10 Most Surprising Deaths in Horror Movies
4. Ben - Night of the Living Dead
George A. Romero's iconic Night of the Living Dead may never refer to its hellspawn monsters as zombies - instead calling them "ghouls" - nevertheless, it is the granddaddy of the modern zombie, having created the blueprint for the flesh-eating beasties that horror fans know and love. But besides the walking corpses, another major staple this movie created was the bleak tone of this subgenre. This surprise death right at the end of the movie is a fine example of that.
Throughout the film, a group of strangers attempts to survive the onslaught of the titular living dead, with one particular survivor, Ben, becoming a natural hero. This character does his best to keep everyone alive, and while it doesn't all go his way, he at least makes it through the night. Sadly, once the cavalry arrives at the end of the movie to eradicate the remaining ghouls, they mistake Ben for one and shoot him in the head. It's unfair, unceremonious, and entirely unnecessary.
In the end, it wasn't the monsters that killed him, just a misunderstanding.