Another Top 10 Unexpected Horror Movie Deaths

Script written by George Pacheco

Another Top 10 Unexpected Horror Movie Deaths

Well, that came out of nowhere. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for Another Top 10 Unexpected Horror Movie Deaths. For this list, we're looking at more death scenes from the horror movie genre that took audiences by surprise or subverted expectations. If you don't see your favorite scene here, be sure to check out our first list of Unexpected Horror Movie Deaths. Oh, and since we're going to be discussing some big time plot points here, a SPOILER ALERT is now in effect.

#10: Randy Meeks

"Scream 2" (1997)
Ok, let's be honest: we all expected Randy Meeks to bite the big one by the end of the first "Scream" film. This character, played by Jamie Kennedy, was built up as being a horror movie aficionado, and so (because… irony) we thought that he was doomed for sure. Wes Craven's creation was all about subverting expectations, however, so when Randy survived the first film, we thought he might be a series fixture going forward. Alas, this was not to be; Meeks was slaughtered by Ghostface in Gale's news van, with the entire ordeal being caught on tape. It's a shocking and brutal scene that genuinely caught us off guard.

#9: Rory Adams

"Life" (2017)
Derivative of "Alien" or not, this underrated 2017 film did a great job at baiting-and-switching its audience, both with its downer ending and the high body count. Ryan Reynolds' Rory Adams was front and center throughout much of the film's marketing, yet his character is the first to die, and in spectacularly gory fashion no less! The newly discovered alien organism enters Rory's mouth and goes to town, feasting on his insides before breaking out, bigger and badder. We're not really used to seeing a star of Reynolds’ caliber go out like this, but we gotta admit: it paints a memorable mental picture.

#8: Sue Snell

"The Rage: Carrie 2" (1999)
This is another horror movie character who survived the first film only to die in the sequel. Although in Snell’s case, it took twenty-plus years for her number to finally come up. "The Rage" was a 1999 follow-up to Brian De Palma's classic adaptation of the Stephen King story, and featured a grown up Sue Snell in her new role as a high school guidance counselor. She realizes the potential danger in Rachel Lang, a student who seems to possess the same telekinetic powers as Carrie White. She might not be the protagonist, but Sue’s journey is central to the film’s plot, so when she's killed as a result of Lang's burgeoning rage, the sense of shock and loss is very real.

#7: Jenna Montgomery

"Friday the 13th" (2009)
The world of horror cinema is populated by many different archetypes, including the "Final Girl." This is usually an intelligent, capable female lead who serves as the heroine and (usually) our lone survivor. The "Friday the 13th" franchise is no exception to this rule, having introduced various memorable Final Girls over the years. Jenna Montgomery is something of an anomaly, however, in that she's set up for a large part of the 2009 franchise reboot film as the lead, only to be killed by Jason Voorhees at the film's climax. It honestly comes out of nowhere, for better or worse, leaving Clay Miller and his sister Whitney as the film's only survivors.

#6: Darry Jenner

"Jeepers Creepers" (2001)
The "Final Girl" trope in horror films may be well established, but the idea of a "Final Guy" never really gained as much steam within the genre. Male characters in horror films never seem truly safe, and rarely have we received a more stinging reminder than with the demise of Darry Jenner, one of the two leads in Victor Salva's controversial "Jeepers Creepers" franchise. We invest a lot of time following Darry and his sister Trish around; despite our horror movie conditioning, we even get attached! Because of this connection, we expect to see them both come out on top against The Creeper, but Justin Long's character ends up abducted, maimed and killed in the monster's lair.

#5: Nancy Thompson

"A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors" (1987)
Remember how we mentioned earlier that Wes Craven loved to subvert the expectations of horror fans? Consider this another great example. "Dream Warriors" is a fan favorite sequel to Craven's 1984 classic, a film that already shocked audiences with its killing of Tina Gray and Glen Lantz. Heather Langenkamp's heroic Nancy Thompson returns here as a hospital intern who helps Kristen Parker and The Elm Street Kids face off against Freddy Krueger. Although Nancy and her new friends succeed in defeating Freddy, she suffers fatal wounds in the battle, and we see her somber funeral shortly before the film's conclusion.

#4: Robert Thorn

"The Omen" (1976)
Who says that good always has to triumph over evil? Fans of "The Omen" franchise know that Damien Thorn usually gets the upper hand against those who seek to destroy the spawn of The Devil. This idea is hammered home quite effectively in the first film from 1976, which follows Damien's adopted father Robert as he discovers the truth behind his Satanic son. In the film’s climax, Robert is poised to make the ultimate sacrifice as he prostrates Damien on a church altar, ceremonial dagger raised high to murder the boy he now knows to be the Antichrist. The police intervene before Robert can finish the deed, however, fatally shooting him down. This leaves Damien free to return, older and wiser, for future "Omen" sequels.

#3: Billy Drayton

"The Mist" (2007)
The death of children in film is something that needs to be handled very carefully. There's no denying the shock value when such an instance occurs, however, as evidenced by the gut-punch ending to Stephen King's "The Mist." Billy Drayton actually survives King's original story, but this 2007 adaptation instead places the young boy, his father David and others in a situation where David is forced to make an ultimately tragic decision. He chooses to mercy-kill his son and everyone in the car before the mist creatures attack, intending to let the creatures finish him. After David commits the heartbreaking act, however, the mist recedes to reveal that rescuers have arrived and that his son needn’t have died.

#2: Dick Hallorann

"The Shining" (1980)
Dick Hallorann is another famous example of a Stephen King character suffering a very different fate onscreen than he did on the printed page. It's no secret by now that King himself disliked Stanley Kubrick's 1980 adaptation of "The Shining," with the fate of Hallorann's character being just one of the changes the director undertook during filming. Much is made on screen of Dick's contact with Danny Torrance, and his journey to rescue him from his father in The Overlook Hotel. Dick succeeds in the novel, and ends up being a character mentioned in other King stories, such as "It" and "Insomnia." Kubrick, however, gives Scatman Crothers' Hallorann an ignoble end at the blade of Jack Torrance's axe.

Before we name our number one pick, here are some honorable mentions!

Buddy Kupfer, Jr.
"Halloween III: Season of the Witch" (1982)

Terry Chaney
"Final Destination" (2000)

Sgt. Doyle
"28 Weeks Later" (2007)

Sister Abigail
"Orphan" (2009)

#1: Dr. Malcolm Crowe

"The Sixth Sense" (2001)
Many movie fans were floored by the ending of M. Night Shyamalan's breakout 2001 film "The Sixth Sense," in which it's revealed that the protagonist, Dr. Malcolm Crowe was actually dead the entire time. The reason it works so well is because of the care that went into depicting Bruce Willis' character as a central part of the narrative. We have every reason to believe that Crowe survived the attack from his former patient, and so we never doubt his status as “living” - even as he tries to help a young boy who claims to see dead people. "The Sixth Sense" is so good at filtering Crowe into his surroundings that, even upon repeat, viewings, you can’t help but get lost in the story.