10 Best Horror Movie Characters Who Appear In Only One Scene
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00:00The art of horror is also the art of mystery and ambiguity, which is why it's common to
00:04see characters kept in the shadows with minimal screen time.
00:08Michael Myers, Jigsaw, Freddy Krueger and even the shark in Jaws are all in their movies
00:13for less than 10 minutes, proving that you don't need a whopping run time to become iconic.
00:17However, there is a difference between minimal on-screen moments and appearing in only one
00:22scene.
00:23While characters like these aren't in their films a lot, they still skulk about in the
00:27peripherals and are constantly on the lips of the main characters, meaning their presence
00:31is ever felt.
00:32Now, there will be spoilers ahead, so you have been warned, and with that in mind, I'm
00:36Ellie with WhatCulture here with the 10 best horror movie characters who appear in only
00:41one scene.
00:42Number 10.
00:43The director in The Cabin in the Woods
00:45At this point, every horror fan and their mum knows that The Cabin in the Woods is a
00:49genre-smashing flick that acknowledges the tropes of horror and lovingly plays with them.
00:54Still, there had to be someone in charge, and when they appeared, it was huge.
00:58The director was the figure who guided the movie's events, acting as the overseer for
01:03the character's brush with the zombified Buckner family, all before they broke free and entered
01:07the main lab.
01:08However, while her impact on the film was essential, she only appeared on screen once
01:13at the very climax.
01:15In the ending sequence, the director arrives and unveils the big secret, detailing to Dana
01:19and Marty why they had been put through the ringer in a menacing yet rather convincing
01:24speech.
01:25This gave the heroes the chance to play along with her game or defy it, ending the world
01:29in the process.
01:30Of course, adding to this character's impact was the fact that she was played by the legendary
01:34Sigourney Weaver, who brought some considerable star power to the flick.
01:39Number 9.
01:40Yoga Pants in The Hunt
01:42Now The Hunt is the most recent movie in this list, so if you're afraid of spoiling it for
01:46yourself then be wary of this entry, as discussing this character requires some big spoilers.
01:52This 2022 action-horror hybrid opens with a pretty subversive approach.
01:57You're introduced to the main concept, i.e. social elites hunting degenerates, and then
02:01placed into the hands of Yoga Pants, a young woman who awakes in a forest alongside a bunch
02:06of strangers.
02:07It's easy to assume that this girl will be the main character, mainly because she's played
02:11by Emma Roberts.
02:12It makes perfect sense, as Roberts is an actor with noticeable star power and a bit of edge.
02:17She will surely prove herself, rise to the occasion, and oh dear god, she just got shot
02:21in the head in her first scene.
02:23What?
02:24Yes, the film gets off on introducing you to characters who you think will be important,
02:28only to have them meet a bloody end.
02:30Yoga Pants is the first example of this, as her shockingly dramatic and quick demise is
02:35a hilarious signal of how deadly this movie will be.
02:38Number 8.
02:39Browning in Hellbound Hellraiser 2
02:42In the second Hellraiser instalment, a twisted and sadistic doctor named Philip Shannard
02:46becomes obsessed with the lament configuration, which leads him to acquire the mattress that
02:51Julia Cotton died on.
02:53To activate its devilish potential and bring Julia back from the dead, he enlists the help
02:57of one of his patients, the troubled Mr. Browning.
03:00Browning is a mentally unwell man, who's convinced that he's covered in creepy crawlies.
03:05His skin is riddled with cuts and scabs from his attempts to rid himself of these bugs,
03:09but it gets a lot worse after Shannard sets him down on the mattress and passes him a
03:13razor.
03:14The screams of this poor unfortunate soul as he rips his skin apart and is subsequently
03:18killed by the re-emerging Julia will haunt you.
03:21It's a nightmarish and gruesomely visceral scene that still holds up today, and is one
03:26of the scariest moments in the franchise.
03:29Number 7.
03:30Last Man in Mad God
03:31If you've not had the pleasure of bearing witness to Phil Tippett's nightmarish Mad
03:35God yet, then you'd better boot up your Shadow account because it's a stop-motion animated
03:40masterpiece you don't want to miss.
03:42You'll see plenty of sights that will shock you, but one of the most unexpected is a live
03:46action person.
03:48The movie is essentially a nonsensical delve into creativity, as it follows a few different
03:53characters and plotlines throughout the runtime.
03:55Still, the essence of the story centres on assassins being sent down into a harrowing
03:59hellscape of weird creatures, begging the question, who keeps sending them?
04:04It's revealed that a mysterious figure, the Last Man, is the conductor of this chaos,
04:08as he appears in one scene and sends another traveller down to their doom.
04:12The character maniacally chews the scenery and somehow matches the weird energy of the
04:17film, despite not being animated.
04:20This character really stands out in a literal sense, as besides from some creepy surgeons,
04:24he's the only live action figure in this entirely animated world.
04:28Additionally, you're given next to no information on him, allowing your imagination to explode
04:33with theories and thoughts on who or what he is.
04:36Number 6.
04:37Burgermaster in Sleepy Hollow
04:40During the latter years of his life, Sir Christopher Lee understandably began to reduce the amount
04:44of time he spent on screen.
04:47This meant he could still pop up in big movies, but didn't have to burden himself too much,
04:51taking on what were essentially cameo roles.
04:54In Tim Burton's adaptation of the classic Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Christopher Lee appeared
04:58as a chief magistrate who sent the lead character on his quest to the titular village.
05:03He brought all of his signature gravitas to the role, with an authoritative voice, a commanding
05:08presence and a sense of prestige.
05:09Now, while the character and performance are good in themselves, it's the hidden meaning
05:14that really makes this special.
05:16The entire movie is an homage to the classic British production company Hammer Horror,
05:21the same company that made Christopher Lee a horror icon.
05:24Having him appear, even if briefly, was a loving salute to the style the movie was emanating.
05:30Number 5.
05:31Vincent Grey in The Sixth Sense
05:33If you want to talk about movie characters who had the biggest impact on the plot, despite
05:37having the littlest amount of screen time, then you'd better mention Donnie Wahlberg's
05:41Vincent Grey.
05:43This troubled young man set the whole of Sixth Sense into motion.
05:47Vincent appears in the opening and gets the horror ball rolling immediately.
05:50He invades the house of his former psychologist and the lead character, Malcolm Crow, and
05:55painfully sobs, claiming that he'd failed him.
05:58Then he takes out a gun, shoots Crow, and then himself.
06:01Well that's it then.
06:02Movie over.
06:03Of course not.
06:04Every horror nut has seen M. Night Shyamalan's classic supernatural flick and knows that
06:09this is only the beginning of the story.
06:11It's common knowledge that Malcolm didn't survive this attack, as this gunshot truly
06:15was fatal.
06:16Overall, despite only showing up in one scene, this character gave Donnie Wahlberg a great
06:21platform to boost his career and set in motion one of the biggest plot twists in movie history.
06:26Not a bad day on set, that's for sure.
06:29Number 4.
06:30The Pale Man in Pan's Labyrinth
06:32Pan's Labyrinth follows the adventures of Ophelia as she tumbles into a world of fantasy
06:37where danger lurks around every corner.
06:39None more so than in the lair of this child-eating monster.
06:43After Ophelia finds herself in his abode, she betrays the rules and eats some of his
06:47food, which leads to a terrifying scene where he awakes, gobbles up some of her fairy companions,
06:52and comes for her.
06:54The character's design easily stands out, even when up against the cacophony of classic
06:58creatures from Guillermo del Toro's repertoire.
07:01His creepy hand eyes, skinny as hell legs, elongated fingers, and menacingly pale skin
07:06will leave you sleeping with a nightlight for weeks after watching this flick.
07:10Plenty of monsters struggle to stay in the mind of audiences after a whole movie, but
07:14this guy does it easily with only one appearance.
07:18Number 3.
07:19Lucifer in Constantine
07:21It's safe to say that everyone knows the name Lucifer.
07:24The devil himself is a ubiquitous figure in religion and entertainment, meaning that any
07:28character who faces off against him is destined to have a hellish time.
07:33While far from a perfect movie, Constantine adds more fuel to that fire, as it delivers
07:38one of the best depictions of the fallen angel, with only one scene to boot.
07:43Lucifer appears in this movie's climax, coming before John Constantine and preparing to take
07:47him to hell, but he's goaded into a confrontation with Gabriel instead and eventually bested
07:53by Constantine.
07:54The thing that really makes Lucifer special here is the slithery performance from Peter
07:58Stormare.
07:59He infills the character with all the intimidating devilry you'd expect from The Prince of Hell,
08:04but adds enough quirkiness to him to make the character fun to watch.
08:07He's frightening and charming simultaneously.
08:10Keeping Lucifer in their back pocket was a smart move for this film, as the mystery surrounding
08:14the villain made you truly fearful of what he'd end up coming out like.
08:19Number 2.
08:20Eddie in The Rocky Horror Picture Show
08:22Richard O'Brien's mind-boggling, toe-tapping comedy horror musical is one of the purest
08:27examples of a cult classic in cinema.
08:30You can't go to any nightclub on Halloween without seeing your fair share of Frankenfurters
08:34or Columbias about the place, and that's a prime example of how popular the flick was
08:38and still is.
08:39Among its collection of iconic moments is a memorable performance from the late, great
08:43meatloaf as the delivery boy, Eddie.
08:46Eddie bursts onto the scene out of a deep-freeze container, riding a motorbike and sporting
08:51a nasty wound on his head, a result of Dr. Frankenfurter stealing half of his brain.
08:56He then proves you don't need all your brain cells to rock and roll as he sings the banging
09:00earworm hop-a-toody.
09:01Sadly, the party doesn't last long as Frankenfurter gets jealous and brutally hacks Eddie to death
09:06with an ice pick.
09:07It's safe to say this entire scene, like the movie itself, is an explosive and bombastic
09:12watch, giving you a slew of iconic imagery and indulging in itself entirely.
09:17Meatloaf took on other acting roles during his lifetime, but it's hard to find any that
09:21topped this one.
09:22Number 1.
09:23Casey Becker in Scream
09:25Casey opens up the first flick in this iconic slasher series, answering a phone call from
09:29the demented ghostface and eventually being hunted down and stabbed to death.
09:34Modern day viewers might think of her as simple cannon fodder, but upon the movie's release,
09:38she was anything but.
09:40The advertisements for 1996's Scream banked on Drew Barrymore's Casey Becker, putting
09:45her front and centre of their campaign.
09:47It seemed obvious that she would be the leading girl, but after she concluded her first scene
09:51with a knife in her chest, everything you thought you knew was flung out of the window.
09:56This incredibly subversive moment instantly told you that Wes Craven's Scream was about
10:00to be a horror movie like no other.
10:03Besides that, the character herself was also memorable, especially thanks to the incredibly
10:07believable performance from Barrymore.
10:10And that concludes our list, if you think we missed any then do let us know in the comments
10:13below and while you're there don't forget to like and subscribe and tap that notification
10:17bell.
10:18Head over to Twitter and follow us there and I can be found across various social medias
10:22just by searching Ellie Littlechild.
10:24I've been Ellie with WhatCulture, I hope you have a magical day and I'll see you real soon.