There have been some seriously horrific/eyesight burning death scenes in horror and science fiction movie history. Some have become legends and others will haunt my dreams forever. Either way, the bloodier the death scene the more unforgettable. There are some spoilers below – just warning you – so If you haven’t seen the movie listed you might not want read on for fear of ruining the shock factor of seeing it in person. But each movie is highly recommended for horror and movie fans alike. Read/rent at your own risk. (in no particular order):
- Ravenous (1999) – The Bear Claw end scene with Boyd and Ives is pretty impressive. Plus pretty much the entire stew dinner eating scene (which is done in such a civilized way) is very nausea worthy. Nothing like a little man meat to flavor up your potatoes.
- A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) -Johnny Depp aka Glen turning into a spurting fountain of blood in his bedroom is legendary. Luckily for him his characters now live a bit longer in movies.
- Alien (1979) – John Hurt aka Kane’s exploding chest scene will forever live in horror and science fiction film history as shocking. It marked the beginning of a franchise and a horror icon.
- The Ruins (2008) – Mathias getting eaten alive by the evil man-eating plants plus all the horrific suffering he endures prior to that (i.e. broken spine being re-aligned by dumb chicks, starvation and then afterwards have his legs cut off without anything for pain). Poor guy.
- Hostel: Part II (2007) – Two deaths in this movie make my list (but count as one) Whitney aka Bijou Phillips getting sliced in the head with a power saw – then her killer Todd getting eaten alive by dogs in an elevator. Pretty intense.
- Cabin Fever (2002) -As if Karen aka Jordan Ladd being eaten alive by the flesh eating disease wasn’t bad enough – she get’s a mercy kill from Paul aka Rider Strong via shovel to the face.
- Scanners (1981) – Getting your head exploded and insides cooked from the middle out is pretty sick – plus the whole vein popping out thing was something that really freaked me out. Something about veins just makes me lightheaded – and yes I just admitted that.
- The Omen (1976) – “Look at me, Damien! It’s all for you.” are the famous last words of the tiny antichrist’s nanny before she hangs herself from the roof at his birthday party. Oh yea and there was that whole Jennings getting his head cut off by a sheet of glass.
- Hellraiser (1987) – Frank ends up getting it in the worst way by being impaled by hooks and ripped apart by the Cenobites. Pretty gross stuff and obviously pretty painful. His face getting stretched apart was probably the worst part.
- Ghost Ship (2002) – The beginning scene with a dance party splitting up (and not in the dance partner sense) via anchor line was pretty original even if the movie itself wasn’t.
- Saw III(2006) – Danica aka Debra Lynn McCabe getting frozen to death by the psychopathic jigsaw was creative and definitely memorable. Probably the most memorable for me of the many many Saw deaths.
- Sunshine(2007) – Being burned to death by the sun and being left as dust/ash that filled up the space ship was one terrible way to die. But living or surviving it was probably worse.
- Audition (1999) – Asami was one mentally messed up pretty chick who apparently liked to not only torture but also enjoyed using cord as a severing/flesh-flossing device for human limbs. Nasty.
- Dead Alive/Braindead (1992) – No one wants custard with face parts in it, well, maybe Lionel’s granny does. I know I lost my appetite after that and won’t ever look at custard the same way again.
- Final Destination II (2003) – When the barbed wire fence slices a kid in three pieces unexpectedly at the end it was pretty twisted (pun intended) and that was just one of many realistically shocking death scenes in the Final Destination movies.
Gruesomely Honorable Mentions:
Se7en (1995) – Mills wife’s head being delivered via truck to him at the end was incredibly memorable and sad.
Fargo (1996) – The wood-chucking scene is inventive, creative and something “you can’t unsee”.
Anaconda (1997) – Paul aka Jon Voight getting eaten then regurgitated, or barfed up by a giant snake – just plain yuck.
Sleepy Hollow (1999) – Lady Van Tassel aka Miranda Richardson getting a bloody kiss then riding into a tree with the nasty looking Hessian aka Christopher Walken is a chicks worst nightmare plus her finger being left in our world is pretty creepy.
The Ring(2002) – Samara coming out of the TV to basically scare Noah to death just when you thought she had been appeased was terrifying.
The Happening (2008) – Pretty much every death scene in that movie was horrific and particularly scarring but the two kids getting shot by the paranoid evil redneck was probably the most shocking, not to mention unnecessary.
