Shelley Duvall).

Hallorann literally flies back to the Overlook Hotel after receiving a telepathic alert from Danny, and given his own psychic abilities, appears uniquely equipped to deal with Jack's (Jack Nicholson) spiralling sanity.

But after flying back and making the treacherous return journey to the hotel through the snow, Hallorann is on site for all of about a hot minute before Jack surprises him in the lobby and buries an axe in his chest.

It's expertly executed (pun intended) on every level, swiftly annihilating Danny and Wendy's single lifeline and leaving them to deal with their murderous family member themselves.