Todd Martin’s List of Top Ten Most Unlikable Horror Film Characters

To me, the characters that appear in a horror film can make or break the movie in general. If you like the characters and want them to survive, then chances are you will enjoy the film that they appear in. On the other hand, if you could care less about the characters and just want them to get killed off it most likely means that you didn’t like the movie as a result. There are tons of horror film characters that are just unlikable for whatever reason, be that they are walking stereotypes, poorly written, or just plain annoying in general, so I have decided to put together my own personal list of the most unlikable horror film characters for your enjoyment.

10. Newt from Aliens 

I know that I will probably get a lot of flack from this choice as I know a lot of people who love this character, but I honestly can’t stand her and think that she’s one of the worst things about the movie. She is annoying and really doesn’t have much of a point other than to give Ripley someone to save repeatedly, and I have just never been a fan. Her constant, ear-piercing screams get old extremely fast and get on my last nerve every time I watch this movie. I once saw it in a movie theater and the sound was turned up way too I loud, so her screams nearly made my head explode before the evening was over. I had a busting headache and suffered from partial hearing loss by the time the end credits started to roll in the theater that night due to her non-stop screaming, and honestly, I think the movie would have been a lot better had the title creatures had torn her apart as soon as she popped up on camera. I dare you to watch this movie and not have the urge to get a pair of ear plugs as soon as she opens her mouth to scream for the first time.

9. Snack from Dead by Dawn

I don’t think a whole lot of people saw this 2020 horror/thriller, and honestly you didn’t mix a whole lot if you didn’t see it as it isn’t very good. It’s full of unlikable characters, but Snack (played by Jamie Bernadette) is the absolute worse. She’s one of film’s antagonists, and as soon as she showed up on camera, I instantly hated her. Aside from having a stupid name (“Snack?”  Who thought that was a promising idea for a character?) she’s just super annoying in general. She’s supposed to be some sort of badass but in reality, she’s anything but. Her dialogue is terrible and essentially, she just walks around sneering and trying to her best to make us think that she’s a credible threat to the main characters. I felt bad for Bernadette for agreeing to play this part as she’s a great actor in the other roles I have seen her in, but in this instance the character is just so poorly done even her acting abilities couldn’t save it. I have always hated characters like this and couldn’t wait to see her eventually die. She isn’t very intimidating (even though the people behind the film desperately want her to be) and is so bad I had to fast forward through most of her scenes just because I hated the character that much.

8. Tina from Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers 

To say that I was disappointed with Halloween 5 when I first saw it is an understatement. It is interchangeable with the 4^th one, I hated that they didn’t follow through on what was teased at the end of the previous film with Jamie following her uncle’s footsteps, the final scene is ridiculous, and I was just never a huge fan of the whole Thorn Curse thing to begin with. One of the biggest issues I had with the film though, is that the filmmakers decided to kill off Rachel from the previous installment early in the film and substitute her with her annoying pal Tina in this film. I always found Tina to be a piss poor replacement for Rachel and there isn’t a whole lot about her to like. She is annoying, whiney, and acts like she is about 10 years old at times. In addition, her relationship with Jamie is about as unbelievable as it gets, and I always had a tough time accepting the fact that Tina cared as much about her as she did since barely knew her. I don’t know who’ s idea it was to replace Rachel with Tina, but it was obviously an unwise decision, and I doubt many viewers spent much time mourning her death after Michael eventually takes her out.  As much as I didn’t like the character, she isn’t the worst one to appear in a Halloween movie, which leads to our next character on the list.

7. Freddie from Halloween Resurrection 

This movie is my personal choice for the worst film in the Halloween series. It is just terrible in general as the plot sucks out loud, but I think the main reason it is so horrible is due to the cast. There isn’t a single likable character in the entire film, but the absolute worst is Busta Rhymes as Freddie. He’s annoying, unlikable, and should have been killed off seconds after he appears if you ask me. Shockingly enough though, not only does he survive, but he beats the shit out of Michael at one point. And when I say he beats the shit out of Michael, I mean he beats the shit out of him (using goofy Kung Fu-like moves, no less). I kept expecting Michael to get up and tear his head off but nope, instead Michael has the hell kicked out of him and Freddie lives to see another day somehow.  Ridiculous.

6. Karen Barclay from Child’s Play (2019)

I love the original Child’s Play, so I expected to hate this remake with a passion. Oddly enough though, I ended up liking it (though not as much as the original). The trick is to go into it pretending that it isn’t a remake and doesn’t have anything to do with the original. I ended up digging it, but there were some things about it I didn’t care for, and I think the thing I liked the least about it was Andy’s mom Karen, played by Aubrey Plaza this time around. Her performance is nothing short of atrocious and is the weakest part of the movie in my opinion. Plaza acts like she just doesn’t want to be there in general and there are times when it appears like she is about to fall asleep during several scenes (did she chug a few bottles of Robitussin while filming or what?). As a result, the character is just plain bad and more than a little pointless, and I couldn’t help but cringe each time she was on screen. I love Karen from the original film and thought that Catherine Hicks did an awesome job in the role, but Plaza’s portrayal of the character is just the total opposite and it made me hate the character in the remake as a result.

5. Titus Telesco from I Still Know What You Did Last Summer 

I have no problem with Jack Black for the most part, but his character in this movie is just insufferable, which is saying a lot considering the movie is packed with terrible characters. Watching him walk around with dreadlocks and speaking with a horrible accent is just the worst, and while I think this movie is quite lousy anyway, this character certainly doesn’t help things. Who thought that this was a good idea?

4. Heather, Michael, and Joshua from The Blair Witch Project 

It’s hard to enjoy a movie when you hate pretty much the entire cast of characters, and that is exactly what happened in this instance. I was pumped to see this movie thanks to all the hype it got before it came out, so I rushed to see it on opening night back in 1999. As the movie progressed, I came to the realization that it just wasn’t very good and that I absolutely hated the three main characters and just wanted them to get killed. I thought that they were all annoying and their constant bickering drove me insane to the point that I almost got up and left the theater before the movie was over. To make matters worse, the only almost tolerable one disappears at one point, and we must suffer through the other two characters-who are the absolute worse- arguing, whining, and just being irritating in general until things finally come to a screeching halt. I saw this movie with some friends who weren’t really into horror, and I don’t think that they ever forgave me for making them go with me to see it. These I plus I really didn’t want to see all that snot pouring out of Heather’s nose at one point as she cries into the camera either.

3. David McCall from Fear 

There’s not much worse than someone who is obviously not a badass trying their best to play one, and that’s exactly what Mark Wahlberg does here. His character is laughably bad and isn’t the least bit intimidating.  Seeing Wahlberg as some dangerous, hoodlum is as about as believable as me flying an airplane to be honest, and when I first saw this movie, I was laughing so hard at his so-called toughness that I thought that the movie was supposed to be a comedy as opposed to a suspense/thriller. Not only is the character just plain bad in general, but he is also incredibly annoying and poorly written as well, so I wasn’t too broken up when he finally gets what he deserves in the end. I think I have seen tougher, more intimidating characters on episodes of Boy Meets World and Saved by the Bell.

2. Samuel from The Babadook

I could live to be 150 years old and will never understand the love this movie gets. Not only is it just not that great, but it also features the most annoying kid in the history of cinema in the form of Samuel, the main character’s goofy son. I don’t know who had the bright idea to cast Noah Wiseman in this role, but they should never be allowed to cast another character in a movie ever again as punishment. Every time this kid was on screen, I had to fight the urge to fast forward to the next scene and I just wanted the Babadook to show up and take care of this annoying little twerp once and for all. He acts like he’s about three years old and his voice is just beyond grating. I think the filmmakers should have killed him off instead of the dog as not only was the dog a better actor, but he was just a great deal likeable overall.

1.       Addley from Mother’s Day (2010)

Not only is this the worst remake I’ve ever seen (and I use the term remake loosely as it has nothing to do with the superior original), but it also has my vote for the worst movie I have ever seen in my entire life. Nothing about it works, especially the characters as there isn’t a single likeable in the whole film. The worst though, is Addley (“played” by Warren Kole who obviously lost a bet and had to be in this movie or just really needed to make a car payment and took the role out of desperation). Addley is super annoying, thinks he’s some kind of tough guy, and has some of the worst lines in the history of cinema. I honestly had to mute my TV whenever he popped up on screen because I just couldn’t stand him that much. He makes Wahlberg in Fear look like the Terminator in comparison and is about as intimidating as Jay Mohr’s character from Cherry Falls, only less likable. Watching this character do his thing was like having painful dental work done and while I hated him so much, I just didn’t care when he finally got his toward the end. I actually feel bad for Kole for playing this character and wonder if he regrets doing it because Addley really is that bad.

There you have it folks, my list of the Top Ten Most Unlikable Horror Movie Characters. Feel free to comment below even if you disagree.

Honorable Mentions:

Cole from The Sixth Sense-Why does this little twerp whisper EVERYTIME he says something?

Dewey and Gale from Scream-These two are the most annoying couple I have ever seen in a horror film series.

Kia from Freddy vs Jason-Why is there a member of Destiny’s Child in this movie? Why does she call Freddy a homophobic name? At least she didn’t have a romantic relationship with Jason like she was rumored to have before the film came out, so I guess the only bright side about her being in this film was that that didn’t happen.

Mrs. Carmody from The Mist-Just shut up, already!!!!

The girl with the ridiculous eyebrows from The Redwood Massacre-I don’t remember anything else from this movie other than the chick with the ridiculous drawn on eyebrows. I saw this movie years ago and still have nightmares about this character.