The 10 Most Annoying Horror Movie Characters
Characters That Make You Root for the Villain
Some characters are easy to root for, but there are many that we can’t wait to see bite the dust. The latter are so insufferable that we actively root for them to suffer a grisly demise. Some of these annoying horror movie characters were created that way intentionally, while others are intended to be sympathetic but were undermined by poor writing and/or acting.
Here are my ten most annoying horror movie characters ranked. Most of them die, but some (unfortunately) make it out alive. Their fates are listed in each section. Beware of spoilers, obviously. I’ve included memorable quotes from some of them.
10. Barbara in Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Barbara is a one dimensional old-fashioned damsel in distress. She becomes catatonic for a large chunk of the film, making her the movie’s most useless major character. Her brother Johnny is just as (if not more) annoying, but he dies in the first few minutes.
I don’t think director George Romero intended to make Barbara so irritating. He just wasn’t adept at writing women at that early point in his career. It’s challenging for a man to write women – believe me I know – but Romero improved later. The women in Dawn of the Dead are much better.
Fate: Dead
9. Trey in Freddy vs. Jason (2003)
The “asshole boyfriend” character is a longtime slasher staple and Trey is one of the worst examples. He would be much higher on this list if he lasted longer.
Luckily, Jason does everyone a favor by eviscerating Trey early on. I watched Freddy vs. Jason in the theater on its opening weekend and remember the audience erupting in cheers when he was killed.
Fate: Dead
8. samuel in the Babadook (2014)
“Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!” I hesitated to include kids on this list, and I want to emphasize that the actor does a great job. It’s not his fault that the character is written as a whiny little brat.
Samuel’s constant screaming gets on your nerves and damages what is supposed to be a serious horror film about grief.
Fate: Alive
7. Wilma (aka Billie) from Creepshow (1982)
“Just call me Billie, everyone else does!” Wilma, who is written to be intentionally annoying, is played with tremendous relish by Adrienne Barbeau. She’s constantly nagging her husband and putting him down in public.
In the the end, she gets one of the most memorable and grisly fates out all the annoying horror movie characters in this list. You know somebody is irritating when we’re actively rooting for her husband to kill her and get away with it.
Fate: Dead
6. Reggie from Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning (1985)
I could have picked any number of characters from this scummy movie, but I suppose “Reggie the Reckless” is the one that really stands out. Like Samuel in The Babadook, it’s not the kid actor’s fault. A New Beginning is an ineptly directed and written mess with zero atmosphere and no likeable characters.
Reggie seems like he walked in from a different movie, or maybe from an ’80s sitcom. He’s a pointless cartoonish character who adds more irritation to an already boring and annoying movie.
Fate: Alive
5. Christian in Midsommar (2019)
Christian is just as irritating as Trey from F vs. J, but unfortunately he survives for much longer. In a movie filled with insufferable idiots, he stands above them all. He’s the type of guy who thinks he’s got it all figured out but is actually a fool.
Ari Aster had the good sense to give him a memorable and bizarre demise. He may have been a worthless character, but he’s an excellent cult sacrifice!
Fate: Dead
4. Trent in Friday the 13th (2009)
Trent is yet another “asshole boyfriend” character on my list, and the second to be eliminated by Jason Voorhees. He’s an arrogant rich jerk who serves as the secondary antagonist for the film.
Trent makes it to the final act and nearly escapes before mercifully being captured and killed. He and Trey would have been good friends.
Fate: Dead
3. Freddie in Halloween Resurrection (2002)
Halloween Resurrection is an appallingly awful movie and Freddie is one of the big reasons why. He sets up a reality TV show in Michael Myers’s childhood home and dresses up like Michael to scare people. Of course, the real Myers shows up and goes on a rampage.
You’d think Freddie was a dead man for sure, but nope, he defeats Michael with ridiculous martial arts moves and silly one-liners. Busta Rhymes probably thought his character would come across as cool and badass, but instead he’s just annoying.
Fate: Alive
2. Franklin in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Franklin just whines and whines and whines. His temper tantrums drive his sister and everyone else crazy.
I’m not sure if director Tobe Hooper intended him to be so insufferable. I doubt he wanted the audience to root for his demise.
In fairness, most people would complain if they were in his situation, but Franklin is still incredibly irritating. Leatherface eventually disposes of him in one of the movie’s most effective jump scares.
Fate: Dead
1. Tina in Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)
“I’m never sensible if I can help it!” Hoo boy! If you thought Freddie was irritating, get a load of the most infamously annoying character in Halloween franchise history.
Halloween 5 was released just a year after Halloween 4 and features the return of Ellie Cornell and Danielle Harris. Unfortunately Cornell’s character, Rachel, is abruptly killed off early on, leaving Tina as the de facto teen protagonist for a brief period. She flees Michael but thankfully he catches her and stabs her to death in a field.
The decision to make her a lead character (albeit briefly) is one of the many bizarre choices made by director Dominique Othenin-Girard. Tina acts like she’s on stage all the time. Her wild antics are exhausting and irritating. It’s probably more of a directing and writing issue than a problem with the actress, but Tina is just the absolute worst.
Fate: Dead
