Top 20 Heroic Sacrifices in Horror Movies

“Evil Dead” (2013)
When David takes his sister Mia to isolate in a cabin so she can detox from illicit substances, they both find themselves at the mercy of a supernatural evil. They both have to avoid murder and deal with possession. Although David frees Mia from her possession, he is subsequently stabbed by his demonic friend. Upon realizing that his days were numbered, he locked his sister out of the cabin and shot a gas tank in an attempt to stop the supernatural rampage. This resulted in an explosion that engulfs the cabin in flame. While David only intended to save his sister from addictive behavior, he ultimately prevented her permanent possession and death. Now that’s a good brother right there.

“Jason X” (2001)
The original “Friday the 13th” franchise canonically ends with the space adventure “Jason X”. During the tale, we meet the tough as nails military leader Sergeant Elijah Brodski. After Jason starts tearing through The Grendel spaceship, the soldier decides to give the villain a fiery end. The duo ends up in the vacuum of space at the climax. Shortly after arriving there, Brodski tackles Jason and sends the barrelling towards the surface of Earth II. It isn’t long before both men are burned to a crisp by renentry. Thanks to Brodski’s noble sacrifice, the seemingly unkillable Jason Voorhees finally expired.

“The Monster” (2016)
In this horror film from A24, Zoe Kazan played Kathy, the distracted and cruel mother of a teenage daughter named Lizzy. While the mom and daughter were out for a drive, they got trapped on a dark country road and became prey for the titular monster. The creature was strong enough to mortally wound Kathy during his hunt. Once she realized how severe her injuries are, she decided to die on her own terms while saving her estranged daughter. By using light, Kathy was able to divert the monster’s attention and pull it away from her kid. The mom then suffers a gruesome fate. But as a silver lining, her daughter lives to fight another day.

“Resident Evil: Extinction” (2007)
Popular singer Ashanti played Nurse Betty, the tough medic of Claire Redfield’s convoy. And her downfall comes at the hands - or rather, the claws - of some vicious birds. A murder of crows in this universe became blood-thirsty zombies after eating the flesh of the Undead. These terrifying birds eventually attacked Betty and her allies. After the survivors get cornered in a school bus, most are able to escape out of the back door. But the crows break through the windshield while the last of the group is making their getaway. In a final heroic act, Betty trapped herself in the bus with the attacking birds and was subsequently eaten alive. Her death brought the other survivors some precious time.

“Final Destination 2” (2003)
There’s one rule about cheating death, and that’s that you do not cheat it. Well, unless you’re Kimberly and Burke. The horror heroine vows to stop Death by creating “new life.” And to do so, Kathy vows to die by enacting a brilliant but insanely risky plan. She drives an ambulance into a lake and intentionally drowns. Shortly after taking the plunge, she is successfully revived by a doctor. These actions technically counted as Kimberly creating “new life” by being brought back from death. Thanks to this plan, she and her friend Burke are able to avoid the grim reaper for just a little longer.

“Child's Play 3” (1991)
At first, Harold Whitehurst seemed unfit for the military. He wasn't there by choice, the other members of the squad pushed him around and he literally ran away from confrontation. However, he grew during the movie and eventually developed a sense of courage at a key moment. When the sinister Chucky threw a grenade at cadets, Whitehurst was the only one who noticed. Thinking fast, he pounced on the weapon and was blown up. Although Whitehurst was never seen as the greatest soldier, he’ll always be remembered as a hero for what he did for his squad.

“Lights Out” (2016)
Extended from a short film by director David F. Sandberg, “Lights Out” concerns a mysterious killer named Diana. She ends up being a type of shadow monster who can fittingly only attack when the lights are out. We also learn that Diana’s being is tethered to a mother of two named Sophie. In the thrilling climax of the film, the malevolent spirit injures her host’s daughter, Rebecca. To save her child, the possessed Diana turns a gun on herself. It’s unfortunate that Rebecca had to see her mom die to take out an enemy. Sophie showed in her last moments that she was willing to give anything to save her kids.

“The Devil's Advocate” (1997)
Does it count if the sacrifice is part of a vision? We’re going to say yes! Kevin Lomax is an ambitious lawyer who meets a leader of a firm named John Milton. As it turns out, this high powered legal man is actually the Devil. The evil entity planned to birth the Antichrist by having Kevin conceive a child with a woman named Christabella. Wishing to save the world from a literal hellspawn, the human lawyer decides to take his own life. He later awakes in court to find that the movie’s events were merely a premonition. Kevin uses his newfound knowledge to make much better choices that don’t end with a fatal sacrifice.

“Dawn of the Dead” (2004)
Zack Snyder’s remake of “Dawn of the Dead” is not exactly known for its well-defined characters, but if there is one obvious standout, it’s Michael Kelly’s C.J. Throughout the movie, C.J. goes from unwelcoming jerk to hero as he learns to accept the gang and finds his place within it. In the finale, C.J. attracts a horde of zombies so the group can escape, and upon being overwhelmed, he ignites a propane tank that annihilates the truck and the nearby zombies. His final words are badass and true-to-character, and he goes out in a literal blaze of glory like a true action movie hero.

“Zombieland” (2009)
Throughout much of this zombie classic, Tallahassee is portrayed as a rather aloof and comedic character. But he eventually develops deep and genuine friendships with three other survivors. When Tallahassee’s new allies are threatened by zombies at an amusement park, he puts his life on the line to save them all. While the other three are avoiding death, he equips himself with airhorns and weapons to draw a ton of undead to a small booth. Tallahassee proceeds to take them all on solo. The dramatic music during the scene led us to believe that he would meet his demise. Luckily, Tallahassee manages to hold off the horde on his own. As an added bonus, his friends reward him with the Twinkie he’s been craving.

“Train to Busan” (2016)
“Train to Busan” is as much about parenthood as it is about zombies. Seok-woo is a workaholic with little time for his daughter, Su-an, who has pretty much given up trying to get his attention. But their relationship changed when they became trapped on a train to Busan that was full of snarling zombies. Just when they’re about to reach safety, a survivor named Yon-suk is overcome by the infection. The father doesn’t hesitate to take out the zombie to save his daughter. Unfortunately, Seok-woo is bitten during the struggle. Knowing that he’s destined to turn, the papa bear uses his last conscious thought to throw himself off the moving train car. His devastating sacrifice gave this zombie tale a bittersweet end.

“28 Weeks Later” (2007)
“28 Weeks Later” may be little more than a brainless action movie when compared to its more humane predecessor, but Jeremy Renner’s Doyle is the most compassionate character of the series behind Frank. After defying orders and leaving his post, Doyle helps the kids and Scarlet escape the zombies and the blood-hungry military who are looking to kill any survivors. When the group comes across a stalled car, Doyle gets out and pushes, allowing Scarlet to pop the clutch and escape. Unfortunately, the military is literally on their heels, and Doyle is violently immolated by a flamethrower. Too bad he may have put the rest of Europe in jeopardy by allowing the kids to escape. Oops.

“They Live” (1988)
A drifter discovers that aliens are living amongst us and sacrifices himself to save the planet. It’s a tale as old as time. After finding the transmitter that is masking the aliens, Nada is faced with a choice: surrender to the aliens or destroy the signal. Knowing full well that it will lead to his death, Nada decides to destroy the transmitter and expose the aliens to the world at large. If that wasn’t cool enough, he also smiles and flips off the aliens on his way out, which is pretty much the coolest way a humanity-saving martyr can go.

“Predator” (1987)
Predator” is chock-full of amazing moments, and Billy’s sacrifice is undeniably one of them. After they fail to capture the Predator, the group makes their escape, only for Billy to turn around and face the danger head-on, Gandalf style. Cue the dramatic music. With a defiant look on his face, Billy cuts himself and attracts the Predator, who soon shows up and swiftly takes care of business. Unfortunately, his sacrifice was for naught, as the Predator quickly catches up with the group and kills Poncho. Oh, well. There was an attempt. Maybe if he said, “You shall not pass,” he would have had better luck. (xref) Props must also be given to Taabe, who put up a great fight against the Predator in “Prey.”

“Event Horizon” (1997)
At the climax of the film, Miller devises a plan of breaking the ship in two and floating the forward half to rescue. Unfortunately, Miller’s hopes of rescue are dashed once he is attacked by Weir. He detonates the explosives, and his half of the ship falls into a black hole while the forward half floats to safety. What makes this sacrifice so brilliant is that we don’t know Miller’s fate. He may have died in the explosion, he may have been sucked into space, or he may have entered Hell and suffered for eternity. If the latter is true, then this is one hell of a heroic sacrifice. No pun intended.

“30 Days of Night” (2007)
You know what they say – if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. And then beat ‘em. While the month of darkness is coming to an end, Eben realizes that he can’t save his estranged wife Stella and defeat the vampires in his current, very human state. So, what does he do? He injects himself with infected blood, becomes a vampire, and punches a hole through the head vampire’s head, causing them all to flee in fear. Realizing that he is doomed, he and his wife share a romantic sunrise as he screams in pain and turns to ash. How sweet. The movie itself could have been better, but the ending is emotional and impactful.

“I Am Legend” (2007)
When Sam’s owner Neville is ensnared in a trap, the loyal canine leaps into battle to defend him from infected dogs. But the wounds she receives cause her to fall ill. Knowing that his trusted companion is now infected and turning on him, Neville is forced to end her life. Fortunately, Sam’s sacrifice wasn’t for nothing. Her passing puts Neville down a path that ends with him making a huge breakthrough about the infected humans. In one ending of the movie, her owner even makes a sacrifice himself (xref). Whether you watch that conclusion or the one where Neville lives, Sam’s actions cemented her legacy as a very good dog.

“Alien 3” (1992)
While Gorman and Vasquez’s sacrifice in “Aliens” was certainly heroic, we have to give this spot to Ripley, seeing as how she’s the protagonist and all. At the rather infamous climax of “Alien 3,” Ripley decides to throw herself and the alien embryo into a pit of lava rather than letting the alien fall into the dangerous hands of Weyland-Yutani. It was certainly a ballsy choice to kill off Ripley, and despite “Alien 3’s” rather lackluster quality, we must respect its penchant for risk-taking. However, no one seemed to like the movie or its relatively unhappy ending, and the series was unfortunately retconned with “Alien Resurrection.” They should have left well enough alone.

“A Quiet Place” (2018)
“A Quiet Place” is one of the best horror movies in recent years, and it’s because of layered and emotional scenes like this. After Marcus reactively screams and reveals their location, Lee emotionally declares his love to Regan before screaming and attracting the attention of the monster. It not only works as an emotional heroic sacrifice, but as a touching moment between father and daughter that beautifully completes their respective character arcs. “A Quiet Place” was just as much about family as it was about scary monsters, and this scene blends both halves of its story into a perfect and cathartic whole.

“The Exorcist” (1973)
This is one of the most iconic endings in movie history. After overcoming his crisis of faith and reaffirming his belief in God and holiness, Karras successfully exorcises Pazuzu from Regan. Unfortunately, the demon gets comfy in Karras’ body. Rather than allowing himself to serve as a human host for Pazuzu and harm Regan, Karras throws himself out of Regan’s window and falls down a massive flight of stairs to his and Pazuzu’s end. It’s a classic tale of good overcoming evil, and it’s perfect conclusion to a perfect horror movie. Now let’s pretend that the “Exorcist” story stopped here.