Keith Darren Dean is the scout who accidentally fired an arrow into Pat Butcher's neck in 1984 and caused his death.
Biography[]
A young Keith in 1984.
As a child, he chose to become a scout and was placed in the troop belonging to Pat Butcher with several other boys. He and his fellow scouts seemed to have a good level of respect for Pat and listened to what he had to teach them. During Happy Death Day, in a flashback to 1984 it is learnt that he attended a scout trip to Button House for a series of outdoor activities, the first of which was to be archery.
Pat had the bow and arrows passed down the row of children from either end but when Keith found himself with both he did what every child his age would have done and played with them. After notching an arrow, Keith fired without aiming anywhere in particular and accidentally hit his scoutmaster through the neck. Panicked by what he'd just done, Keith childishly pressed the bow into the hands of the boy beside him though in reality he had to have known he'd not be able to hide all of this. Unable to do anything but stand there he watched as Pat asked the kids to call his wife, Carol, and attempt to get himself help by climbing into the bus. However, Pat quickly loses control and crashes into a large tree where he died. The tree subsequently blew down in 1987.[1] It is unknown what consequences, if any, Keith Darren Dean faced after what had happened or the events of his life between childhood and adulthood.
At some point of his life Keith met Sam and Claire and befriended them closely enough that he was invited to their wedding at Button House in Perfect Day; he is one of the few who manage to attend because of the snow storm outside. Keith spends the long wait for the wedding to start growing increasingly uncomfortable and upset over the memories of what had happened and eventually finds himself using alcohol to try and hold his nerve but he stops himself after one beer and heads out to the tree instead.
There he speaks to Pat - unaware that Pat's ghost has followed him - and tells him how sorry he was, that he still thinks of Pat often and he'd not been forgotten. This conversation provides Keith some closure for what had happened and afterwards he manages to enjoy the wedding and party. When the lights nearly come down during the party he is the one to catch the rope and uses a double half hitch knot to secure it; he's never aware of the fact Pat is proud of him.
Appearance[]
As a child Keith had bold red hair worn in a bowl cut and was only seen in his scout uniform which consisted of a white, badge covered shirt, shorts and a yellow neckerchief held in place by a woggle. A woggle is a leather ring or loop which the scarf ends are threaded throw to hold it in place.
As an adult his hair has faded to a more auburn red and he's grown a scraggly beard. As he arrives at Button House for a wedding he is seen in a formal blue suit, goldish tie and shirt with a think blue stripe.
Personality[]
Little can be said for Keith's personality as a child and before Pat's death, though it is likely he was an active child interested in the outdoors due to the simple fact he joined the scouts. Post the accidental slaying of his scoutmaster Keith appears to have become more reserved and deeply traumatized by the incident even into adulthood. When faced with the terrible memory of what had happened Keith turns to drink, though not excessively, and becomes distracted.[2] It is only after he goes to speak to Pat at the stump where he died that Keith finds some closure and seems to have made a turning point in his life where he could possibly forgive himself for what happened four decades earlier.
Trivia[]
- It is Kitty who figures out why Pat is so angry and alerts the other ghosts to him being Keith Darren Dean.