When ahorror movieends with everyone safe and living, it almost feels unsatisfying. You watch as a group of friends or a family get mixed up in something supernatural or targeted by a group of killers, and you’re on edge the entire time. You’re waiting to see who gets taken down next, if the final girl will really make it out of there alive, and if they do, will they survive in the sequel? It’s always kind of great when a main character is killed, and horror movies that take this route usually wait until the very end to kill the person who’s been leading this intense and stressful journey.
It helps the audience realize that the big bad that they’re facing in the film is that serious and dangerous, and no one is safe within this movie. There have been some great horror films that kill off the main character, if not one, then all, and some are shocking and some, are rightfully deserved. Let’s take a look at ten horror movies that decided to kill off the main protagonist.
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Released in 1999,The Blair Witch Projectwas advertised as a true story, and theaters were playing the footage as if they found it and turned it into a spooky documentary of sorts. Naturally, the people who flocked to see this movie were thoroughly creeped out once they thought this was a real thing that happened, and rightfully so. A group of friends takes off to hike in the middle of the woods, documenting it all as they come across an area heavy with witchcraft.
You watch on in slight horror and concern as they get lost, the map is long forgotten about, and weird things start to happen to the trio as they start to turn on each other. At the very end,perhaps the most frightening part of the movie,is when the camera pans to Mike standing ominously in the corner, before Heather is attacked and the camera clatters to the ground, effectively ending the film and killing off the main characters.
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Hereditary (2018)
In this film that relies heavily on the death of Charlie, the daughter of the family, no one makes it out of this movie alive in the end.Hereditaryis one of the best horror movies surrounding witchcraft and family ties, and many people believe that Toni Collette should have received anOscar for her performance in the film. Early on in the film, Charlie gets decapitated by a telephone pole after having an intense allergic reaction to a cake filled with peanuts.
The death doesn’t stop there in this film as each family member becomes tortured by Charlie’s lingering presence, her father being burned to death, her mother getting decapitated as well by a piano wire, and lastly, her brother throwing himself out of his window and falling to his death. Of course, Charlie’s presence possesses Peter’s body, and he’s essentially “alive”, but in this case, everyone dies and there are no real survivors.
The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
In the case ofThe Cabin in the Woods, the deaths at the end were sad, and the characters, both Dana and Marty, didn’t deserve to die because they realistically didn’t do anything wrong. The movie is a great play on slashers, both old and modern, and delves deep into specific tropes, such as the jock and the virgin. A group of friends heads out to a remote cabin in the woods, consisting of a great cast featuring some big names such as Chris Hemsworth, Jesse Williams, and Sigourney Weaver.
This specific group gets targeted by a team of scientists who want to prevent the world from ending, sacrificing these college students in order to save the entire world. In the end, it comes down to the last two, Dana and Marty, and after fighting for their lives, they decide to share a joint and wait for the world to end, which it indeed does.
Jeepers Creepers (2001)
If you get the chills every time you hear the song “Jeepers Creepers”, you certainly are not alone, this film andthe influence it had on its audience, still live on to this day. A pair of siblings, Trish and Darry, are headed home for college break when they become targeted by a disgusting creature that lives off of human body parts. You’ll be shouting at your screen as Darry slides down the rusty tunnel to do some investigating, only to come face-to-face with absolute horror as multiple bodies are sewn together and decorate the cave’s walls.
In the end, Trish is spared even though she was “supposed” to be taken, and Darry is essentially turned inside out by The Creeper. If only they just kept driving home and didn’t want to play the hero!
The Strangers (2008)
Home invasion movies always hit a bit deeper since there’s a bigger chance of them happening instead of a supernatural entity living inside your home, andThe Strangerswas loosely based off Brian Bertino, the writer and director’s life, so it’s that much creepier. A couple, who’s on the verge of breaking up, heads to a fairly nice cabin in the middle of nowhere, thinking that their breakup was going to be the worst part of their night. Boy, were they wrong.
A trio, dubbed the Strangers, show up and drag the torturous night on and on until you realize that they’re not going to let anyone survive. This fact becomes abundantly clear when the trio unmask themselves in front of the couple before taking turns and stabbing them in their chests multiple times. The follow-up movie to this film is great and worth the watch if you want to see what the masked trio was up to after killing this couple, and supposedly,there’s a third on the way.
Related:15 of the Most Brutal Scenes in Home Invasion Horror Movies
If you enjoy any type of modern show or movie that focuses on zombies being the biggest threat, then you haveNight of the Living Deadto thank for that. In 1968, this film was released, and it popularized the use of zombies in film; dead people coming back to eat and terrorize those still living. It’s a horror classic, and the ending to this great film is incredibly sad but also extremely realistic, both for when it was released and in modern times.
Ben, a Black man, is the only survivor after taking refuge in a bunker, and once he figures it’s safe, he emerges from his hiding spot. He’s immediately shot and killed as the armed individuals “mistook” him for a zombie, and immediately gunned him down before throwing his body in a fire with the rest of the zombies.
Hell House LLC (2015)
This found-footage film is grossly underrated and perfect for a spooky watch as summer comes to an end and the air starts to get chillier. A group of friendsset out to put up a haunted housein the middle of upstate New York, even though it was filmed in Pennsylvania, and they came to learn that the building itself is very much haunted. In the end, 15 people died on the first night of the opening, including both guests and crew, and it was believed that the only survivor was Sarah.
However, when a different film crew starts to poke around for answers that definitely weren’t needed, they realize that Sarah has been dead the entire time! It’s a great ending to an equally great film, and it’s one to watch if you love found-footage horror films.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006)
If you’re a horror fan, then you know the name “Leatherface.” You know the influence that this very vast and large franchise has had on its audience, releasing movie after movie that doesn’t necessarily match up with the others, but is still, appreciated all the same.It’s the sixth installment, and fans of the franchise agree that it’s certainly not the best one, but the ending is something to note.
Usually, in these movies, there is always a survivor who makes it out and lives to tell the tale of the corrupt family living in the farmhouse. However, this doesn’t happen inThe Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning. Our final girl, played by Jordana Brewster, thinks she’s home-free as she successfully makes it to the car, not knowing that Leatherface is in the back seat.
Unfriended (2014)
Unfriendedis one of the best horror movies that takes place only from the point of view of the camera on a laptop, successfully keeping the audience interested from no other angle but the one in front of them. A group of high schoolers comes to learn of the suicide of someone they went to school with, a girl who was violated by a video posted online before she ended her life. They’re all on a Skype chat when an unknown person is added to the call, and disturbing things start to happen to each of them.
If you’re squeamish in any sense, this movie might not be for you, especially the scene in which someone is forced to place their hand inside a blender before turning it on. In this film, no one makes it, and you’ll be questioning whether they deserved it or not as more secrets get revealed as the night goes on.
A Quiet Place (2018)
It’s always hard to watch a parent make a tough decision in a horror movie, such as what happens at the end ofThe Mist, one of the most-talked-about movie endings in the horror genre. However, inA Quiet Place,it’s a very sad moment as Lee Abbott (John Krasinski) realizes that it’s either him or his kids, and he ends up sacrificing himself in order for his children to get away.
It’s a heartbreaking moment as he signs to his daughter that he loves her before doing the one thing he constantly warned against: he opens his mouth and screams. Immediately, he’s overtaken and killed while his two children run away back to safety, and Krasinski’s performance is fantastic and tragically sad.
