4 Horror Movie Characters Who Disappear Earlier Than You Expect

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In horror movies, characters exist primarily to drive the scares. They either become victims of the killer or monster, or they manage to survive. Usually, it’s the former. Franchises like Friday the 13th and Halloween often introduce characters simply to increase the number of deaths, while others have more to do or at least some lines of dialogue. When a character receives more attention, it’s usually to make the audience care about them, so their death feels more impactful. Of course, there are always one or two who make it through the night alive.

Horror movies usually kill off characters, but occasionally one will be introduced – maybe as the athlete, the kind friend, or the funny one – and simply disappear from the story. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it’s memorable. Here are four of the most notable examples of characters fading into the background instead of meeting a gruesome end.

4) Dave in The Burning

Many classic 1980s slasher films featured actors who later became famous. While films like Friday the 13th (with Kevin Bacon) and A Nightmare on Elm Street (starring Johnny Depp) showcased rising talent, The Burning from 1981 arguably had the most impressive cast. Beyond being one of Harvey Weinstein’s first productions, the film included early performances by Holly Hunter, Fisher Stevens (known from Short Circuit), Ned Eisenberg (of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit), and even Jason Alexander, best known as George Costanza.

Hunter barely appears throughout the film, mostly blending into the background of scenes like the busy camp – where the counselors and campers are surprisingly similar in age. Eisenberg and Fisher meet particularly gruesome ends in the famous raft massacre, but Alexander’s character, Dave, who has the most dialogue of anyone, simply vanishes after the bloody raft returns. Typically, a character with that much speaking time in a slasher film either becomes a victim or survives to the end. Dave is neither – he just disappears.

Stream The Burning on Prime Video.

3) Gerald Hopkins in Gremlins

It’s strange to watch Gremlins when you remember that Judge Reinhold was a rising star at the time, alongside Phoebe Cates from Fast Times at Ridgemont High. What makes it odd is that his character in Gremlins doesn’t really have much of an impact on the story.

Reinhold plays Gerald, a competitive and unpleasant coworker to Billy, played by Zach Galligan. He initially criticizes Billy for bringing his dog to work at the bank, then repeats the behavior at a bar, seemingly to brag. He’s briefly seen walking by their boss later on. Originally, the plan was for Gerald to be a bigger part of the story, with the characters ultimately tormenting him in the bank’s vault. However, with so many characters already in this charming small town, Gerald’s role was cut early in this highly enjoyable horror-comedy.

Stream Gremlins on Hulu.

2) Nick Van Owen in The Lost World: Jurassic Park

Vince Vaughn’s character, Nick Van Owen, is prominently featured throughout most of The Lost World: Jurassic Park. It’s strange, then, that he disappears from the story completely once the group leaves the island, especially considering how much attention he received and even got a heroic moment.

After the movie’s boat returns to shore, the character completely disappears. We don’t see him at all – not when the boat crashes in San Diego, and not during the T. rex’s escape. He’s just…gone. It feels like the script needed someone to free the dinosaurs earlier, and they didn’t have a plan for what to do with him after that.

1) Ted Bowen in Friday the 13th Part 2

Interestingly, two characters die surprisingly early in Friday the 13th Part 2. The first is Alice Hardy, who starred in the original film. While it’s common now for lead characters to die in sequels, killing off the hero so soon after the first movie was a shocking move for audiences in 1981.

Then there’s Stu Charno’s character, Ted, who’s unique in slasher movie history – he’s actually saved by drinking. Early in the film, half of the camp counselors go into town for drinks, while the other half stay behind and become victims. Ted is one of the drinkers, and he overindulges to the point where Ginny and Paul leave him at the bar, asking him to come back to the lodge when it closes. If Ted had been sober and returned with them, he likely would have been killed.

Stream Friday the 13th Part 2 on Hoopla.

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2026-01-06 04:10