The Halloween franchise presents countless characters, some that are iconic in their fearlessness in facing Michael Myers, and others that are easily forgettable once offscreen. Yet, Halloween has dealt a considerable disservice to several of its beloved characters, killing them off or making minimal use of them during their sequel returns. Here are nine Halloween characters that clearly deserved better.

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9 Vicky

     Universal Pictures  

Just like Laurie’s trio in the original Halloween, Halloween 2018 gives new final girl, Allyson, her own set of friends, including her best friend, Vicky. Vicky is a kind, fun, and overall interesting character to watch. She genuinely cares for the boy she’s babysitting, to the degree that it leads to her own demise when she opens his bedroom closet to reassure him that no one’s in there… except for Michael Myers. In a manner more brutal than Annie or Lynda’s deaths, Michael repeatedly stabs Vicky to death. Vicky had so much potential for growth but unfortunately for her, she was not this story’s final girl.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

8 Cameron

Cameron Elam has a solid character arc between Halloween 2018 and Halloween Kills. In Halloween 2018, he is a self-centered, immature, and mean-spirited teenager that takes no accountability for his actions, specifically cheating on Allyson during the Halloween dance. Halloween Kills gives audiences a fresh take at Cameron as he finds an injured Frank Hawkins, Cameron acts quickly and manages to save the deputy’s life by calling for help. From this point forward, Cameron demonstrates a redeeming character shift, from assisting his father in tracking down Michael Myers, consoling Allyson after her father’s death, and staying by Allyson’s side throughout their harrowing ordeal in the former Myers house. Cameron develops into one of the most nuanced characters in the Halloween reboot trilogy during his brief time onscreen.

7 Tina

Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers has been criticized for several narrative elements, including switching its supporting lead from Rachel Carruthers to Tina Williams. Nevertheless, Tina is a likable character embodying many of Rachel’s best qualities–she’s compassionate, loving, and will go to extreme lengths to protect Jamie. The most frustrating aspect of her demise is that Tina manages to evade death several times when unknowingly crossing paths with Michael, only to finally be killed off in an anticlimactic manner. For someone who is clearly developed to become a Final Girl, Tina’s relegated as another wasted character in the franchise.

6 Karen

Unlike many characters in the franchise, Karen has several moments to shine throughout Halloween 2018 and Halloween Kills. Karen lures Michael into Laurie’s trap, she boldly steals his mask to save her daughter, Allyson, and finally, lures Michael into the ultimate ambush as Haddonfield residents strike him relentlessly; she’s definitely inherited Laurie’s survival instincts…until she’s killed-off in the plot-twist ending to Halloween Kills. It is equally heartbreaking considering that her entire life is spent overcoming the trauma caused by Laurie’s survival training.

5 Lindsey Wallace

Halloween Kills lives up to its title by featuring the highest body count from any Halloween film. Classic characters return only to be killed off during the film’s runtime, so when Lindsey manages to survive her own encounter with Michael Myers, its expected that she will unite with Laurie and Allyson to finally put Michael to rest in Halloween Ends. Instead, Lindsey is sidelined as an expository character with less screen time than her first appearance in the franchise. From a character strong enough to survive a one-on-one encounter with Michael Myers, Lindsey is turned into a forgettable plot device in Halloween Ends.

4 Rachel

     Anchor Bay Entertainment  

Despite meeting an early demise in Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, Rachel Carruthers will forever remain a fan-favorite due to her character development in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers. A teenager thrust into Michael’s bloody rampage, Rachel protects Jamie at all costs and makes some of the smartest decisions in the entire franchise. If only her character could have continued on past her Halloween 4 blaze of glory.

3 Jamie Lloyd

Laurie Strode has had a different child in each Halloween timeline, but Jamie Lloyd is by far the most tragic. Jamie is dealt her first significant trauma when she’s orphaned at seven-years-old, the first of many traumas to come. From being pursued by Michael Myers back-to-back between Halloween night 1988 to Halloween night 1989; being abducted for six years by the Thorn Cult, giving birth underground, to finally being killed by Michael Myers shortly after, Jamie Lloyd never has a moment’s peace during her short life.

2 Laurie (Halloween Resurrection)

     Miramax Films  

One of the franchise’s most infuriating moments occurs in Halloween Resurrection’s opening scene. It’s one thing to eliminate a newly introduced Final Girl–but to kill off the original Halloween Final Girl Laurie Strode within the first fifteen minutes of a Halloween film is absolutely criminal, especially when considering her character arc in Halloween H20 which culminates with Michael Myers finally being put to rest.

1 Corey Cunningham

Corey Cunningham is arguably the protagonist in Halloween Ends; he propels the movie’s plot; he’s the character audiences are led to invest their attention towards, and he’s an antihero in his own right. In a franchise known to reboot itself every couple of years, Corey Cunningham could have continued on as the new Michael Myers, or a wholly separate villain to carry the movie’s message “Evil doesn’t die, it changes shape.” Instead, Corey is disposed off by Michael Myers in a lackluster way that turns his character into another Halloween-wasted potential.