WELCOME TO MY 500TH BLOG POST!!! It took me a really long time to figure out what I wanted to do for number 500, and I really wanted to make it special. I first started this blog to be able to talk about the things I love, and of course, one of the things I love the most is Horror. To celebrate this milestone, I’m starting a series of 500 of my favorite horror movie death scenes! Whether it’s because of the characters, the atmosphere, the special effects, or the overall execution, these death scenes left a hell of an impact on me. I’m making it a series cause I didn’t want to cram all 500 into one post. I don’t want to do that to you guys! It’s also been a long time since I made a post this long, so I apologize that this took so long. I’m very appreciative of all of you, and I hope you enjoy!! (POSSIBLE TRIGGER WARNING!!) (MAJOR SPOILER ALERT!!!)

Phyllis’s Ambush – The Last House On The Left (1972)

All Phyllis Stone (Lucy Grantham) wanted to do was give her best friend, Mari (Sandra Peabody) an epic birthday celebration. On their way to score some weed before a concert, they came across Junior Stillo (Marc Sheffler), the addict son of sadistic psychopath, Krug Stillo (David Hess). Along with their accomplices, Fred (Fred J. Lincoln) and Sadie (Jeramie Rain), Krug and Junior kidnapped the innocent duo with the intent of playing twisted games with them. When their car broke down, they trekked into the woods where Phyllis found a way to escape. With Fred and Sadie chasing after her, Phyllis ran all over the place, giving Mari a chance to get away. Phyllis actually almost made it to safety when Krug cut her off. The deadly trio surrounded her, stabbing her repeatedly. This scene was so brutal and wonderfully executed. We hear every stab and I’ll never forget the image of Sadie twisting her knife in Phyllis’s stomach or how they slowly lowered her body to the ground. It’s truly haunting.

Karen’s Final Broadcast – The Howling (1981)

Karen White (Dee Wallace) was a news anchor who became the obsession of a madman, Eddie Quist (Robert Picardo). After surviving an encounter with Eddie, Karen was sent to an isolated community to deal with her trauma. What she didn’t realize was that the community was actually full of werewolves and that Eddie was one of them. She escaped a second attack from Eddie and with the help of her friend, Chris (Dennis Dugan), she almost escaped completely unscathed. I say almost because she was bitten just before they escaped all of the werewolves. She realized that she couldn’t live as a werewolf, and that the whole world needed to know what happened. So, for her triumphant return to the network, she decided to transform live on air! While in the middle of her transformation, Chris stood by with his gun full of silver bullets. He was hesitant so she gave him one last look, urging him to kill her. To the network’s and the audiences’ horror, Karen was gunned down before their very eyes. It was a sad goodbye to a good character.

Glen Down The Rabbit Hole – A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)

Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) was a sick predator who murdered many children. After he was set free on a technicality, the local parents decided to take justice into their own hands. They burned him alive, and that act doomed them and their children. One of Freddy’s targets was a young man named Glen (Johnny Depp). Glen’s girlfriend, Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) tried to convince him about Freddy and to not fall asleep. Glen, of course, didn’t believe her and he fell asleep. Freddy pulled him into a hole in his bed and basically turned it into a giant blender. All of Glen’s blood shot up from the hole and hit the ceiling. This was one of the most creative and well executed deaths scenes in the entire genre! The way that they rigged the room so that they could pull this off with practical effects was brilliant. Plus, Glen’s mom screaming at the top of her lungs was truly the cherry on top of this horrifying scene.

Jimmy Finds The Corkscrew – Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)

Coming off of a bad breakup, Jimmy Mortimer (Crispin Glover) joined his friends on a trip to the lake in hopes of getting his mind off of everything. His friend, Teddy (Lawrence Monoson) was unfortunately no help to him as he speculated that his relationship fell apart because he was lousy in bed, calling him a “Dead F**k.” While on a nature walk, the group came across two beautiful twins, Tina (Camilla More) and Terri (Carey More), they invited them to party with them that night. At the party, Tina struck out with another group member, so she set her eyes on Jimmy. While they were having a wonderful time together in the bedroom, local madman, Jason Voorhees (Ted White) started brutally murdering their friends, and Tina’s sister. When Jimmy proved that he wasn’t a dead f**k, he went downstairs to celebrate with wine before round 2. He called out to Teddy, asking where the corkscrew was, and Jason answered by jamming it into his hand. The final blow came in the form of a cleaver to his face. It’s brutal and well executed. I love that Jimmy went out on a high note!

Orin’s Oral Dilemma – Little Shop Of Horrors (1986)

Orin Scrivello (Steve Martin) was a sadistic b*****d who enjoyed making people feel pain. He became a dentist for the sole purpose of making people suffer, and he relentlessly beat his poor girlfriend, Audrey (Ellen Greene) every chance he got. Audrey’s co-worker and friend, Seymour (Rick Moranis) was in love with her, and unluckily for Orin, Seymour was growing a man-eating plant, and Orin was the perfect food for it. All alone in Orin’s clinic, Seymour pretended to be his next patient and brought a gun to do the deed. Orin thought it was just another night, so he grabbed some laughing gas to suck on as he worked. When Seymour pulled his gun out, Orin tried to turn off the gas, but he broke the valve. Breathing in more gas than oxygen, Orin laughed himself to death as Seymour watched in horror. I love that Orin was the cause of his own doing and Seymour didn’t have to get his hands dirty… until he had to chop up the body, of course.

Deke’s Downfall – Creepshow 2 (1987)

On a cool and sunny day, Deke (Paul Satterfield) drove out to a lake with his friends, Laverne (Jeremy Green), Randy (Daniel Beer), and Rachel (Page Hannah). They wanted to swim out to a raft in the middle of the lake before the lake froze over. As they were swimming to the raft, Randy noticed a mysterious blob headed their way. Once they reached the raft, the blob was right next to them, waiting for them. Rachel was the first one to go. It completely devoured her and the rest of the group realized how much trouble they were actually in. Once the blob floated under the raft, Deke thought he could swim away fast enough to reach the car. However, he never got to jump off the raft as the blob slipped in between the slits of the raft and wrapped around his foot. I gotta say that this guy has a hell of a scream, it’s one of the reasons I love this scene so much. I also love how he was slowly pulled into that little hole in the raft and the fact that Randy was so useless in pulling him out.

The Old Man’s Just Desserts – Night Of The Demons (1988)

I don’t know if there’s such thing as a Halloween Scrooge, but if there is, this guy would be one of the top contenders. In fact, since he doesn’t have a name, I’m just going to call him Scrooge for this article. If there’s one thing Scrooge (Harold Ayer) hated more than Halloween, it was young kids celebrating Halloween. His ultimate revenge came in the form of razor blades in apples to give to the kids. The next morning, he was greeted by his wife (Marie Denn) with a nice homemade apple pie. Although, he didn’t realize it was homemade until it was too late. The razors in the pie tore through his neck like paper. Seriously, the blood in his veins bulging was such an amazing special effect that still upholds this day, in my opinion. The real kicker was how casual the wife was about Scrooge dying. I’m very convinced she did it on purpose. Either way, Scrooge got exactly what he deserved!

Chet’s Melting! He’s Melting! – From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

Chet Pussy (Cheech Marin) was a vampire who lured bikers and truck drivers to his coven’s little dive, The Titty Twister. Visitors believed it was a regular liquor joint, but they soon realized they were baited and trapped for slaughter. As the patrons were brutally massacred, Chet set his eyes on a young girl, Kate (Juliette Lewis), hiding behind the bar. As he tried to kill her, she ripped her cross necklace off and shoved it into his mouth. That move saved Kate’s life as the religious symbol caused Chet’s whole head to melt. This moment has some of the gnarliest and most impressive practical effects. The way the skin melted off of his face and his eyes popped out of his head were truly incredible.

Casey’s Last Call – Scream (1996)

Casey Becker (Drew Barrymore) was planning on a peaceful night home alone with popcorn and a spooky movie. Her peaceful movie night quickly came to an end when she started getting harassed by a mysterious caller. The harassing calls soon turned into real danger when she realized that the caller was right outside her house. She tried to threaten the caller that her boyfriend would kick his a**, but she realized how screwed she really was when she saw her boyfriend, Steve (Kevin Patrick Walls) tied up on her back patio. After watching Steve get brutally gutted, Casey tried to find a way out of there. She ran outside but the killer caught up to her and stabbed her. He then strangled her so she couldn’t call out to her parents for help when they arrived. As they went inside the house, Casey was stabbed multiple times on their porch, then dragged to a nearby tree to be hanged. This scene absolutely terrified me as a kid. That moment was so suspenseful and eerie, that I couldn’t even finish the movie after seeing it. Now, it’s one of my all-time favorites!

Tiffany’s Tub Trouble – Bride Of Chucky (1998)

Tiffany Valentine (Jennifer Tilly) was a bodacious killer beauty who spent ten years searching for the doll that contained her serial killer beloved, Chucky (Brad Dourif). Once she finally found and resurrected him, she thought that they were going to have the perfect marriage that she always dreamed of. As she was making him a nice romantic dinner, she mentioned that she still had the beautiful ring that she thought he was going to give to her. However, the ring wasn’t for her, and her dream died when he laughed in her face about marriage. For revenge for her wasted time, Tiffany locked Chucky in a little playpen with a little bride doll to taunt him. As she was taking a nice long bubble bath to ease her heartache, Chucky filed his way out of the playpen and grabbed a knife. As she was crying over The Bride Of Frankenstein, Chucky barged in to stab her. She kicked him away and since he dropped his knife, he had to improvise. He shoved the TV into her tub, electrocuting her. The music, the chaos, and all of the bubbles floating around really made for an iconic death scene!

Damon Brooks Is Hanging From A Tree! H-A-N-G-I-N-G! – Urban Legend (1998)

Damon Brooks (Joshua Jackson) was your usual frat boy. He always played pranks, made jokes out of serious situations, and tried to hook up with any woman he could find. His latest target was his classmate, Natalie (Alicia Witt). As Natalie was coping with the news that her old high school friend was murdered, Damon offered to take her someplace private to “talk about it.” Parked in the middle of the woods, Damon spewed some BS about losing his girlfriend, and after getting justifiably rejected twice, he left the car to go to the bathroom. As Natalie was waiting in the car, Damon got ambushed by the killer and strung up over the car. As his shoes were scraping across the top of the car, the killer was antagonizing Natalie to drive away. Because the rope was tied to the car, when she sped off, he was pulled higher and when she reversed, he crashed right through the windshield. It was a very clever way for the killer to get Natalie to do their dirty work.

A Game Of (Fried) Chicken – The Forsaken (2001)

Pen (Simon Rex) was the day driver for a ruthless, ancient vampire, Kit (Johnathan Schaech), and his two feeders. On their travels, they set their eyes on  a group that contained a vampire hunter, an innocent driver who was just giving the hunter a ride, and one of Kit’s previous victims that the hunter was using as bait. After a long car chase, the vampires’ car broke down and they had to kill a couple of guys driving by just to nab theirs. With Kit in one car and Pen in the other, they eventually found our protagonists about to drive away. Instead of driving away, however, they drove straight towards them, ready to play a game of chicken. They successfully got past them and after another car chase, they gave them the slip by driving in between two trucks. Pen wasn’t so lucky as he was too chicken to drive behind the trucks as well. He tried to turn and stop his car, but he was too late. He slammed into one of the trucks, causing the whole area to explode. This was such a great and unexpected death scene!

Joe’s Last Fight – Dog Soldiers (2002)

Pvt. Joe Kirkley (Chris Robson) was forced to miss the football match of the year in order to participate in a military exercise with the rest of his squad. While trekking through the woods, they unknowingly stumbled upon the territory of a pack of vicious werewolves. With the help of a civilian, Megan (Emma Cleasby), the troop were able to find solace in a remote house. Surrounded by the beasts and with Megan’s car destroyed, she informed them of another car in the nearby shed that needed some hot-wiring. Since Joe was the only one who knew how to hot-wire a car, it was up to him. His fellow soldier, Pvt. Witherspoon (Darren Morfitt) provided the distraction as he was the fastest and the loudest. With the werewolves out of sight, Joe ran to the shed and successfully got the car started. After he pulled up to the house, he realized one of the wolves was in the back of the car. Instead of running out, he jumped in the back and had his last fight. We don’t witness the carnage, but we see the car shake plenty and LOTS of blood! It was a very suspenseful death scene!

Philip’s Confession – Shaun Of The Dead (2004)

Philip (Bill Nighy) and Shaun (Simon Pegg) always had a difficult relationship. When he married Shaun’s mom when Shaun was just a boy, Philip became the stern disciplinarian in his life. This led to a lot of resentment over the years and long after Shaun left, the resentment never really wavered. On what should’ve been a typical day, the end of the world arrived at Shaun’s doorstep as zombies started walking and killing all over London. After hearing that Philip was bitten, Shaun prepared himself to kill him and save his mom. Things didn’t go according to plan as he found out Philip was still alive and going with them to their sanctuary. They were unfortunately ambushed as they were getting to the car and Philip was bit in a more fatal place: his neck. As he was bleeding out in the car, he had a few last words for Shaun. He told him about why he was so tough on him and how he wished he was someone that Shaun could look up to all these years. It was such a touching moment that I wasn’t expecting from a film like this.

Shannon’s Splitting Headache – Hatchet (2006)

Shannon (Patrika Darbo) and Jim (Richard Riehle) Permatteo were a sweet couple who wanted to take a harmless boat ride to tour Honey Island Swamp down in New Orleans and learn about the local legend, Victor Crowley (Kane Hodder). Unfortunately for them, the boat driver was inexperienced and he crashed the boat, causing it to sink. While trying to safely make it to shore, Jim was viciously attacked by an alligator. While the group tried to help him, one of the locals, Marybeth (Amara Zaragoza) insisted that the legend of Victor Crowley was real and that they were all in danger. Shannon tried to get Jim help at the nearest house… the house that belonged to Victor. Victor ran out with his hatchet and went right for Jim. When Shannon tried to run away, Victor grabbed her by the hair, put his hands in her mouth, and split her head right in two! Whenever I think about my favorite death scenes, this is always the first one to come to mind. The special effects were amazing, the transition was clean, and the death itself was very unique!

The Supervisor’s Slaughter – The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006)

While she was working at the slaughterhouse, Sloane (L.A. Calkins) died giving birth to a deformed child, Thomas Hewitt. Not wanting to deal with Thomas, Sloane’s boss, the slaughterhouse supervisor (Tim DeZarn) left him in a dumpster, where young Luda Mae (Allison Marich) found him and brought him home. Years later, Thomas (Andrew Bryniarski) got himself a job at the same slaughterhouse and life didn’t seem so bad for a while. Over time, the town started dying, the people started leaving, and eventually, the slaughterhouse was closed down. Thomas didn’t understand it was shut down, so he continued to work and the supervisor and his (former) employee just kicked him out. Irate, Thomas later returned when the supervisor was alone. After a few insults spewed towards Thomas, the supervisor took a sledgehammer to the head. After trying to call 911, he kept getting beaten and he let out a hell of a scream. That scream convinced the operator that a woman was on the line as she stated, “You’re gonna have to speak more clearly ma’am.” I think that’s the main reason I love this scene, it was so random and hilarious, and such a brutal beat down.

Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick And… Crash! – Death Proof (2007)

Arlene (Vanessa Ferlito), Jungle Julia (Sydney Tamiia Poitier), and Shanna (Jordan Ladd) had the perfect night of celebration planned, filled with booze, drugs, and boys. What they didn’t realize was that they were being stalked by a mad serial killer with a strange killing method, Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell). They drank a lot, partied hard, and Arlene even gave Stuntman Mike a lap dance, completely ignoring the weird vibes she got from him earlier. With their friend, Lanna Frank, the trio decided it was time to call it a night and head out to Shanna’s place. While they were jamming to Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick, and Tich, they didn’t notice Stuntman Mike speeding past them, positioning his car right in front of them, then driving straight into them. What was so great about this scene was that we witness how the crash affected each person. Shanna flies right out the windshield, Lanna Frank hits the wheel hard, Jungle Julia loses her leg, and Arlene whole face gets shredded by Mike’s tire. It’s so brutal and forever seared into my brain!

Wesley’s Bullying Backfire – Halloween (2007)

Wesley Rhoades (Daryl Sabara) was a typical middle school bully who had to fight with every kid he came across. Unfortunately for him, one of the kids he harassed was young psycho, Michael Myers (Daeg Faerch). Coming off of his high after fighting with another kid, Wesley thought it was a good idea to mock the fact that Michael’s mother was a stripper. After a bathroom brawl, all three kids got in trouble, and as Michael’s mom was speaking to the principal and a psychiatrist, Michael slipped away to deal with Wesley. As Wesley was cutting through the woods to get home, Michael jumped out from behind a tree and incapacitated him with a very large branch. Wesley was angry at first, but that quickly turned into pain and fear as Michael continued to beat him. I’ll never forget the blood on his face or the realistic crying and pleading. Every hit pierces the ears and makes it a truly haunting moment, especially the fact that these are just kids here!

Eric’s Hit After Hit After Hit – Evil Dead (2013)

In order to help his friend, Mia (Jane Levy) kick her drug addiction, Eric (Lou Taylor Pucci) joined her brother, David (Shiloh Fernandez) and their friends at her family cabin in the middle of nowhere. There, they almost immediately discovered that someone had broken in and performed some kind of messed up ritual down in the cellar. There, they discovered a strange book inked in human blood. Letting his curiosity get the better of him, Eric decided to read the strange words from the book and unknowingly unleashed demonic forces on his friends. Say what you will about the guy, he is tough! After his friends became possessed, they stabbed him with a mirror piece, jabbed him in the eye with a needle, shot him with a nail gun, and bludgeoned him with a crowbar. The final blow came when Mia stabbed him with a boxcutter. What got me the most about his last moments was his last words to David, saying how much he missed him after all these years. It was a touching moment that really affected me.

Patrick’s Rampage – ABCs Of Death 2 (2014)

In this short film, M Is For Masticate, Patrick Daniel (Patrick Daniel) decided to try bath salts for the first (and last) time. Completely out of his mind, he ran into town on a rampage in just his underwear. He attacked and frightened many people. The worst of it was when he tackled a man and bit his ear clean off. I say “clean” ironically of course, as it was a very bloody mess. Then a nearby officer pulled his gun out and shot Patrick right between the eyes! What really made this one stand out for me was a majority of it was all in slow-motion. Complimented with upbeat music, this was a memorable death scene with imagery that’ll get seared into your head.

Marcy’s Face-To-Face – Cabin Fever (2016)

Along with her friends and her boyfriend, Jeff (Matthew Daddario), Marcy (Nadine Crocker) traveled to a cabin in the middle of nowhere to celebrate their college graduation. Unfortunately, the celebration was cut short when a strange man with a deadly flesh-eating virus showed up at their door. When he tried to steal their car, a brawl broke out and the man was accidentally set on fire. What the group didn’t realize was the man fell into the local water supply, and they were all about to be infected. With her best friend dying horribly and her boyfriend just bailing on all of them, Marcy truly began to lose all hope. While taking a bath, Marcy body started to fall apart. She ran out of the cabin, calling out for Jeff and falling apart on the cabin steps. On the ground, she looked up to see an infected and ravenous dog staring right at her. Knowing it was the end, she showed no fear. She screamed at the beast to get it over with. I’m not a huge fan of this film, but I think this moment was perfect. Marcy really went out like a G and I loved it!

Stanley’s Promise – IT: Chapter 2 (2019)

Stanley Uris (Andy Bean) was among many of the kids in Derry terrorized by the demonic clown, Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård) in the summer of 1989. Joining his best friends, The Losers Club, in defeating the clown, Stanley prayed the nightmare was finally over. One of the group members, Bill (Jaeden Martell) made everyone promise that if Pennywise wasn’t actually dead and he eventually returned, that they would also return to kill him once and for all. They all took a blood oath then went their separate ways. Sure enough, 27 years later, Pennywise awoke and began his feeding frenzy. When Stanley got the call to return, he realized he wasn’t strong enough to face Pennywise again. He drew one last bath for himself, remembering that day he made the promise. He remembered Bill slicing the piece of glass into his hand as he sliced the razor into his wrist. Using the same music that was playing when they made the oath really added to the tragedy of this scene. It was so well done, and it breaks my heart every time I see it.

Gage!… Wait, No… Ellie! – Pet Sematary (2019)

Louis Creed (Jason Clarke) moved his family to the small town of Ludlow, Maine in the hopes of starting a new life. After moving, they discovered a path in their backyard that led to a cemetery where the local kids buried their pets. After his daughter, Ellie’s (Jeté Laurence) cat, Church was run over, their neighbor, Jud (John Lithgow) brought Louis to a burial ground beyond the pet cemetery. What Louis didn’t realize was that the burial ground had the power to bring the dead back to life, but as evil versions of themselves. Once Church returned with sinister intentions, he tried to kill him a second time. He changed his mind, however, and he decided to drop Church off somewhere far instead. Later, at Ellis’s birthday party, she looked down the road, ecstatic at the return of her cat. Her brother, Gage (Hugo & Lucas Lavoie) followed her onto the road just as a large truck arrived. We all know the story, we all believe that Gage meets his fate here. However, Louis got Gage out of the way in time and the truck hit Ellie instead! It was a well executed twist and such a tragic moment.

Look! Finley’s Flying! – Candyman (2021)

Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) was a struggling artist who found new inspiration in his neighborhood, Cabrini Green. There, he was told about the legend of Candyman (Michael Hargrove), a vengeful spirit who brutally gutted anyone who dared to say his name five times in a mirror. With his new display, he encouraged those to say his name, with deadly consequences. When famed art critic, Finley Stephens (Rebecca Spence) invited him to her place to discuss his piece, he once again tried to convince her to say Candyman’s name. She excused herself to go to the restroom and as Anthony waited for her, he was once again haunted by the image of Candyman. We don’t know if she said the words at first, but after Anthony hurried out the door, we found out quickly that she did. As we watch from outside her condo, Finley was strung up by Candyman, slammed against her window, and dragged with her blood smeared all over. What’s so unique about this is it doesn’t have an actual jump scare. It was perfected based on sheer shock factor alone.

Julia’s Trashy Day – Final Destination: Bloodlines (2025)

After being haunted by the same nightmare for weeks, Stefani Reyes (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) returned home to find answers about the woman in her nightmares: her grandmother, Iris (Brec Bassinger). When she finally tracked down Iris, Iris told her that the nightmare was actually her premonition and because she saved herself and all of the people from a restaurant collapse in the 1960’s, Death was coming for them and their family because they were never supposed to exist. After Iris and Stefani’s uncle were brutally killed, Stefani figured her cousin, Erik (Richard Harmon) was next. However, due to a big secret, it was actually Erik’s sister, Julia (Anna Lore) who was next. On a run, she was knocked into a trash bin and carried into the back of a garbage truck. As she was in the process of getting squished, Stefani tried desperately to pull her out. Unfortunately, she only pulled a part of her out of the truck as her head and arm were completely crushed. Out of all of the deaths in this film, this one stuck with me the most. It was so shocking, yet you can’t look away.