The 10 Saddest Horror Movie Deaths, Ranked

2 weeks ago 6
Horror

4

Sign in to your Collider account

David Arquette as Dewey as Ghostface stabs him off-camera in Scream 2022 Image via Paramount Pictures

Despite its purpose to scare and terrify, the horror genre is not immune to moviegoers falling in love with its characters. Except that love is crushed when writers and filmmakers kill off those who audiences identify most with. Instead of crying tears of fear, the saddest horror deaths elicit tears of mourning. Long-running franchises with high body counts submit to audience rankings of which deaths were the "best" or the most violent, while one-off movies tend to garner a more emotional response. However, these dejected feelings don't last long as adrenaline refuels the edge-of-your-seat thrills.

Whether a first, second, or third-act demise, the saddest horror deaths are those of self-sacrifice, wrong place wrong time, accidental, and horrifyingly intentional. Ending the movie with a fan-favorite character's death is a bold move, but one that draws moviegoers back for sequels and reboots. Unfair and unexpected, the deaths in these horror movies prove that no one is really safe, not until the credits roll.

This list contains spoilers for each movie featured.

10 Lee Abbott

'A Quiet Place' (2018)

Marcus (Noah Jupe), Regan (Millicent Simmonds) and Lee (John Krasinski) on the lookout for the aliens in 'A Quiet Place' Image via Paramount Pictures

Trading his life for his children, Lee Abbott's (John Krasinski) death was the outcome of a no-win situation. The sci-fi horror film that demanded as much silence from audiences as the characters onscreen, A Quiet Place takes place post-alien invasion where the creatures hunt and attack based on sound. The Abbott family has done their best to adapt to their new world and protect their children, but with the creature's ultra-sensitive hearing, daily life is a constant battle for survival.

In the film's final act, the aliens have descended upon the Abbott family's farm and their two kids (Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe) are trapped inside the pickup truck. Lee, already injured, knows it's only a matter of time before the alien demolishes the vehicle and reaches the kids. In an act of selflessness, Lee uses sign language to tell his kids he loves them before screaming to draw the alien to him, killing him. The movie portrays many instances of helplessness because to remain silent means to remain alive. Lee could've chosen to remain silent and lose the last of his children, but he sacrificed himself to protect their lives.

a-quiet-place-movie-poster.jpg

Your changes have been saved

A Quiet Place

Release Date April 3, 2018

9 Halloran

'The Shining' (1980)

Scatman Crothers as Dick Hallorann lying in bed and staring at the ceiling in The Shining Image via Warner Bros.

A sudden death, but one the audience expected was coming, Dick Hallorann's (Scatman Crothers) death was a means of escape for Danny (Danny Llyod) and Wendy (Shelley Duvall). In the iconic adaptation of Stephen King'sThe Shining, a family of three moves to a mountainous hotel for the winter season, the husband Jack (Jack Nicholson) hired as the caretaker/groundskeeper. When the hotel reveals itself to be haunted, Jack slowly loses his mind and goes on a violent rampage to kill his wife and son.

Hallorann, the Overlook's head chef, uses his telepathic abilities to realize that Danny and Wendy are in trouble. He makes the dangerous trek back to the hotel with a snowcat. While walking down the empty hallway, calling out to anyone there, Jack comes out from behind a pillar and swings his ax into Hallorann's stomach. His death saddens audiences because of his likeability and pure intentions to protect Danny and Wendy, bonding with Danny right from the start. Hallorann dying wasn't completely necessary, but by returning to the hotel, Danny and Wendy were able to use the snowcat to make it down the mountain.

the-shining-poster

Release Date May 23, 1980

Director Stanley Kubrick

Cast Jack Nicholson , Shelley Duvall , Danny Lloyd , Scatman Crothers , Barry Nelson , Philip Stone

8 Ben

'Night of the Living Dead' (1968)

Duane Jones as Ben fiddles with the radio in Night of the Living Dead 1968 Image via Continental Distributing

Night of the Living Dead proved early on in the horror genre that main character deaths could elicit more than just fear from audiences. Ben (Duane Jones) went through hell to be the only remaining survivor just to be shot in cold blood. The George A. Romero film is a one-by-one horror movie where a group of people barricade themselves inside a rural house as a flesh-eating horde tries to get in. Night of the Living Dead not only plays with zombie horror but also toys with psychological horror with the uninformed majority versus the informed minority.

The night of terror began with seven strangers held up inside the house and ended with one survivor, Ben. As he waits until daylight and help arrives, Ben remains in the basement until he hears a group of police and townsfolk shooting at the zombies wandering the fields. When he goes to the window with a gun to assess the situation, Ben is mistaken for a zombie and shot without hesitation by the townspeople. His death is sad and distressing because that fear from the uninformed majority (refusing to check if Ben was a zombie or not) cost the informed minority his life.

night-of-the-living-dead-poster

Your changes have been saved

Night of the Living Dead

Release Date October 4, 1968

Director George A. Romero

Cast Duane Jones , Judith O'Dea , Karl Hardman , Marilyn Eastman , Keith Wayne , Judith Ridley

Main Genre Horror

7 Tatum Riley

'Scream' (1996)

Rose McGowan as Tatum stuck in the cat door of the electric garage door in Scream Image via Miramax Films

One of the saddest horror movie kills is also the most terrifying because it tapped into intrusive thought-based fears of its audiences. Scream depicts the stabbing spree of the Ghostface killer as he targets Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) and those close to her in Woodsboro, using scary movies as a means of psychological torment. The first of a decades-long slasher franchise, Scream was almost rated NC-17 for its graphic violence.

Tatum (Rose McGowan), Sidney's best friend and Stu's (Matthew Lillard) girlfriend, meets an awful end as she is confronted by Ghostface in the garage at Stu's house party. Initially thinking it was a prank, Tatum fights admirably to escape, crawling through the cat door in the electric garage door. Stuck, Tatum is helpless as Ghostface opens the door, where she's crushed and impaled at the top. The way Tatum's demise played into the fears that movies like Final Destination capitalized on, was a whole new level of horror. Her status as Stu's girlfriend ultimately won't save her, and Sidney loses yet another loved one.

scream-movie-poster.jpg

Your changes have been saved

Scream

Release Date December 20, 1996

Cast Drew Barrymore , Kevin Patrick Walls , David Booth , Carla Hatley , Neve Campbell , Skeet Ulrich

6 Father Karras

'The Exorcist' (1973)

Jason Miller as Father Karras after the demon has jumped into him in The Exorcist Image via Warner Bros. 

The most terrifying horror movies of the twentieth century featured one of the saddest sacrificial deaths that inspired a chorus line of similar demises in future genre films. The Exorcist is the story of a young girl (Linda Blair) who is possessed by a demon and her mother's (Ellen Burstyn) determination to save her, enlisting the help of two priests to perform an exorcism on her. Unfortunately, both clergymen don't survive the horrifying event.

After Father Merrin (Max von Sydow) succumbs to a heart attack during the ritual, Father Karras (Jason Miller) returns to the room to try and salvage the exorcism and Regan's soul. In a fit of rage, he attacks the possessed Regan, and in a moment of selflessness, commands the demon to take him instead. The demon possesses Father Karras, and he maintains his control just long enough to throw himself out the window, the fall down the staircase killing him. His sacrificial death was a moment of redemption and restoration of faith, insinuating that he reached peace from his troubled soul.

exorcist-movie-poster.jpg

Release Date December 26, 1973

5 Karen

'Halloween Kills' (2021)

Michael Myers stands behind Karen as she looks out the window in Halloween Kills Image via Universal Pictures

A cruel, cold-blooded ending for not only the characters but moviegoers, Halloween Kills ends with a revenge killing. In the second modern continuation of the foundational horror franchise, Michael Myers emerges from the fiery blaze the Strode women set at the end of Halloween (2018), and continues his murderous rampage. The legacy survivors and residents of Haddonfield band together to track down Michael and kill him once and for all. The modern trilogy features Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), her daughter Karen (Judy Greer), and her granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak).

The film's final act teases that the mob has killed Michael after Karen leads him to them; however, Michael resurrects and slaughters those remaining. In a surprising, jaw-dropping moment, Karen meets her end as she stares out of the bedroom window where Michael first killed his sister all those years ago, him delivering the same fate. Karen's symbolic death, while sad and unexpected, made sense because it would ultimately need to be Laurie who delivers Michael his fatal blow to fully conclude the franchise's long-running chapter.

Halloween Kills Movie Poster

Your changes have been saved

Halloween Kills

Release Date October 15, 2021

Director David Gordon Green

4 Eddie Kaspbrak

'It: Chapter 2' (2019)

Adult Eddie Kaspbrak lays injured with blood on his mouth in It Chapter Two Image via Warner Brothers

The Losers Club of Derry lost one of the best in the sequel adaptation of Stephen King's acclaimed horror novel. It: Chapter Two features the now-adult friend group as they return to their hometown 27 years after they first encountered Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård). The casting of the adult versions was spot on as James Ransone transforms into the Munchausen by proxy syndrome Eddie Kaspbrak. Eddie spends most of his screen time arguing and trading insults with Richie Tozier (Bill Hader), the pair obviously the best of friends. During the final underground showdown with Pennywise, Eddie is impaled by one of the creature's tentacles.

While there was a death earlier in the film, a suicide by Stanley (Andy Bean), Eddie's death was unexpected for those who hadn't read the book, and different from what King wrote. No one was more devastated than Richie, in a masterful performance from Hader that moved some viewers to tears as Richie refused to leave Eddie behind and broke down during the quarry aftermath. The movie alluded to something more than a friendship between Richie and Eddie, his death leaving a gaping hole in Richie's soul and within the Losers Club.

it-chapter-2-poster.jpg

Release Date September 6, 2019

3 Randy Meeks

'Scream 2' (1997)

Jamie Kennedy as Randy Meeks talking on the phone in Scream 2 Image via Miramax Films

He was the fan-favorite funny man whose survival in the first film signaled that he'd somehow manage to survive alongside the other legacy characters of the Scream franchise. However, Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy) didn't make it through the sequel, Scream 2. Two years after the Woodsboro slayings, Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) has just adjusted to life as a college student when a new killer dons the Ghostface mask. Gale (Courteney Cox) and Dewey (David Arquette) return as well.

Randy's legacy lasted throughout the entire franchise as the horror fanatic that made this series so meta. His understanding of the genre tropes and timelines should have earned his survival to the modern sequels (though he's represented by a niece and nephew in them). He is stabbed inside Gale's news van after receiving a call from Ghostface, and tries to keep him on the line long enough for Gale and Dewey to find the caller. His humor and witty insults lasted right until the end, the fans finding the decision to kill Randy off highly controversial.

Scream 2 Poster

Release Date December 9, 1997

2 Seok-woo

'Train to Busan' (2016)

Gong Yoo and Kim Su-an in 'Train to Busan' Image via Next Entertainment World

In one of the most emotional acts of selflessness in the horror movie genre, a father's love knows no bounds. Train to Busan is a South Korean zombie horror movie where a viral outbreak wipes out various cities, making its way onto a train of passengers from Seoul to Busan. The uninfected train passengers include a businessman father, Seok-woo (Gong Yoo), and his estranged young daughter, Soo-an (Kim Su-an). They band together with various other uninfected to contain the ravenous infected while moving through the cars of the train.

In the third act, as Seok-woo, Soo-an, and Seong-kyeong (Jung Yu-mi) are the last remaining survivors, he is bitten while protecting them from the infected train conductor. Soo-an's screams for her father are crushing, especially as she begs him not to leave her. Seok-woo locks himself outside the train, and as the infection takes over, he remembers Soo-an's birth, holding on to his humanity before jumping. His sacrifice ensured their survival. There is never a dry eye when this scene arrives, and no words to describe the devastation Seok-woo feels as his daughter cries out for him. The unlikely hero that audiences grew to love demonstrated the greatest act of love depicted in the genre.

train-to-busan-poster

Your changes have been saved

Train to Busan

Release Date July 20, 2016

Director Sang-ho Yeon

Cast Yoo Gong , Yu-mi Jeong , Dong-seok Ma , Su-an Kim , Eui-sung Kim , Woo-sik Choi

1 Dewey Riley

'Scream' (2022)

David Arquette as Dewey as Ghostface stabs him off-camera in Scream 2022 Image via Paramount Pictures

Nothing was more shocking and unfair than when legacy character Dewey Riley (David Arquette) finally met his fate at the hands of Ghostface. The 2022 Scream returns to Woodsboro 25 years after the brutal slayings, this time Ghostface is motivated by the past as the slasher targets a new group of teens to draw Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera) back to her hometown. The reboot of the iconic franchise featured the three original characters of Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox), and Dewey.

After saving the new film's central trio, Dewey returns to inflict a confirmation headshot on Ghostface to truly end the reign of terror. In the blink of an eye, Dewey is about to shoot and his phone rings, giving Ghostface the chance to charge Dewey, brutally stabbing and carving him. A jaw-dropping moment that proves no logical deed goes unpunished, Dewey's place in the franchise ended. For a series so meta about horror tropes, when Dewey tries to do the rational thing of making sure the killer is unequivocally dead, he pays the price. The franchise will never be the same without the heart-of-gold Dewey, his absence leaving a lasting veil of sadness.

scream-online-rated-teaser-1-sheet-montage-r2.jpeg

Your changes have been saved

Scream

Release Date January 14, 2022

NEXT: The 10 Most Unexpected Deaths in Horror Movies

Read Entire Article