Seven Black Characters Who Aren’t Killed Off First (Or At All)

1. Barney Matthews (Frankie Faison), “The Silence of the Lambs”

Barney Matthews is one of the orderlies at the hospital where Hannibal Lecter is incarcerated in the beginning of the movie. Matthews and Lecter become fast friends, which is probably why Lecter doesn’t eat him.

2. Jeryline (Jada Pinkett Smith), “Tales From the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight”

Jada Pinkett Smith (playing a convict on work release) kills lots of people in a hotel for “the greater good.”

3. Danny Rich (Ice Cube), “Anaconda”

This anaconda don’t want none… because Ice Cube kills it with an ax at the end. Afterwards, he drifts down the river to finish filming a documentary.

4. Ronald Jones (LL Cool J), “Halloween H20: 20 Years Later”

School security guard Ronny Jones (LL Cool J) is accidentally shot five times by some skittish guy skulking around a school at night. He miraculously survives his gunshot wounds and drags a girl out of a cafeteria before she gets stabbed.

5. Karla Wilson (Brandy Norwood), “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer”

Karla is the well-meaning friend of Jennifer Love Hewitt’s character who accidentally leads all of her friends to their demise by taking them on an exotic vacation. Next time, they’ll probably opt for Florida instead.

6. Eddie Baker (Taye Diggs), “House on Haunted Hill”

In a movie with a plot that basically mimics Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None,” Eddie runs away until the sun rises and he can get the heck away from a dinner party gone awry. He gets five million dollars for his trouble, though, which is a small reward for having to watch a bunch of people get killed over appetizers.

7. Selena (Naomie Harris), “28 Days Later”

Selena fights for survival in the midst of a terrifying pandemic that tears London apart. Not only does she kill some infected people, save some lives, and escape from brutal captors, but she also gets the guy in the end. Talk about a perfect ending.

—Staff writer Charlotte D. Smith is the outgoing Comp Director and Social Chair. She is grateful to her friends for helping her get to the end.