Whether they ended up saving the day or were shredded to pieces, here are some supporting horror characters that we believe deserve their own films.

Perhaps more than in any other genre, supporting characters play a monumental role in horror films. Sometimes they provide much-needed comedic relief to a terrifying affair. Other times, they are the sole force behind that terror. Regardless of their specific role within the film, it’s safe to say that supporting characters often have a way of lingering with us for a long time after the credits roll, to the point that we sometimes still find ourselves mourning their deaths today.

It’s nonetheless become a trope within horror that supporting characters are expendable. Horror movies with wide casts of supporting characters, like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and Scream usually have us excitedly guessing who will bite the bullet first. Will it be the self-centered jock, the naive best friend, or the one who made the crucial mistake of being born with blond hair? When they’re gone, it’s hard to realize how much we miss these characters until it’s far too late.

In order to commemorate some of the best and most memorable supporting horror characters, here’s a list of some that we believe deserve their own films.

Psychologically speaking, Jordan Peele’s 2017 masterpiece Get Out is no walk in the park to get through. The film, whose script has been lauded as the greatest of the 21st century, is both technically terrifying and thematically incisive, in its vision of a man trapped in more ways than one. That’s why characters like Rod Williams are all the more necessary. Portrayed by comedian Lil Rel Howery, Rod is protagonist Chris’s best friend in the film — and his saving grace. To both Chris and viewers, Rod is just as funny as he is smart and endearing, giving TSA agents everywhere a good name. Regardless of its subject matter, a film about Rod would not only remind us of Get Out’s few heartwarming moments, but of our own friends we can come to count on, just as Chris did Rod. Without characters like him, Jordan Peele’s universe would surely be a much darker place.

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Universally regarded as one of the best Stephen King adaptations put to screen, The Shining is a dark and frightening story about isolation, alcoholism, and apparently a whole host of other things. Although Jack Nicholson clearly takes up the spotlight, The Shining’s smaller characters like Mr. Hallorann don’t go easily forgotten. Portrayed by the masterful Scatman Crothers, Hallorann is chef at the Overlook Hotel and only known confidant to Danny’s strange abilities. As Jack descends further into madness throughout the film, Hallorann presents himself as the only character within the film we can really trust, and who can understand Danny in a way that no one else can. It would be more than fascinating to see Hallorann get a character study of his own, and to see how “the shining” impacted him in ways similar and different to Danny's.

Drew Goddard’s meta creature-feature The Cabin in the Woods had a lot of heads turning in 2012. Inspired by Goddard’s own hometown, the film follows a group of college friends as they take a “vacation” to a remote cabin in the woods and are picked off one-by-one by various monsters. Played by a brilliant late-career Sigourney Weaver, “The Director” is no peer among these friends, but rather one of the orchestrators behind their grisly fates. Weaver is brutally compelling in her portrait of a woman who knows what she has to do in order to save the world. While watching the film, it’s impossible not to consider and create wild scenarios for “The Director’s” own backstory. How did she ever find herself in such a position, with the fate of humanity within her palm? What does her resume look like? Was she a normal child?

If there were a list of things that makes Jaws one of the most perfect films, it would definitely be one of the world’s longest lists. Right up there near the top would be Robert Shaw’s performance as Quint, the tough-as-nails, enigmatic captain, who sails the Orca with Hooper and Chief Brody. Anyone who’s seen the film is well aware of Quint’s untimely fate. However, this by no means undermines his totally magnetic presence within the film. Many presume that the master shark hunter was a bit insane or had a certain death wish — why else would he smash the Orca’s radio, the group’s only means of communication with the outside world? Obviously, Quint’s rash decision-making, but great expertise and toughness alike, make him a character well worth exploring on a deeper, more concentrated level. How did Quint survive his WWII mission aboard the USS Indianapolis? What did the routine of the grizzled shark hunter’s early days look like?

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The ‘90s were certainly lacking some of the horror movie magic that the ‘80s brought us — that is, until 1996, when Scream came along. Although the meta-horror franchise that refuses to stop going has an ever-expanding cast of characters, it's those from the original who have truly acquired legendary status. As one such legend, Randy Meeks was our first bona fide horror nerd within the series. He guided viewers through Scream’s meta impulses with charm, charisma, and a wonderfully unique sense of humor. The Meeks story would certainly be one well worth watching—when, exactly, did his horror obsession evolve? How has he served as inspiration for all the horror-expert tropes of today, both within and outside the franchise?

1989’s Pet Sematary is equally one of the most overlooked and most frightening films of the ‘80s. The scene involving Zelda is a large part of the reason why. Zelda’s own sister, the film’s protagonist, Rachel Goldman, watched her brutally die from spinal meningitis; instead of sorrow, Rachel just felt relieved of a taxing burden. Zelda's scene is so deeply haunting both for this story and for its terrifying visuals, which show her looking like a ghost and her body contorting in subhuman ways. Zelda certainly deserved more from her family and from her sister Rachel, and not to be scorned and forgotten by the world at large. Perhaps a Zelda film could focus on her myriad struggles, but also give more dignity to her person-hood and internal thoughts.

Just a Hugh Grant admirer trying to find her way in life, Fionna is a Creative Writing student based in Ohio. However, her heart resides in Philadelphia. She is a huge fan of both Clueless and Paul Schrader (and his Facebook account)!