Top 10 Horror Survivors #5 - #1 (SPOILERS)

Welcome back. Once again, this blog post does contain spoilers for some of the most well-known Horror movies, so prepare yourself if you're a somewhat sheltered fan of Horror. (And in what world does THAT make sense?)

If you need a re-hash of numbers 10 - 6, check here.

Now, I think we all know what the deal is, so lets get on with it. My Top 5 Horror Survivors.

5. Ash - Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2, Army of Darkness

You ever have just one of those days? Ash has had several. From a possessed forest, to demons, undead, and a laughing deer trophy, he's seen most of it. While he does suffer from some issues because of what he's seen (Hey, nobody without issues is going to cut off their own hand with a chainsaw and then strap said chainsaw onto the bloody stump), by the end, he's calm, cool, collected, knows exactly what needs to be done and has no qualms about doing it. Very rarely will you see a character change from just one of the group, fighting to survive, into the quintessential action hero with a quick one-liner for most situations. Ash does it though, and he does it with a smile. So remember, shop smart. Shop S-Mart.

4. Sarah Conner - The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgement Day

If you looked at #10 - #6 and wondered where the women are, they're all here. Enter Sarah Conner. The eventual mother of the savior of the human race in the face of an army of killer machines, she's the hapless damsel in distress to start with. She has no clue what's going on, is scared out of her mind, and has to be dragged out of harms way more times than anyone should be before they get the hint that there's more they can do besides sit there and be shot. She does figure it out though. Once the switch is flipped, there's no turning back and you have one of the most badass mom's on the planet. Lots of mother's go out of their way to provide their kids with the stuff they'll need once they get older. Most kids don't need rocket launchers, machine guns by the dozens, all the ammo to go with, and protection from liquid metal assassins though. Yet, she still provides, even after she's gone. Sarah Conner wasn't just a survivor, she made sure other people would be able to survive as well.

3. Jim - 28 Days Later

Most of the people on this list have two or three movies to turn themselves around in. Jim, however, lives in a world of rage zombies, so it's either learn quick or die. Now, to be honest, we don't really know what kind of person he was before the accident that put him in the hospital, so it could be that his transformation isn't all that big of a stretch. From the start of the movie though, where he's confused, scared, and running his ass off, he makes a couple different turn-arounds. After a while, he understands what he's going to have to do to survive and he makes the effort to ensure he has what it takes. In his fight for himself and his friends, though, it's not just what he learns from the people he's with that changes him. What puts him on this list, and so high on it, is that he also learns from the dangers around him. Not only do the rage zombies show him what other people are capable of, they show him what he might be capable of and he takes that lesson to heart in the process of rescuing his friends. So hat's off to him for making his enemy's strength his own.

2. Ellen Ripley - The Alien Series

Like Ash, Ellen Ripley starts off as just another part of the crew, finding herself thrust into a situation 99 out of 100 people would have no dream of surviving. Yet she manages to persevere, and eventually becomes a badass in her own right. Her companions that she outlasted in the first film were just a basic ship crew, nobody outstanding as exceptional. The second film, her companions are Colonial Marines, guys trained to be badasses, and who subsequently lose their shit one at a time, until Ripley finally steps up into (literally) boots five times any of them could hope to wear. She's no less of a badass in the third and fourth movies either, like her bitch switch not only got flipped, but ripped out of the wall so nobody could reset it. All that experience makes someone who is not just a survivor, but someone to follow if you want to live yourself.

1. Chief Martin Brody - Jaws

It's one thing to survive when it's the only choice you have, it's another thing entirely to throw yourself into a situation you're terrified of and in no way prepared for, just because it's your job. That's why Chief Brody makes my Number One slot for Horror Survivors. Scared of the water? Check. Facing a man-eating shark? Check. Riding with a boat captain that's completely certifiable? Triple Check. Brody had the chance to stay ashore and await the inevitable return (by towing of course) of Quint's boat, but he insisted on going, despite everything else. Then, between him, the captain, and the shark expert, it's Chief Brody that manages to put an end to the reign of terror, using information he just learned the day before. Not only that. Not only ALL that. The experience gets him over his fear of the water. He's not just swimming home after the boat sinks, he's enjoying the swim home. He's didn't just survive the encounter, he came out of it smarter, more experienced, and stronger personally to boot.

So there you have it, my top ten Horror Survivors. Do you agree? Disagree? Who do you think should be on the list? Feel free to offer up your choices in the comments and we can discuss it. 

~ Shaun