Making it to the end of a horror film is a badge of honor. But returning in a follow-up effort is like tempting fate. Many final femmes and gents have reappeared in a sequel. But only a select few have survived more than one round with the evil behind any given horror franchise. And with that in mind, we are taking a moment to look back on some of the most memorable horror movie survivors that were dispatched in a future outing.
Gear yourself up for a melancholy trip down memory lane as we recount nine characters that survived a horror film, only to die another day.
Cotton Weary in Scream 3
The disgraced and ultimately exonerated Cotton Weary survived the first two Scream films and was living his best life as the host of the aptly titled talk show, 100% Cotton, in Scream 3. But sadly, Weary became the second victim of Ghostface in the oft-maligned threequel. I have to give the man credit for turning his fifteen minutes of ‘fame’ into a fruitful career. He was nothing, if not enterprising.
Related: Scream 3 Deserves More Love!
Randy Meeks in Scream 2
Randy’s death in Scream 2 was such a gut punch for me. He’s a character that was near and dear to the hearts of many a horror fan. He talks the talk and walks the walk. And like myself, he had an after-school job at a video store. I was thrilled to see him evade the killers in the inaugural series installment. Seeing the always affable Randy dispensed in the second film hit hard. With that said, one of my favorite things about Scream 3 is that the always-prepared Randy makes a cameo by way of a pre-recorded videotape.
Laurie Strode in the Halloween Series
Laurie Strode survived the first two Halloween films, only to be killed offscreen prior to the start of the fourth. Then, Halloween: H20 retconned the timeline featured in some of the later films and revealed that Laurie had faked her own death and was living under a new identity. Laurie emerged victorious at the end of H20, only to (once again) be killed off in the ill-conceived Halloween Resurrection. Then, Laurie was (once again) resurrected for David Gordon Green’s Halloween (2018). Talk about a nonlinear timeline! Even as a die-hard Halloween fan, I can admit that the continuity is a bit challenging.
Nancy Thompson In Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
Nancy Thompson is as memorable a final femme as any. She is a resourceful, strategic, and likable character. And I was delighted to see her return for Dream Warriors. I was, admittedly, less delighted to see her succumb to the razor-gloved madman she had outsmarted in the original film. Nonetheless, seeing Nancy return, for any amount of time, is still cause for celebration. And the fact that Heather Langenkamp returns, as herself and eventually as Nancy, in New Nightmare serves as a perfect ending to Nancy’s character arc.
Alice Hardy in Friday the 13th: Part 2
Alice is a down-to-earth, level-headed kind of gal. She is resourceful and capable. It’s easy to see why she made it to the end of Friday the 13th (1980). But it was a crying shame when she was dispatched moments into the second installment in the Friday the 13th series. Alice deserved better. But I do take a small amount of solace in the fact that she returns in the surprisingly competent fan film, Jason Rising.
Related: Jason Rising Premiere [Event Recap]
Clear Rivers in Final Destination 2
I am a big Ali Larter fan. She had a number of memorable roles in teen movies during my younger years and has continued to pop up in a variety of memorable film and television appearances in more recent years (i.e. Resident Evil: The Final Chapter and Creepshow: The Series). So, with that said, I was delighted to see Larter’s Clear Rivers return in Final Destination 2. And although she doesn’t make it through to the end, it was nice to see her get a substantial arc, rather than being cast off following the opening credits.
Sue Snell in The Rage: Carrie 2
Sue Snell is one of a very small handful of characters in Brian De Palma’s Carrie with redeeming character traits. She feels bad for tormenting the titular character and tries to make it right. And that’s likely why she lives through the film’s violent ending. Seeing her return for the underappreciated follow-up, The Rage: Carrie 2, was a nice surprise and a welcome callback to the first film. Her demise is gut-wrenching and hard to watch, seeing as she spends the bulk of the flick trying to help and becomes a casualty, all the same.
Bruce Campbell in Maniac Cop 2
One of the only things I love more than Bruce Campbell is Bruce Campbell surviving a horror film and reprising the same role in a sequel. I’m sure you can imagine my delight at seeing Campbell’s character, Jack Forest making it to the end of Maniac Cop and later returning in Maniac Cop 2. Well, I was sufficiently bummed to see that Jack doesn’t fare as well in the series’ second installment. However, it was still great to see Campbell returning to tango with the lunatic lawman one last time in Maniac Cop 2.
Paxton in Hostel: Part II
I think Hostel is a classic example of a film that has not aged well. I saw it as off-color at the time of release. But a lot has changed in ten-plus years (for the better) since the film debuted. And now, even college-aged bros tend to be a little less liberal with the use of gay slurs. That aside, I was surprised to see Paxton pop up, briefly, in Hostel II and equally surprised to see him dispatched in the prologue.
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