You remember that scene. The one where the lighting gets all moody and 808-heavy, and Kyle Gallner, looking like every 2009 MySpace profile picture come to life, walks into a construction site house only to meet a grisly end? Honestly, the character of Colin Gray in Jennifer’s Body has become a weirdly enduring icon for a certain generation of horror fans. He wasn't the "lead" guy—that was Johnny Simmons as Chip—but Colin's death marked a massive turning point in the movie's tone and its weirdly prescient commentary on high school cliques.
The 2009 cult classic directed by Karyn Kusama and written by Diablo Cody didn't just give us a possessed Megan Fox. It gave us a very specific vibe of suburban dread. Colin Gray was the sacrificial lamb of that vibe.
Who Was Colin Gray Anyway?
Basically, Colin was the "emo" kid at Devil's Kettle High. He had the flat-ironed black hair, the piercings, and that sort of quiet, awkward confidence that goths in movies always seem to have right before they get eaten. He’s played by Kyle Gallner, who has since become a total "scream king" with roles in Smile and the 2022 Scream reboot.
In the world of Jennifer's Body, Colin isn't part of the popular crowd. He’s an outsider. That’s exactly why Jennifer targets him. After she’s possessed by a succubus (thanks to a botched satanic ritual by a desperate indie band called Low Shoulder), she needs to feed on human flesh to stay "pretty."
Jennifer's choice of Colin Gray is super calculated. She knows he has a crush on her because, well, everyone does. But she also knows that as an alternative kid, his disappearance might be framed differently or he might be easier to lure into a vulnerable spot. It's a classic predator move disguised as a "date" at a house under construction.
The Death of Colin Gray: Why It Hits Different
The scene where Jennifer kills Colin is probably the most disturbing in the film. Not just because of the gore—though there is plenty of that—but because of the way it's edited.
While Jennifer is literally disemboweling Colin Gray, the movie cuts back and forth between the murder and Needy (Amanda Seyfried) having sex with her boyfriend, Chip. Because Needy and Jennifer share a "psychic connection" (which they've had since they were little), Needy feels everything Jennifer is doing.
It’s a brutal, messy sequence.
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- The Setting: An unfinished house in a cookie-cutter neighborhood.
- The Song: "I Wanna Love You" by Akon and Snoop Dogg playing on a boombox.
- The Irony: Colin thinks he's finally getting the girl of his dreams, but he’s actually just dinner.
Honestly, the practical effects here are top-tier. When Colin realizes things are going south, the fear in his eyes is genuine. He tries to be cool, he tries to play along with her "game," and then—boom. He’s gone. The next morning, the school is in a total state of shock. You see the "shrine" at his locker, the grieving friends, and the sudden realization that the town’s tragedy is only just starting.
Kyle Gallner and the "Scream King" Legacy
It’s kinda funny looking back at this role now. Kyle Gallner has become such a staple in the horror genre that seeing him as "the kid who got eaten by Megan Fox" feels like a rite of passage.
At the time, Jennifer’s Body was panned by critics who didn't get the feminist subtext. They thought it was just a "sexy" horror movie for guys. But fans of Colin Gray know better. His character represents the vulnerability of teenage boys who are often overlooked in these narratives. He wasn't a "jock" or a "jerk." He was just a guy who liked Rocky Horror and probably spent too much time on Tumblr.
If you’re wondering where else you’ve seen the guy who played Colin, he’s been everywhere:
- A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010): He played Quentin Smith.
- The Walking Dead: He had a short but memorable stint as Zach.
- Smile (2022): He played Joel, the cop/ex-boyfriend.
- Dinner in America: A must-watch if you want to see him play a completely different kind of "punk" character.
Why Colin Still Matters in 2026
Even now, years after the movie's release and subsequent "re-discovery" by a new generation, the character of Colin Gray stands out. He’s a snapshot of 2009 culture. The "Scene" aesthetic, the indie-rock obsession, and the way the movie treats his death as a genuine loss for the school's subculture.
Most horror movies treat the "weird kid" as a joke or the first to die without any impact. But Jennifer's Body uses Colin's death to move the plot into its dark final act. It’s his death that finally pushes Needy to go to the library, look up "succubus," and realize her best friend is a monster. Without the tragedy of Colin Gray, Needy might have kept making excuses for Jennifer forever.
What to do if you're a fan of the movie:
- Watch the Unrated Version: It includes a bit more of the funeral scene and extra dialogue that fleshes out the town's reaction to Colin's death.
- Check out the Soundtrack: It’s basically a time capsule of 2000s alt-rock, featuring Panic! At The Disco and Hayley Williams.
- Follow Kyle Gallner: He’s incredibly active in the horror community and often talks about his early roles in films like this.
The legacy of Colin Gray is basically the legacy of the movie itself: misunderstood at first, but ultimately recognized as a vital piece of the horror-comedy canon.
Next Steps for Horror Fans:
If you want to dive deeper into the lore, look up the "Devil's Kettle" waterfall in Minnesota—it’s a real place that inspired the film’s setting. Also, check out the original script by Diablo Cody to see how the character of Colin was initially described; it gives a lot of context to his "emo" aesthetic that didn't quite make it into every frame of the final cut.