50 Unluckiest Horror Movie Characters

Friday The 13th pt. 2 (1981)

The Horror Character: Mark, the wheelchair-bound member of the group. Surely he'll be safe, right?

The Bad Luck:
It's particularly unfortunate that Mark encounters Jason while perched precariously at the top of the biggest flight of stairs we've ever seen. You can guess what happens next.

If They'd Been Carrying A Rabbit's Foot: He'd be at the top of a big old ramp. He'd still have to find a cure for the machete in the face, mind…

The Omen (1976)

The Horror Character: Katherine Thorn, wife of Robert, who is none the wiser about the swap performed by her other half when her newborn child dies shortly after birth…

The Bad Luck: It's unlucky that the child they end up with is the antichrist, but it was a fairly dodgy move on Robert's part nonetheless. Katherine, however, knew nothing about the swap, but ends up miscarrying her next child and eventually dying because of it!

If They'd Been Carrying A Rabbit's Foot:
She'd have ended up with a nice normal boy without the slightest interest in pushing people off balconies.

A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)

The Horror Character: Nancy Thompson, the young girl who first experiences a series of dreams in which a strange claw-handed man begins to make his presence felt…

The Bad Luck: Despite it being her parents that Freddie should really have a problem with, Nancy ends up locked in a long-running battle with the former janitor, "killing" him twice before finally biting the dust. Even then, he doesn't stay dead for long.

If They'd Been Carrying A Rabbit's Foot: Her dreams would have stayed populated by ponies and Johnny Depp.

The Thing (1982)

The Horror Character: Dr. Copper, one of the resident medics at the remote Antarctic research station.

The Bad Luck:
Not only does he find himself locked in a remote, icy nightmare with a bunch of dead co-workers for company, he also goes out in horrific fashion while trying to help Norris retreat from death's door. Having your arms bitten off by your patient's gaping chest is going above and beyond the usual bedside manner…

If They'd Been Carrying A Rabbit's Foot:
Norris would only have been suffering a mild dose of the flu.

Final Destination 3 (2006)

The Horror Characters: Ashley and Ashlyn, a pair of bleached-blonde barbie doll types whose tanning obsession takes an abrupt turn for the worse.

The Bad Luck:
Luck is a tricky concept with the Final Destination films, as there's a bit of a grey area with the idea of fate. Still, we'd say it's pretty unlucky to suffer the most painful-looking death in the entire series, as the girls are boiled alive in their malfunctioning sunbeds.

If They'd Been Carrying A Rabbit's Foot:
They'd have opted for a spray tan instead. Much less potential for incineration.

Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)

The Horror Character: Paul, one of a group of friends who've hired a holiday house at Crystal Lake. Error.

The Bad Luck: When facing Jason, you can probably expect to get your head squished, or a machete through the throat. Paul however, catches the big man in creative mood, and gets a spear right in his groin. Ouch.

If They'd Been Carrying A Rabbit's Foot: He'd have had the presence of mind to put some clothes on, so as not to present Jason with such an obvious target.

The Wicker Man (2006)

The Horror Character: Edward Malus, a sheriff lured to a mysterious island to investigate the disappearance of a little girl.

The Bad Luck: We've opted for the remake because this version of Malus really does go through the wringer, having his legs broken, being attacked by bees and finally being burned alive in the titular structure. However, thanks to Nic Cage's towering performance, the whole thing is irresistibly funny!

If They'd Been Carrying A Rabbit's Foot: He'd have packed up and left, without having to dress up as a bear or punch any middle-aged women in the face.

Screamers (1995)

The Horror Character: Colonel Joseph A. Hendricksson, leader of the Alliance on colonised planet Sirius 6B.

The Bad Luck:
Having survived the Screamer onslaught, Hendricksson finally manages to board a shuttle leaving for Earth. Unfortunately for him, he's brought a teddy bear along as a souvenir, a teddy bear that begins to move as the final screen fades to black…

If They'd Been Carrying A Rabbit's Foot: He'd have brought along some female company rather than a murderous stuffed toy.

Friday 13th pt. 6 (1986)

The Horror Character: Tommy Jarvis, survivor of two previous encounters with Jason Voorhees, and his killer in one of them.

The Bad Luck:
Having successfully managed to put Jason down, it was perhaps foolish for Tommy to tempt fate and revisit the corpse. Stabbing said corpse was also a bit weird, but where's the harm? Unless of course his stabbing implement is struck by lightning, reanimating Jason and giving him new super-powers. Bugger.

If They'd Been Carrying A Rabbit's Foot: Jason would have been cremated. The end.

Dawn Of The Dead (2004)

The Horror Characters: The survivors of the shopping mall onslaught, who manage to battle their way out of that hell-hole onto a boat, and salvation…

The Bad Luck:
Having managed to overcome almost impossible odds in escaping the zombie hoard, the survivors weigh anchor at a far-flung island, only to find there are zombies there too! Oh come on…

If They'd Been Carrying A Rabbit's Foot:
They'd have made their way to a tropical paradise full of friendly animals and tasty, tasty mangoes. And no zombies.

George Wales

George was once GamesRadar's resident movie news person, based out of London. He understands that all men must die, but he'd rather not think about it. But now he's working at Stylist Magazine.

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