I’m back with another Death Scene Ranking! I absolutely love urban legends and the way the stories were combined in the film, Urban Legend was so well done and creative. I wanted to rank the death scenes in this film because they were all so different. I made my ranking choices based on method, buildup, special effects, shock value, and originality. I hope you enjoy and let me know your favorite Urban Legend death scene! (MAJOR SPOILERS!!!)

Synopsis (SPOILER ALERT!!!): After her boyfriend was killed by two high school students using an urban legend to prank him, Brenda Bates (Rebecca Gayheart) planned her revenge by using urban legends to terrorize and kill them and their friends.

9. Professor William Wexler

William Wexler (Robert Englund) was the only survivor in the Stanley Hall massacre where his professor killed his friends and classmates. He was given a job for life in exchange for his silence on what really happened. While his own traumatic story turned into an urban legend over time, he taught his students about other famous stories and their significance to society. Brenda believed he was the perfect man to frame for her murders. She killed him and put him in the trunk of her crush, Paul’s car, intending to make it seem like he snapped and killed his students just like his professor. This one is dead last for me because we don’t actually see the death itself. Now, the buildup and his corpse reveal were very well done, but for this series, I have to see the death itself in order to judge it properly.

8. Dean Adams

Dean Adams (John Neville) was the head of Pendleton who’s main goal was covering up anything that could cause a scandal and hurt future enrollment. When students started dying, he only cared about stopping students from learning the truth. Ready to call it a night and go home, he was stopped by the head of security, Reese (Loretta Devine), who expressed her concern about not enough protection on campus. He blew her off and sent her away. Before he could get in his car, he heard a noise and while looking for it, Brenda popped out from under his car and cut his leg. He tried crawling away, but he didn’t have a chance. While he neared the parking lot’s spikes, Brenda turned off the emergency brake in his car and just let it ride. As the car picked up speed, Adams turned around and the car pushed him right onto the spikes. This one’s low on the list because, honestly, I find it pretty forgettable. When thinking about the death scenes in this film, I initially forgot all about him. Plus, is this death scene even a nod to a specific urban legend? If not, that’s pretty lazy, Brenda.

7. Sasha Thomas

Sasha Thomas (Tara Reid) was the voice of Pendleton University. On her radio show, she helped a lot of students on campus with their random problems. While her boyfriend, Parker was throwing his latest party, she and her producer went to the studio. While she was on the air, Brenda appeared and killed her producer while her back was turned. She then took an axe and tried to chop Sasha up. Sasha was able to run and while she screamed for her life, her mic was still on and everyone at the party could hear her being attacked. While everyone thought it was merely a performance, her friend, Natalie (Alicia Witt) knew she was in danger and ran across campus to help her. Sasha was chased all around the building and when Natalie arrived, Sasha made it back to her studio. Natalie couldn’t get up to her in time before Brenda found her and killed her. This one’s pretty low on the list because I HATE a long chase scene, and this one took forever. On a re-watch, this scene always feels like the longest and I lose interest at that point.

6. Parker Riley

Parker Riley (Michael Rosenbaum) was the party god of Pendleton. All he cared about was having a good time with his dog, getting drunk, and getting laid. When people started disappearing and getting killed, his classmate, Natalie tried convincing everyone there was a serial killer on campus. When his other classmate, Paul (Jared Leto) tried convincing him to cancel his latest bash and send everyone home, Parker humiliated him in front of everyone and kept the party going. Then he got a phone call from the killer, Brenda. Parker thought Brenda was using the babysitter urban legend on him, but she was actually calling to tell him she put his dog in the microwave. To his horror, she actually did do it, and he ran to the nearest bathroom to throw up. That’s when Brenda nabbed him and tied him to the toilet. She shoved a funnel down his throat and poured pop rocks and drain cleaner into it. I thought the pop rocks was really funny, but overall, it didn’t seem like Brenda put a lot of thought into his death, and she was just phoning it in with drain cleaner.

5. David Evans

David Evans (Vince Corazza) was a normal high school kid who was looking forward to spending the rest of his life with his girlfriend, Brenda. He didn’t have enough money for a ring yet, so he gave Brenda a beautiful necklace as a placeholder. Later that night, he was driving and noticed a car didn’t have their lights on, so he flashed his lights at them. What he didn’t realize was the car had two high school students, Natalie and Michelle, who decided to play a little game with him. They turned their car around and chased him down the road, flashing their lights repeatedly at him. While they thought it was all in good fun, David started speeding, afraid for his life. He then lost control of his car and crashed it on the side of the road. I really love the lighting and camerawork here. It really made the scene more bleak, grim, and dramatic.

4. Weird Janitor

The weird janitor (Julian Richings) at Pendleton University was this film’s red herring. Believing her love interest, Paul was the killer, Natalie bolted into the woods to escape from him. Luckily, she reached the road just as the weird janitor was driving by. He stopped and picked her up, and she thought she was okay until she saw he had the exact same coat the killer had. She tried to leave in a panic, but she couldn’t get out of the car. Then another car was driving in the opposite direction with the lights off. The janitor flashed his lights before Natalie could stop him, and the chase began. Brenda turned her car around and chased them for a good minute, hitting them every chance she had. She then ran them right off the road, making them crash and killing the janitor instantly. I wasn’t expecting this death to be this high on the list, but after watching it again, I found new appreciation for it. I loved the buildup and Natalie’s dramatic scream as the janitor sealed his fate. I also loved that Brenda finally made Natalie feel what she made her boyfriend feel all those years ago.

3. Tosh Guaneri

Tosh Guaneri (Danielle Harris) was a goth chick who really took advantage of the college experience by downing prescription pills and hooking up with any guy she could find. Her privacy was diminished every time her roommate, Natalie walked into their room and turned on the light. One night, she searched for available guys on campus through the internet, and instantly found a match. When she left to get ready in the campus bathroom, she returned to find the killer, Brenda in her room. Brenda pinned her to the bed and strangled her. When Natalie entered the room, the struggling noises Tosh made made her think she was having sex again, so she kept the lights off and went to bed as her roommate died. The next morning, Natalie awoke to Tosh with her wrists slit and a message written in her blood on the wall: Aren’t You Glad You Didn’t Turn On The Light? This was one of my favorite urban legends and I think it was perfectly executed here!

2. Michelle Mancini

Michelle Mancini (Natasha Gregson Wagner) was taking a long drive in the rain when she noticed she was running out of gas. Running the nearest gas station was a timid man with a stutter who Michelle got an odd vibe from. As he was pumping, he tried to get Michelle out of her car, saying her card company wanted to speak with her on the phone. She followed him into the station and when she went to the phone, she realized there was no one on the other end. The gas station attendant tried hard to tell her what was going on, but she thought he was trying to attack her. With the door locked, Michelle escaped out of a window and got in her car in time to drive away. As she sped off, the gas station attendant finally screamed out that there was a stranger in the backseat of her car. She learned that the hard way, however, when Brenda popped up with an axe and chopped Michelle’s head off. Although we don’t really see the death itself, I just love this suspenseful buildup, it was the perfect way to start the movie!

1. Damon Brooks

Damon Brooks (Joshua Jackson) was the frat boy who treated everything like a joke, even when dealing with death. Noticing his classmate, Natalie was completely distraught about her high school friend being murdered, Damon saw his opportunity to take advantage. He drove her out to the middle of the woods and pretended to be a friend she could confide in. After seeing through his plan, Natalie socked him in the eye and demanded to be driven home. He stepped outside to use the bathroom first and that’s when Brenda got him! She tied a rope around his neck and hung him just over his car. She then terrorized Natalie into driving off, unaware that the other end of the rope was tied to the bumper. She drove forward, pulling him higher up, then reversed, causing him to crash through the windshield. The story, the buildup, and the fact Brenda made Natalie kill him for her are the reasons this is my all-time favorite death in this film!