Presented by Paramount Scares, Friday the 13th Week sees Bloody Disgusting heading to Camp Crystal Lake for a series of features that celebrate the Voorhees family and their influence. Yesterday, Rachel Reeves highlighted other camp-adjacent scares. Today, Luiz H.C. takes inventory of all the horror movie fans in horror similar to franchise hero Tommy Jarvis. […]
![“Die Jason! Die!”: Six Badass Horror Movie Fans Like Tommy Jarvis [Friday the 13th Week]](https://bloody-disgusting.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/tommy-jarvis.jpg)
The first of several young vampire experts on this list, the preteen horror aficionado Mark Petrie was among the first residents to notice that something fishy (or is it fang-y?) was going on with the population of Jerusalem’s Lot. In fact, his obsession with classic monster movies is what ultimately leads our survivors to safety, with Mark being a source of undead knowledge for our older protagonists.
He may be the youngest survivor of the bunch, but Mark is still willing to face the vampiric threat head-on, which is why I think he qualifies as a badass horror fan. And while we’re on the subject of Salem’s Lot, I really hope that the upcoming remake does the character justice, as I’d love to see Mark’s interests updated to include more modern creature features.
Most parents are worried about their kids talking to strangers or setting the living-room carpet on fire when they’re left home alone, but even the most paranoid guardian would have trouble imagining the kind of mess that Glen and his buddies would run into when they encounter a mysterious geode in their backyard.
However, among this rag-tag group of troublemakers, most horror fans agree that the occult-obsessed Terry Chandler is the most entertaining, with his knowledge of demonology, genre lore and heavy metal becoming incredibly valuable when the time comes to get rid of their otherworldly invaders – even if he is partially responsible for the mess in the first place.
The 80s had no shortage of quirky groups of pre-teen buddies going on wacky adventures, but only one of these gangs had the honor of facing the Universal Monsters. Originally a fan-club dedicated to the iconic creatures, the titular Monster Squad was eventually forced to rally against the things that go bump in the night.
And while The Monster Squad wasn’t the box-office hit that it deserved to be, there’s no denying that the film’s depiction of young horror fans would go on to influence countless other characters in genre media. That being said, not even the Stranger Things gang has managed to recruit Frankenstein’s creature to their cause, which is why the Squad remains in a league of their own.
We’ve all heard of folks whose obsession with scary media has made them a little bit paranoid, but every now and then, it turns out that they were right to be scared. Case in point: Fright Night’s teenage vampire slayer, Charley Brewster. Well-versed in undead lore due to his love of horror movies, this clever high schooler was able to quickly identify all the signs of vampiric activity in his neighbor’s home.
Whether it’s William Ragsdale or the late, great Anton Yelchin, both versions of the character have proven to be badass warriors of light when things get personal, which is why I think we can all agree with Evil Ed when he says: “You’re so cool, Brewster!”.
2. The Frog Brothers (Corey Feldman/Jamison Newlander) – The Lost Boys Franchise
Traumatic events can force kids to grow up a little too fast, and there’s no better example of this than the monster-hunting Frog Brothers. Informed by conveniently accurate horror comics, Edgar and Alan Frog soon turned their nerdy hobby into a matter of life and death when they discovered that their idyllic California town was secretly overrun by Nosferatu.
The Frogs may not be the main characters of The Lost Boys, I think we can all agree that their improvised weapons and overly adult demeanor make their scenes some of the most entertaining (and memorable) parts of an already fun movie. And if you’re also a fan of these coastal vampire slayers, I’d recommend checking out the cheap yet weirdly entertaining sequels to find out what the brothers have been up to in the years since the original film.
1. Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy) – Scream Franchise
Jasmin Savoy Brown’s portrayal of film geek Mindy Meeks-Martin may be one of the best parts of the new Scream films, but if this franchise has taught us anything, it’s that you just can’t f*** with the original. That’s why it’s no surprise that the number one spot has to go to our favorite Ghostface survivor, Randy Meeks.
A film bro with a heart of gold, Randy is the very definition of a nerd finding themself in a situation where their niche interest can finally be of practical use. And while Randy’s appropriately meek demeanor might be stretching the definition of “badass”, the guy kept helping his friends take down movie-obsessed serial killers even after he was tragically killed in the sequel, which is why I think he’s earned his spot on this list.
