There are many components that bring a horror film to life. From eerie set designs to scary monsters, there's a formula to horror movies that usually just click. Fans are used to seeing foolish horror protagonists, but there are also cowardly characters who are afraid of everything.

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The coward can be the protagonist, a side character for killer fodder, a lovable hero who overcomes their fear, or even the villain. Anyone can occupy the role of the scaredy cat, but they're usually necessary to show the audience just how frightening the events of the film are.

10 Shaggy Rogers And Scooby-Doo Made Cowardice Heroic

Scooby-Doo

Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island HBO Max 1

Shaggy and Scooby-Doo, important members of the Mystery Inc. gang, have been around since the 1960s, fighting villains running around in monster costumes. While Scooby-Doo has always been a family-friendly franchise, Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island brought a much darker tone to the series.

Shaggy and the lovable Scooby-Doo are the glue that holds the gang together. Notorious for being chickens in the face of any spooky situation, their fearful reactions and desire to avoid anything suspicious never stopped them from being heroes. In fact, these two are usually instrumental in capturing the villain. They've made cowardice work for them in the best possible way.

9 Stu Macher Became Ghostface Because Of Peer Pressure

Scream

Billy Loomis and Stu Macher reveals their intentions in Scream

Stu Macher from the original Scream might be one of the most pathetic cowards in horror history. The big plot twist of the original slasher film was that there were two killers. While that's become commonplace for a Scream movie, the original 1996 film started the trend.

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Stu wasn't the mastermind behind Scream's events. He did as he was told and when confronted with the reason why, he blamed peer pressure. This means that when Billy tried to rope Stu into his schemes, Stu didn't have the nerve to say no. During the final confrontation, he also begs Sidney not to tell his mom he was part of the whole ordeal.

8 Pennywise Preys On Children Because It's Easier

IT

Pennywise's evil stare in IT

Pennywise is one of the scariest villains that Stephen King has ever created. A creepy clown who devours fears and is always lurking beneath an otherwise safe little town is sure to unsettle fans. Pennywise purposefully preys on children. He claims the fear he can produce from them is purer and more authentic, but in reality, it seems kind of pathetic to have to rely on the innocence of children.

On top of this, when the Losers Club finally beat Pennywise in IT: Chapter Two, it only took them being mean to him for him to whither under their influence. He couldn't handle what he dished out, and he was so scared of people not being afraid of him, it became his downfall.

7 AJ Gilbride Won't Even Address His Cowardice

Barbarian

Justin Long's AJ Explores Basement In Barbarian

2022's Barbarian took the horror world by storm. Receiving positive reviews, Barbarian featured a deadly secret hidden beneath an Airbnb. Barbarian played on the collective fear of sleeping somewhere unsafe and had a terrifying atmosphere. AJ, however, was one of the worst parts of the film.

AJ was accused of assault, but he runs away from the accusation to find out the value of his home. He goes through a wild character arc that sees him temporarily improve as he admits to his mistakes and attempts to better himself. However, when death is staring him in the face, he shoves Tess off of a ledge, presumably killing her to save himself. His cowardice is his undoing, though, which is the only satisfying portion of his character.

6 Donald Gennaro Died After Leaving The Kids

Jurassic Park

Donald Gennaro eaten by the T-Rex in Jurassic Park

Donald Gennaro was introduced as the annoying lawyer, so no one was surprised when he turned out to be Jurassic Park's biggest coward. Terrified of the T. Rex, Donald abandons the two young kids, Lex and Timmy. He rushes into a restroom and hides in a stall to avoid the huge dinosaur.

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Donald's running did actually save the kids, as the dinosaur was so distracted by following him that it left the kids alone for a while. However, he was the only adult to watch over these kids. After leaving them to be killed, Donald almost deserved to be eaten.

5 David Takes Self-Preservation To The Extreme

Shaun of the Dead

The survivors play dead in Shaun Of The Dead.

Shaun of the Dead is equally hilarious as is it horrifying, but most fans can agree that David is one of the most irritating parts of the entire movie. David is pessimistic and unhelpful. He dislikes Shaun to an absurd degree, always shoots down ideas, and has nothing of value to contribute to the group.

The most cowardly thing about David, though, is his willingness to cut through the survivor group to protect himself. Lacking any sort of empathy, he demands an infected survivor be put down. He also draws weapons on his friends when they refuse to act according to what he wants. David is the most cowardly among the survivors.

4 Carter Burke Crumbled In The Face Of Danger

Aliens

Carter Burke in Aliens

As he had an ulterior motive, Carter Burke spent a lot of his time with Ellen Ripley and the Marines in Aliens lying. He didn't have any real love or loyalty for the people he was with, and his only interests are that of his employers, the Weyland-Yutani Corporation.

Carter was sly and seemed the most likely to stab someone in the back, so it was not really shocking to find out that he was also a huge coward with no backbone of his own. It also came as no surprise that this is his undoing.

3 Stanley Endures For His Friends

IT

Young Stanley from the It remakes

Considering the Losers Club is made up of a group of kids in IT, fans thought that the main characters would be far more cowardly than they were. Stanley is portrayed as being afraid of just about everything, including his own shadow. Fortunately, it doesn't hold him back throughout the first film, as he pushed through his fear to help save his friends.

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In Chapter Two, however, when all the kids have grown up and are pulled back to Derry to face off against Pennywise, Stanley can't face his childhood nightmare. Terrorized his entire life by his fear of Pennywise, Stanley chooses death over actually returning to Derry.

2 Don Harris Abandoned His Wife

28 Weeks Later

Don attempts to escape a hoard of zombies by boat in 28 Weeks Later

Don Harris is probably supposed to be sympathized with. After abandoning his wife when she was cornered by a group of infected in 28 Weeks Later, Don is riddled with survivor's guilt. He ran to save himself because he believed he couldn't do anything to save his wife. Although this might be understandable, Don's cowardice makes him a particularly unlikable character.

It's difficult to feel sorry for Don when he's the cause of his own guilt, and it's immensely satisfying when he's reunited with his wife. She survives, still infected but immune, and kisses Don, which infects him.

1 Ash Is The Lovable Coward Fans Adore

Evil Dead

Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams in Evil Dead

Cowardice is the defining trait of Bruce Campbell's Ash Williams, but it hasn't stopped him from being a fan-favorite cult classic hero and a horror icon who survived decades. To this day, fans are still demanding more appearances from Ash, despite Campbell insisting that he's retired the character for good.

Ash is Evil Dead's reluctant hero who whimpers and cowers in the face of danger, but he still steps up to the plate when he needs to. Fans see a lot of themselves in him because he's a relatively realistic hero.

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