It’s spooky season and I thought it’d be a good time to whip out another edition of “Great Minority Movie Heroes” but leaning in to the horror genre. That’s admittedly a hard task, but I listed five really interesting and likable minority movie heroes of the horror genre.
Wang Chi – Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
The whole joke about “Big Trouble in Little China” is that Jack Burton fancies himself the hero of the piece. Even though he isn’t aware he’s in a movie, he is convinced he is the hero here, but we all know better. Wang Chi is the obvious hero of “Big Trouble in Little China.” He’s an ass kicking humble hero who goes through hell to save his friends. Dennis Dun is a force to be reckoned with and I would have loved a sequel with Wang Chi meeting up with Jack again to take on a new enemy.
Julius Gaw – Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)
Now, hear me out. Julius Gaw was more of an adrenaline fueled meathead, sure. But when Jason began slaughtering the high schoolers on their ill fated cruise, he was the only one who really decided to hunt him down and kill him. He stages the search for him on the ship that, while ending disastrously, was ballsy. And when he ends up in New York, and has no choice, rather than beg for his life he literally fights to the bitter end against Jason Voorhees. He gets his head knocked clean off, but at least he doesn’t go down weeping and pleading. I respect that.
Maggie Bess – Thir13en Ghosts (2001)
Maggie is a very underrated movie heroine. She doesn’t do anything spectacular, but she does manage to make a lot of smart decisions. Not only does she help to fend off the freed ghosts, but she also watches after the kids she’s caring for. Everyone wishes they had a nanny like Maggie who is sensible, has common sense, and is smart enough to not mess around with angry ghosts, even if they are imprisoned. Also, she helps her family in the end by screwing with the recorded incantations for the thirteen ghosts.
L – Death Note (2017)
I, for one, enjoyed Adam Wingard’s cinematic adaptation of “Death Note” for Netflix. Was it a masterpiece? No, but it had some good ideas in its corner. Not to mention the way that they animated the demon Ryuk paired with Willem Dafoe’s voice work was fantastic. What I especially enjoyed was LaKeith Stanfield as the anti-hero L. He spends his time working to defeat Light and poses a great threat to the conniving often calculating antagonist. This L is enigmatic and engaging and I wanted to see more of him battling Light.
Sister Debra – The Nun II (2023)
One of the most recent horror heroines produced by “The Conjuring” universe, Sister Debra is the trusted comrade to Sister Irene who not only aides her, but also stands up against Valak. When the shit hits the fan she spends most of “The Nun II” either fending off demons to protect children, or doing everything she can to fight off the possessed Frenchie in the climax. She has heart through to the very end of “The Nun II.” I wouldn’t mind seeing a spin off with Sister Debra somewhere down the line. At the very least, I hope she returns for “The Nun III.” If we get one.