Horror movies are usually known for the monstrous villain, but without characters to root for, the killing and scares almost become boring. A horror movie hero stands out from the rest of the characters. You want them to survive, defeat the villain, and appear in the sequel.
The following list of horror movie heroes captures some of the best characters that entertained audiences, put up a fight, and helped make the horror movies classics that they are known for today.
Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn : Ash – From working at the tiny S-Mart to battling zombies in the woods, Ash (Bruce Campbell) is a hero everywhere he goes. He’s quick witted, romantic with the ladies (before they’re zombified), and knows a thing or two about killing zombies.
In one of the more memorable scenes, Ash takes on his own processed hand and eventually cutting it off. Instead of worrying about the pain or complaining about the new handicap, Ash does the next best thing: attaches a chainsaw to it.
Just as Ash slice and dices his way through the small cabin, he is miraculously sent through time and the Army of Darkness sequel was easily set up.
Ash lives on in the comic book world as he takes his heroic efforts up against Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger in the Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash series.
Halloween: Dr. Loomis – After taking care of Michael Myers for several years, only Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence) knows the dangerous situation that occurs when he escapes. While the rest of the town runs from the crazed killer, Loomis chases after him.
In the climatic moments of the first Halloween, Dr. Loomis shoots him six times or “SIX TIMES! SIX TIMES! I SHOT HIM SIX TIMES!” as he proclaimed in Halloween 2.
Loomis continues his never-ending quest, even suffering burns at the hands of Michael. He eventually dies, but he helped define the series just as much as Jamie Lee Curtis and The Shape himself.
They Live– George Nada: Never has anyone battled aliens with as much cockiness and swagger as They Live’s George Nada (Former WWE Star Roddy Piper.) After wearing the sunglasses that lets him see the aliens, Nada has a street fight with his own friend to show him the alien truth.
In the movie’s most iconic scene, Nada bursts into a business looks around at the alien imposters and proclaims “I’m here to kick ass and chew bubblegum…and I’m all out of bubblegum.” Enough said.
Saw II– Eric Mathews: Very few people can escape the grasp of the Jigsaw killer, but Detective Eric Mathews managed to do it in multiple films. After he stood up to Jigsaw in Saw II, it appeared as if Detective Mathews would escape, but the movie ended with him trapped in a Saw puzzle or at his ultimate death…so viewers thought.
He returned in Saw III to escape, but it appeared that he has once again met his demise thanks to Jigsaw’s new apprentice. He managed to survive again and made his final appearance in Saw IV. In one of the most unnecessary deaths of the Saw franchise, his head was crushed by two cement blocks as he hung high in the air. Too bad he didn’t survive and return for any Saw sequels.
Scream Trilogy – Dewey: The dorky, shy Dewey was far from a cop, but he tried his hardest throughout the Scream trilogy.
Just when you thought Dewey was a killed off character in the first Scream, he proved his worth by coming back several times over.
He was shot, stabbed, and stabbed again throughout the movies, but before the final credits rolled in each one he managed to come back to life and further his romance with Gail Weathers.
Dewey returns in Scream 4, but this time his survival is questionable as anything can happen when the new trilogy begins.
