20 Horror Movie Characters Everyone Underestimated
5. Bret - Lights Out
The moment we're introduced to protagonist Rebecca's (Teresa Palmer) boyfriend Bret (Alexander DiPersia) in Lights Out, the guy seems like he has victim-with-a-capital-V tattooed on his forehead.
Being such a nice guy, it seems damn-near guaranteed that he's going to fall prey to the darkness-dwelling spirit known as Diana (Alicia Vela-Bailey).
But Bret has a few surprises in store - first off, when attacked by Diana, he demonstrates greater self-preservation than you might expect from an apparently disposable, doomed-to-die love interest character.
He finds a few novel ways to flash lights and keep Diana at bay, though soon thereafter hops in his car and drives away, seemingly leaving Rebecca and her half-brother Martin (Gabriel Bateman) to fend for themselves.
The audience chides Bret for his cowardice, though he returns a short while later with the cops, having only exited the scene to summon help.
And better yet, he actually listens to the cops when they tell him to stay outside the house - an especially smart move considering both cops are then slaughtered by Diana.
Against all expectations, Bret both survives to the end of the film and demonstrates consistent intelligence throughout. Truly shocking.