I’m back with part 4 of 500 of my favorite horror movie death scenes! There are many reasons that I could consider a death scene one of my favorites. It could either be due to the special effects, the dramatics, the music, the characters, the methods, or all of the above. I hope you enjoy and let me know some of your favorite horror movie death scenes! (MAJOR SPOILERS!!!)

Marion’s Many Mistakes – Psycho (1960)

Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) was a secretary who was unhappy with her life. Her relationship with her boyfriend, Sam (John Gavin) was strained due to his alimony to his ex-wife and money issues. At her job, she was entrusted to deliver $40,000 to the bank, and she saw her opportunity. She instead took the money and planned on running away with Sam in marital bliss. As she was on her way to see him, she stopped to rest at the Bates Motel. As she was there, she had dinner with the motel owner, Norman (Anthony Perkins). After quite a bit of discussion about his crazy mother, Marion realized she had to go back home and face what she had done. She didn’t get that far, however. When she returned to her room for a nice long shower, Norman snuck in, stabbed her repeatedly, and left her to bleed out right in the tub. Due to the shocking nature and the shrill music, this death scene is not only one of my favorites, it’s one of the most iconic scenes in the horror genre!

Mari’s March – The Last House On The Left (1972)

Mari Collingwood (Sandra Peabody) was excited to spend her birthday at a concert with her best friend, Phyllis (Lucy Grantham). On their way to the concert, they looked around for someone who might’ve been dealing weed. There, they found Junior Stillo (Marc Sheffler) who led them to the ruthless gang ran by his father, Krug (David Hess). They kidnapped the girls and on their way out of the state, their car died and they went into the woods to play some sick games. Phyllis was able to run away and while everyone was focused on her, Mari convinced Junior to help her escape. They almost succeeded, but Krug and his crew cut them off. Mari realized she was all alone when she saw that they killed her best friend. After being raped and tortured, Mari knew she wasn’t getting out of that situation alive. She slowly walked away from the gang as they followed behind. She walked right into the lake and just stood there. Krug pulled his gun out and shot her. The situation combined with the music created a perfectly melancholic scene.

Franklin The First – The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

After the cemetery where their grandfather was buried was desecrated, Sally (Marilyn Burns) and Franklin Hardesty (Paul A. Partain) rode with their friends to make sure his grave was undisturbed. After the long trip, they stopped at their old family home to rest and hang out. One by one, Sally and Franklin’s friends wandered off and came across an old farmhouse, where a family of maniacs resided. One member of the family, Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen) killed the friends, and Sally and Franklin were the last ones left. Worried about everyone, Sally and Franklin embarked in the dark to find them. After some yelling and searching, they turned a corner and out popped Leatherface with his chainsaw! With Sally screaming in horror, Leatherface completely tore Franklin apart. Although Franklin wasn’t the first to die in the film, he WAS the first one killed with a chainsaw in the whole franchise, and I think that’s worth mentioning here.

Rick’s Eye-Opener – Friday The 13th: Part 3 (1982)

All Rick (Paul Kratka) was looking forward to was having a romantic weekend with his old girlfriend, Chris (Dana Kimmell), who hasn’t been in town in a year. The weekend didn’t really go as expected as Chris seemed distant and her friends drove him nuts. After his car was wrecked by one of Chris’s friends, Rick tried storming off into the woods to get away from everyone. Chris went with him and there, she told him about how she was attacked by a strange man, Jason Voorhees (Richard Brooker), the year before, and that was why she stayed away for so long. When they eventually got back to the cabin, her friends were nowhere to be found. As they split up to look for everyone, Chris stepped back outside and called for Rick. Unfortunately, Jason got to him first and he prevented him from calling for help. Once Chris stepped back inside the cabin, Jason took his head in his hands and squished it with enough force to make his eye pop out. The special effects aren’t great but I think that’s what I love about it the most.

Jay’s Blind Date – Night Of The Demons (1988)

Jay Jansen (Lance Fenton) believed he was going to have the time of his life with his date, Judy (Cathy Podewell). For a fun Halloween extravaganza, the young couple attended a party with their friends at an abandoned funeral home. Unfortunately, the party was about to be interrupted by the demons that inhabited the funeral home. After assuming that Judy would sleep with him in that creepy place, his fragile male ego was bruised when she rejected him. He then found one of his friends, Suzanne (Linnea Quigley) and he took her up on her seductive offer. What he didn’t realize until it was too late was that Suzanne was possessed, and as she was riding him, she didn’t like that he was looking at her. With the force of her thumbs, she completely squished his eyes as he screamed in agony. It was such a gnarly scene, the special effects are what truly made it unforgettable!

Betty The Butchered – Serial Mom (1994)

Betty (Kathy Fannon) and Ralph Sterner (Doug Roberts) were a bitter couple who caught the attention of Beverly Sutphin (Kathleen Turner), a housemother who would literally kill in the name of societal perfection. After a painful trip to the dentist, they were having a nice dinner together, badmouthing Ralph’s dentist, who happened to be Beverly’s husband. They didn’t realize that Beverly was at their house, and she heard everything. While Ralph was finishing his dessert downstairs, Betty was upstairs getting ready for bed. When she opened her closet, there was Beverly waiting with a pair of scissors. She started stabbing Betty and if that wasn’t bad enough, a little mouse came out of the closet and started biting Betty’s foot. What really gets me about this death scene is that Betty had a much bigger reaction to the mouse biting her than her literally being stabbed! It was such a funny and well done scene to me.

Freddy Got Fingered – Freddy vs. Jason (2003)

Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) was a madman who, after being murdered, started invading the nightmares of the teenagers in his town and killing them. After years of being terrorized, the town figured out how to keep his curse from spreading. Needing fear to regain his powers, he decided to resurrect another maniac, Jason Voorhees (Ken Kirzinger) and have him spread fear in the town again. When Freddy was finally strong enough, he tried to get rid of Jason, but he found that it wouldn’t be so easy. While both hunted down the same group of teenagers, Freddy fought Jason in his world and in the real one. They both put up a hell of a fight, but the last of the survivors, Will (John Ritter) and Lori (Monica Keena) blew them up in an effort to kill them. However, Freddy wasn’t done yet. With his gloved arm torn off, he tried to kill Lori and Will with Jason’s machete. However, he was stabbed with his own arm by Jason, and when he dropped the machete, Lori picked it up and chopped his head clean off. I just love that he was defeated by both his weapon and Jason’s.

Yoko’s Jaw-Drop – The Grudge (2004)

Yoko Sekine (Yoko Maki) was a caretaker residing in Tokyo. When an American family moved into a local haunted house, she was hired to take care of the matriarch, Emma (Grace Zabriskie). One day, Yoko arrived at the house and noticed that everything was in disarray and Emma was all alone. Not thinking much of it, she started to clean and tidy up the house. When she headed upstairs, she started to hear thumping coming from the attic. Hesitant and a bit scared, she started to head up to investigate. She grabbed her lighter and looked all around from the attic’s opening. Right next to her, she found Kayako (Takako Fuji), a vengeful spirit who haunted and killed anyone who entered the house. Kayako grabbed her and pulled her into the attic. We don’t see the extent of her mutilation until much later, but as Yoko was writhing in fear and agony, Kayako ripped her jaw right off. The whole set up was perfectly spine-chilling and the overall scare was greatly executed.

The Judge’s Judgment Day – Saw III (2006)

Jeff Denlon’s (Angus Mcfadyen) life and family fell apart after his young son was killed in a hit and run accident. After the man who killed him, Timothy Young (Mpho Koaho), was released after six months, all Jeff wanted was revenge against those he felt were responsible. One day as he was planning his revenge, Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) kidnapped him and put him through a series of torturous games of forgiveness. After failing to save one of the witnesses who chose not to testify, up next was the judge who only sentenced Timothy to six months, Judge Halden (Barry Flatman). Jeff almost didn’t save him, but he did the right thing in the end. For his final test, Jeff had to take a bullet in order to get the key to save Timothy’s life. He thought he could work around the mechanism. He successfully pulled the key off the thread, but the gun went off anyway, catching Halden right in the face. It was such a shocking moment because I truly thought the judge was in the clear after being saved the first time.

Cynthia’s Snap – Halloween (2007)

Mason (Pat Skipper) and Cynthia Strode (Dee Wallace) lived peaceful and happy lives after adopting their baby girl, Laurie (Scout Taylor Compton). What they didn’t know for 15 years was that Laurie had a very troubled biological family. Her older brother, Michael Myers (Tyler Mane) was put in an institution after killing his sister, her boyfriend, and her mother’s boyfriend He waited 15 years locked up before escaping and leaving a pile of bodies in his wake. His main goal was to track down and be reunited with his baby sister. After Laurie left the house to babysit on Halloween night, Michael showed up and immediately killed her father. He injured Cynthia and when he showed her a picture of Laurie, demanding to know where she was, Cynthia refused. He then threw her through a glass table and grabbed her by her hair. She stared at him, not sure what he was going to do next. He then snapped her head back, severing her spine. I love how quick and clean the kill was, and I love that she died protecting her daughter as best as she could.

The B***h And The Pendulum – Saw V (2008)

Seth Baxter (Joris Jarsky) was an abusive a**hole with a horrible drug problem. One night, he completely snapped and killed his girlfriend, Angela (Sarah Power), leaving her a bloody mess for her brother, Detective Mark Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) to see. He was sentenced to life in prison, but he was released after only 5 years on a technicality. Mark decided to take matters into his own hands after being inspired by the Jigsaw killer. He kidnapped Seth and placed him in a pendulum trap. Seth had to crush his own hands in order to avoid being sliced in half by the blade swinging above him. He did what he was supposed to do, but it was never a test, it was revenge. With Mark watching from the side, the blade came down and Seth felt every bit of himself being cut and disemboweled. It’s one of my favorite traps in the whole franchise because I’m a big fan of that particular method of execution. The anticipation watching the blade get lower and lower, it’s so chilling, and I can’t even imagine how that would feel.

Mike’s Mutilation – Friday The 13th (2009)

After his girlfriend, Whitney (Amanda Righetti) spent so much time taking care of her sick mother, Mike Reynolds (Nick Mennell) took her on a camping trip with their friends to help give her a break. As they were all sitting by the fire, one of their friends, Wade found a nearby abandoned summer camp site. He believed that was the camp where a young boy, Jason Voorhees drowned and his mother killed all of the counselors in revenge. After he told them the story, Whitney and Mike left to take a walk. After a while, they came across the abandoned camp. As they explored one of the cabins, they didn’t realize they were being targeted by Jason. As they tried to leave, Jason was under them, shoving his machete through the floor. As Whitney was able to find high ground in a tub, Mike wasn’t so lucky. Jason stabbed him repeatedly through his foot, legs, and hand. He then punched through the floor and grabbed Mike to pull him down. I remember how much this scene freaked me out the first time I watched it. It was so brutal and creepy!

Johnny’s Gelding – I Spit On Your Grave (2010)

Johnny Miller (Jeff Branson) was an egotistical gas station worker who believed he was God’s gift to women. When a beautiful writer, Jennifer Hills (Sarah Butler) stopped at his station for gas, he tried flirting with her, but he was met with embarrassment in front of his friends. This was a blow to his ego, and he wanted to prove he could have Jennifer any time he wanted. Johnny, his friends, and the town sheriff broke into her cabin and savagely assaulted her. Then, they went to kill her, but walked to the nearest bridge and dove into the water below. After no sign of her for a month, Johnny saw a new beauty as his station… or someone he thought was new. After Jennifer knocked him out, he woke up naked and bound in an abandoned house. After she subjected him to endure everything he put her through, he thought he could act tough and laugh in her face. He certainly wasn’t laughing when she pulled out a pair of hedge clippers, castrated him on the spot, and left him to bleed out. I just love when a despicable person is given EXACTLY what they dish out!

The Father’s Final Feeding – Let Me In (2010)

Ever since he was a little kid, The Father (Richard Jenkins) befriended and cared for a young-looking vampire, Abby (Chloë Grace Moretz). Almost his whole life, he moved with Abby all over the country and killed plenty of people to feed her. After moving to the town of Los Alamos, The Father started losing his steam. When Abby began to befriend a young boy, Owen, The Father knew he’d be replaced soon. On his latest run, he tried kidnapping a teenager hitching a ride with a friend. The plan went awry when the car he tried to steal crashed. To prevent identification, he dumped acid all over his head, destroying his face and his ability to speak. Later at the hospital, Abby flew to his window and asked to be let in. Knowing there was no future for him, The Father decided to feed her one last time. He stretched out his neck and she bit into it. She bled him dry and he fell from the window. I always felt bad for this character and I’m glad he got to be at peace after all those years of taking care of Abby.

Life Imitating Art – The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence) (2011)

After appearing in the infamous Human Centipede film, Ashlynn Yennie believed her career was taking a huge step when she got a call with an offer to audition for a Tarantino film. She flew out to London the minute she could, excited for the new opportunity. She was picked up by a strange and quiet man, Martin (Laurence R. Harvey), who she believed was Tarantino’s driver. Martin was actually a deranged fan of her film who wanted to make her a part of his own human centipede. With 9 other people, Ashlynn was brutally constructed into a 10-person monstrosity. After Martin was done, another victim distracted him long enough for the centipede to split up in two. With his creation turning on him, Martin considered it a complete failure. One by one, he killed his victims until only Ashlynn was left. She didn’t go down without a fight, though! She knocked him down, shoved a funnel in his a**, and dropped his pet centipede in it before Martin stabbed her in the neck. She went from starring in The Human Centipede to actually becoming one.

What A Couple Of Quacks! – The ABCs Of Death (2012)

Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett were a filmmaking duo who joined 25 other directors to produce short films that were centered around one word from each letter of the alphabet. When they realized they were stuck with the letter Q, they were completely stumped on any story ideas. After a cocaine session, they decided that their segment could be the only one to feature a real death. So, they took an innocent duck out to the desert to shoot it. After Adam got cold feet, he asked Simon if he could shoot the duck alone. Simon complied, but he had difficulties with the gun. As he was examining it, trying to figure out the problem, Adam suggested that the safety was on. While the gun was pointed right at Adam, Simon took the safety off and accidentally pulled the trigger, shooting him. Then on instinct, Adam shot Simon right back. They ended up capturing real deaths as they both died right there on the spot. The whole thing was so funny and unexpected. This segment was my introduction to Adam and Simon and I’ve been big fans of their work ever since!

Chris’s Collision – Carrie (2013)

Chris Hargensen (Portia Doubleday) was your typical spoiled popular girl. After publicly humiliating the school outcast, Carrie White (Chloë Grace Moretz), Chris and her friends were put through a vigorous detention. Chris had a fit and was kicked out of prom as punishment. The only person she blamed was Carrie, and with her boyfriend, Billy (Alex Russell), she planned the prank of a lifetime. At prom, she rigged it so Carrie would win Prom Queen, and when she stood on the stage, she and Billy dumped a bucket of pig’s blood on her. What she found out the hard way was that Carrie White had very powerful telekinetic abilities, and she’s finally had enough. After Chris and Billy left, Carrie snapped and attacked the students and faculty, killing a large amount. Billy and Chris tried leaving town, but Carrie stopped them. Billy tried running her over, but Carrie’s powers caused a force powerful enough to crash and kill him on impact. Chris also tried running her over, but Carrie lifted the car and crashed it, throwing Chris right through the windshield! The visual was so shocking and stunning. It was a great demise for a horrible person.

Natalie’s Nail-Biter – Evil Dead (2013)

Desperate to help his sister, Mia (Jane Levy) kick her addiction, David (Shiloh Fernandez), his girlfriend, Natalie (Elizabeth Blackmore), and their friends drove out to a cabin in the middle of nowhere so she could get clean in complete isolation. Things took a turn for the worst after they discovered a strange book in their cellar, and reading from it caused Mia to be possessed by the conjured demons. While getting aid for their friend, Eric (Lou Taylor Pucci), Natalie ran into the cabin, and possessed Mia coaxed her into coming down into the cellar. There, she bit into Natalie’s hand. The bite later infected and spread across Natalie’s arm. Knowing she’d be possessed next, she grabbed the electric knife next to her and cut her whole arm off. We think this prevented the possession, but it merely delayed it. Now possessed, Natalie took a nail gun and pierced her whole face before turning it towards David and Eric. After an extensive fight with the nail gun, crowbar, and shotgun, David finally shot off Natalie’s other hand. Completely defeated, Natalie crawled into David’s arms and died not understanding what was happening. It was such a sad and inevitable moment.

Jeez, Amanda, Don’t Lose Your Head! – Hatchet III (2013)

After surviving a second encounter with the beast of Honey Island Swamp, Victor Crowley (Kane Hodder), Marybeth Dunstan (Danielle Harris) found herself arrested for the murders he committed. Since Victor died so many years ago, nobody at the station believed his ghost caused all those murders. The only one who believed Marybeth’s story was Amanda Fowler, an investigative journalist who lost face after sharing her belief in the Crowley legend. She not only believed Victor was real, she knew how to get rid of him once and for all. With an officer, Elliot (Robert Diago DoQui), Amanda got Marybeth out of her jail cell and they went to another town to retrieve the ashes of Victor’s deceased father. Amanda believed that if Marybeth personally gave Victor his father back, the curse would be lifted. The plan fell through as Victor killed Elliot and Amanda tried to grab the nearest gun. Victor grabbed her by the hair, and with just one hand, he pulled her head right off. He then threw it at Marybeth, getting her right in the head and knocking her down. Amanda just wanted to give Victor peace, and instead, he pulled her into his misery.

Matricide From Within – ABCs Of Death 2 (2014)

While waiting for her husband to return home, a woman (Delphine Roussel) slowed down her pregnancy by eating Portlock Root. That root kept her baby (Lea Lawrynowicz) in her womb for 13 years. All alone and unable to stand, the woman set traps for wild animals, let the house become an abandoned wasteland, and crawled all over the place. Over the years, she grew an unhealthy attachment to her baby and her fear of abandonment grew. Then, she ran out of the root and her baby was eager to come out. She writhed in agony, begging her baby to stay with her, and the baby decided to oblige. They wiggled around inside their mother, reached up through her back, and snapped her neck. Then they took every single one of her bones and organs and pushed them through her mouth. It was such a haunting visual that was done so well with the special effects. The baby decided not to leave her, but to become her instead.

Game Over For Gerald – Gerald’s Game (2017)

After their marriage was in a rough patch for so long, Jessie (Carla Gugino) and Gerald Burlingame (Bruce Greenwood) decided a nice weekend alone might help them. Gerald wanted to try something new in the bedroom and Jessie was willing to give it a shot. After settling in at their lake house, they got right to it. Gerald cuffed her to the bed and started enacting this role-playing fantasy he had. What she believed was going to be kinky consensual sex was quickly turning into a rape fantasy. She shut it down immediately and after some back and forth, Gerald considered making the fantasy a reality. When she fought him off a second time, Gerald started clutching his chest and he ended up having a heart attack and dying right on top of her. It was such a haunting visual that was so wonderfully acted. When she lifted his lifeless body with her foot, it was certainly an image I’ll never forget.

Chicken Wing Flick – Black Friday (2021)

Brian (Stephen Peck) was a devoted worker at the We Love Toys toy store. The trouble was he let what little power he had go to his head. The Black Friday shopping spree in the store quickly turned deadly as the shoppers contracted a horrible virus that turned them into vicious zombies. As the remaining employees fought for their lives, the infected started morphing into a giant creature. As the store was destroyed and the creature emerged from the flames, Brian somehow got it in his head that he could reason with it. He started walking towards it and talking to it. The creature got closer to him and, with little to know effort, it took its giant chicken wing and flicked Brian all the way across the parking lot! It was expected that Brian was going to die in that moment, but watching that made me laugh so hard when I first saw it! He thought he could lead and take charge, but he had nothing but a swelled head and a broken body.

The Projectionist And The Pitchfork – Pearl (2022)

Facing isolation due to the war and her mother’s strict rules, Pearl Douglas (Mia Goth) spent most of her time working at the family farm. She dreamed of dancing and making a name for herself in the world. While in town getting medicine, she stopped at a theater to view the latest dance picture, and that’s where she met the projectionist (David Corenswet). Their attraction was instantaneous, and she believed he was her ticket out of the farm life and into stardom. When he drove her home one day, he started to realize there was something off with her. Her shy and timid mask began to slip and when he wanted to leave, she started snapping at him. When he walked back to his car, she had time to grab her pitchfork and jam it right into his chest. He tried to drive away but he didn’t get very far as he fell right out. She then stabbed him in the face. What started as a romantic affair ended with broken dreams and pierced hearts.

Tyler’s Trial – The Menu (2022)

After being rightfully dumped before the dinner of a lifetime, Tyler (Nicholas Hoult) hired an escort, Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) to accompany him to one of the most prestigious island restaurants, Hawthorn. It didn’t take long for everyone eating there to figure out that the head chef, Slowik (Ralph Fiennes) and his staff planned on providing one last menu before they all die. While everyone else was understandably panicking, Tyler was reveling in the experience. Slowik halted his plans and confronted Tyler, making him confess that he knew the entire time that they were all going to die, including the woman he hired to be there. Tyler was a major fan of cooking and Chef Slowik, and Slowik gave him a chef coat and gave him the chance to prove that he belonged with them by cooking his own dish. Crumbling under the pressure, Tyler failed tremendously and after some unknown final words from Slowik, Tyler took his tie and hung himself in the back, unworthy to die with the guests or the staff. It was just the kind of justice I love to see happen to some bad rubbish.

Joel’s Jumbling – Smile 2 (2024)

Joel (Kyle Gallner) was a police officer whose life came crashing down after witnessing the love of his life light herself on fire. He now knew that she was possessed and the strange demon possessing her made her kill herself, and the demon was now latched onto him. What he learned was that in order to pass this curse on without dying was to kill someone in a brutal fashion in front of a witness and the demon would pass onto the witness. On the brink of his demise, Joel tracked down two scumbag drug dealing brothers. He stabbed one brother and in a shootout, he accidentally shot and killed the other brother. Luckily for him, there was another person there who saw everything. Unluckily for him, the brothers’ friends arrived just as he was leaving. They chased him throughout the house and when he was able to slip out and run away, he was immediately killed by an oncoming truck. He went through all of that trouble just to die right after he passed the curse on. I hated seeing him go, but this scene was just so perfect!