The horror genre gives us resilient and relentless final girls to root for. It also gives us seemingly immortal villains that always come back for a second, or third, or who knows how many more rounds. Then there are those characters who grow on audiences quickly; they’re charming, helpful, resourceful, and seem like they’re going to survive the horror movie they’re in…until they don’t, or worse, are completely ignored as the plot deepens. Here are 9 underdeveloped horror characters that could have been great.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

9 Frank Hawkins - David Gordon Green’s Halloween Trilogy

     Universal Pictures

Frank Hawkins is introduced in Halloween 2018 as the longstanding deputy of Haddonfield, the modern version of Sheriff Leigh Brackett. After surviving Dr. Sartain’s seemingly lethal attack and being placed in the same Haddonfield Memorial recovery room as Laurie, he explains that he stopped Dr. Loomis from killing Michael Myers the night Laurie was attacked, feeling responsible for the rampage that ensues forty years later. Frank’s complex backstory makes him a suitable fit to defeat Michael Myers in Halloween Ends, and nevertheless he’s relegated to Laurie’s love interest, and even that direction is minimally explored.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

8 Vince - Scream (2022)

     Paramount Pictures

Kyle Gallner is a horror staple in his own right, so his inclusion in Scream (2022) created anticipation for an interesting character to the franchise. But Vince is the most forgettable character in said film, only being in three scenes before being killed by Ghostface. It’s later revealed that Vince is the nephew to none other than Stu Macher, one of the two original Ghostface killers. A skilled horror actor portraying a close relative of Scream’s most unhinged Ghostface; what a missed opportunity.

7 Wes - Scream (2022)

Dylan Minnette is best-known for portraying Clay Jensen in 13 Reasons Why. Minnette’s portrayal as Clay has established him as a versatile actor with an impressive emotional range, yet, he, too, is underutilized in Scream (2022). From a potential red herring to one of the Ghostface killers, Wes’ development could have made Scream’s newest installment even better. If only.

6 Tina - Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers

     Magnum Pictures

Rachel’s unexpected death in Halloween 5: Revenge of Michael Myers is one of the movie’s biggest twists, and not a particularly popular one. Tina is introduced to serve as a surrogate stepsister to Jamie Lloyd, substituting Rachel’s role. Tina is exuberant, representative of late ’80s culture, and caring towards children–she’s rather likable. Yet, Tina is relegated to another casualty for Michael Myers in his rampage to kill Jamie Lloyd once and for all.

5 Jimmy - Halloween II

Jimmy’s purpose in Halloween II is never explored aside from his apparent romantic interest in Laurie. Some fans speculate he’s Jamie Lloyds’ father; others simply accept that he’s another poorly developed character in the franchise. Whatever the case, Jimmy is shown to be hardworking, kind, and willing to put himself in harm’s way for Laurie–he’s also shown to have survived the events of Halloween 2 in an alternate ending of the film. Unfortunately, fans will likely never know what happened to Jimmy.

4 Jesse - A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge

     New Line Cinema

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge exceeded its predecessor in many regards; the story is gorier, Freddy is more menacing (and unintentionally funny), and the lead, Jesse, truly seems horrified whenever Freddy’s in his nightmares. Jesse has everything needed to be a sympathetic hero. He’s quick on his feet, inquisitive, and overall fleshed-out for his one-time in a Nightmare on Elm Street sequel. If only Jesse could have returned for one of the franchise’s following sequels.

3 Lindsey - Halloween Ends

Lindsey Wallace is one of the many original Halloween characters that returns for Halloween Kills, and one of the few that actually survives its events. When Lindsey’s return for Halloween Ends was announced, it was speculated she’d be developed further and even have another run-in with Michael Myers. Instead, Lindsey’s in roughly four scenes in the film with very few lines of dialogue.

2 Keith - Barbarian

     20th Century Studios

Keith is a red herring of sorts. He’s established as someone with potential ulterior motives towards Tess, but he actually ends up being a nice guy who just wants to help Tess. Keith is interestingly developed during his brief screen time; funny, kind, and somewhat presumptuous in his comments; there’s room for Keith to develop into a stronger character. But Keith’s merely a plot device to motivate Tess’s questionable decisions. Another wasted opportunity given Skarsgard’s ability to horrify audiences as Pennywise.

1 Tommy Doyle - Halloween Kills

Tommy Doyle is a smart, observant, and well-behaved kid in the original Halloween, but his adult portrayal has several character flaws. While driven by good intentions, Tommy perpetuates significant chaos in Halloween Kills, maybe more than Michael Myers. Tommy incites the mob in Haddonfield, leads a man to take his life out of fear when mistaking him for Michael, and he leads said mob to ambush Michael–only for all of them to get killed. There was potential for Tommy to team up alongside Allyson and Laurie in Halloween Ends; his trauma could have been further explored; he himself could have defeated Michael Myers; instead, he’s molded into a brash, stubborn, and downright insufferable character.