16 Character Deaths We Never Saw Coming in Horror Films

I had been watching some clips lately and it made me think about how many deaths we didn’t see coming in horror films, be it a shocking discussion to kill the supposed “final girl” off, or if it was a character we thought for sure would survive. With that in mind, this article will contain spoilers. These are in no particular order.

Characters We Thought Would Make It…

1. Character: Randy

Film: Scream 2 (1997)

Randy met his unfortunate end when ghost face pulled him into a van and killed him while his friends were nearby. We were all rooting for you, Randy! This still remains one of the most heartbreaking deaths in a horror franchise.

2. Character: Christine

Film: Drag Me to Hell (2009)

Yes, we all thought Christine had escaped the curse the lady had put on her but at last unfortunately she was dragged to hell right in front of her boyfriend. My girl didn’t deserve that.

3. Character: Lorraine

Film: X (2022)

We definitely didn’t see Lorraine getting quite literally blown away. Yet here we are she’s making a run for it and Bam! Shotgun death.

4. Character: Yoga Pants

Film: The Hunt (2020)

This wasn’t the first time movies have used big names just to kill them off in the first two minutes of the film. It still doesn’t make it any less of a shock.

5. Character: Casey

Film: Scream (1996)

As mentioned above we have seen it before where they cast a big name in this case Drew Barrymore, only for her to meet her untimely death within the first few minutes of the Scream film.

 

6. Character: Marion Crane

Film: Psycho (1960)

One of the first times we saw them kill off our “final girl” was in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho in the first 30 minutes of the film.

7. Character: Dewey

Film: Scream 5 (2022)

I honestly have to say that Scream is the only horror franchise to rip my heart out. When Dewey sacrificed himself in Scream 5 I had tears in my eyes. He deserved better!

8. Character: Charlie

Film: Hereditary (2018)

I mean come on. No one saw this death coming, especially with all the promotional footage that was used. We all thought Charlie would be in it for the long haul. Alas, the telephone pole had other plans.

9. Character: Keith

Film: Barbarian (2022)

I mean come on, you put Bill Skarsgård in a horror film after seeing him as Pennywise? Of course, we are going to think he’s our main bad guy. Sadly, he just happened to be a socially awkward guy who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

10. Character: Jenna

Film: Friday The 13th (2009)

Jenna had all the makings of a final girl but alas, it was not her time to shine. Instead, Jason cut her down in her prime.

11. Character: Claire

Film: Final Destination 2 (2003)

We should have seen this one coming seeing as no one really ever escapes death. However, it didn’t stop the shock we felt when survivor Claire met her death in the second film.

12. Character: Nancy

Film: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)

It was heartbreaking when our final girl Nancy met her end in the third installment of the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise.

13. Character: Laurie

Film: Halloween Resurrection (2002)

I’m sure I’m not the only one who was furious they did our scream queen so dirty.

14. Character: Lee

Film: A Quiet Place (2018)

Probably one of the most heartbreaking deaths in recent horror films was Lee. That goodbye to his kids was too much to handle.

15. Character: Russell

Film: Deep Blue Sea (1999)

I mean come on, the original shock was the shark taking him out in the middle of his big speech.

 

16. Character: Tara

Film: Terrifier (2016)

We followed Tara throughout the whole film only for her to get wrecked by Art the Clown.

In Conclusion…

There were a lot of deaths we didn’t see coming. Or perhaps it was the fact we loved the character so much we didn’t want to see them meet their untimely end?

So what do you think, PopHorror fans? Should we do a Part 2 of this fun list? Let us know in the comments below!