I’m back with another installment of 500 of my favorite horror movie death scenes! I’m sorry it took so long to post this, but these particular articles always take a while. Whether it’s the special effects, originality, set-up, shock factor, or overall execution, these death scenes left a hell of an impact on me. I hope you enjoy and let me know your favorite horror movie death scenes!! (MAJOR SPOILERS!!!)

Matthew’s Malice – I Spit On Your Grave (1978)

Jennifer Hills (Camille Keaton) was a writer who rented a cabin outside of New York to focus on her next story. At her cabin, her groceries were dropped off by the local delivery boy, Matthew Lucas (Richard Pace). After having a pleasant conversation, Matthew left and told his friends about her while they were fishing. His friends decided to use her to help Matthew lose his virginity. Together, they kidnapped Jennifer and each scumbag had his way with her. Matthew was hesitant and regretful at first, but then he joined in and hurt her too. When it was time to kill her, Matthew was volunteered, but he couldn’t go through with it. For two weeks, Jennifer recovered from the assault and planned her revenge. She called for a delivery and had Matthew sent back to her cabin. She lured him to the lake and seduced him, making him let his guard down. While they were having sex, Jennifer grabbed a nearby noose and wrapped it around his neck. She then pulled with everything she had, hanging him just over the lake. It was well a well deserved death to such a horrible character.

Doug’s Crush – Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)

Doug (Peter Barton) and his friends rented a cabin at the infamous Camp Crystal Lake for a fun vacation. He and his friend, Sara (Barbara Howard) felt an undeniable chemistry and they believed that this was the weekend they were finally going to get together. It would’ve happened if the madman who stalked the lake, Jason Voorhees (Ted White) didn’t interfere. While Jason was quietly killing off their friends, Doug and Sara hopped into the shower together for a very intimate wash. When Sara stepped out to get ready for the night, Doug stayed behind to sing and wash up. When the lights in the bathroom went out, he believed it was one of his friends playing a joke on him. The joke didn’t last long though as Jason crashed through the shower door and grabbed Doug’s face. He pushed him up against the wall and completely crushed his face. This was one of those death scenes where you can really feel what he’s going through. It was so brutal!

Like Taking A Wing Off A Fly – Friday The 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)

Burt Dennenbrough (Wallace Merck) was playing a supposedly harmless paintball game with his co-workers. After getting shot by his co-worker, Katie (Ann Ryerson), Burt sulked by himself in the middle of the woods as Katie hunted down the others. Chopping down branches with his machete, Burt went on a sexist rant because he couldn’t handle losing to a woman. What none of them knew was that local madman, Jason Voorhees (C.J. Graham) was resurrected after being dead and buried all these years. Needing a new machete, Jason set his sights on Burt’s. As Burt was swinging away, Jason grabbed his arm and threw him across the forest, slamming his face into a nearby tree. The death itself doesn’t wasn’t the reason this made in on my top 500, it’s what happened right after. As Jason lifted the machete, he realized Burt’s arm was still hanging onto it. It looked like even he was surprised by his own strength, it was a really funny moment.

Randy’s Reach – Creepshow 2 (1987)

Randy (Daniel Beer) was a teenager who traveled with his three friends to an abandoned raft floating in the middle of the lake. The group thought they could sneak one last quick swim in before the lake froze over. As they were swimming to the raft, Randy noticed a strange blob in the middle of the lake making its way towards them. They all got to the raft in time, but Randy knew they weren’t out of the woods just yet. After two of their friends were completely engulfed by the blob, it was just Randy and his friend, Laverne (Jeremy Green). They took turns watching the blob’s movement while the other one slept. Morning came, and Laverne was asleep in Randy’s arms. Believing he could out-swim it, he decided to offer up Laverne to escape. As it was eating her, Randy dove in and swam like hell to shore. He actually made it, but he stopped to gloat at the blob, giving it just enough time to leap and completely cover him. Randy was scum for molesting and sacrificing his friend to save his own a**, and I love that the blob didn’t let him get away with it!

Factory Reset – Child’s Play 2 (1990)

After being placed in foster care, Andy Barclay (Alex Vincent) had a difficult time adjusting with a new home and family. To make matters worse, the psychotic doll who previously tried to kill him, Chucky wasn’t done with him. After tracking him down, killing his foster parents, and kidnapping him, his foster sister, Kyle (Christine Elise) ran after them to save him. Chucky failed at a quick getaway, so he took Andy to the nearest building, a Good Guy doll factory. After Kyle rescued Andy, they had to find a way out of the factory. As they were escaping death at every turn, the factory floor went into chaos as the dolls piled up at one of the machines. The one factory worker (Vince Melocchi) noticed the buildup and went down to fix it. He unblocked the machine and as he went to go back to work, Chucky cut him and knocked him right on the machine’s belt. With no time to do anything, all he could do was scream as the machine pushed two doll eyes into his eye sockets. It was another great example of Chucky letting other elements doing the killing for him!

Lyle The Liability – Candyman (1992)

Trevor Lyle (Xander Berkley) was a scumbag professor who cheated on his wife, Helen (Virginia Madsen) with one of his students. While researching the subject of urban legends, Helen summoned a deadly spirit known as Candyman (Tony Todd). Completely obsessed with Helen, Candyman killed those around her and framed her for the murders so she’d be more compelled to join him in the afterlife. Believing his wife was completely insane, Trevor took the opportunity to move his girlfriend into their apartment while she was locked up, proving to her that she was indeed all alone now. Helen didn’t give in to Candyman’s plan, though, and she died saving one of his would-be victims. Suddenly missing his wife, Trevor broke down in his bathroom and as he looked in the mirror, he realized he could possibly summon her. So, he said her name 5 times in the mirror and there she was! With Candyman’s hook, Helen gutted Trevor, making him regret every decision he ever made. It was brutal and pretty bloody satisfying!

Brenda’s Blunder – Scary Movie (2000)

Brenda Meeks (Regina Hall) was a high school teen with a horrible secret. One night, she and her friends were on a night drive when they hit a man and disposed of his body. A year later, they started to get hunted down by a masked killer who knew their secret. While her friend hosted a party at her place for a chance for everyone to stick together, Brenda didn’t think going would be such a good idea. That’s when her boyfriend, Ray (Shawn Wayans) suggested that they go to the movies instead. Brenda was undoubtedly a moviegoer’s worst nightmare. She spoke at full volume, sometimes louder. She screamed at non-scary parts, she brought a camera, and she even spoiled the film for everyone. After Ray was “killed” in the bathroom, the killer snuggled up to Brenda, ready to stab her. To the killer’s surprise, the surrounding moviegoers had enough of her and they all stabbed her for him. As they cut, hit, and stabbed her, they mentioned all the other movies she ruined for them. It was so hilarious how everyone went back to the movie after she dropped dead.

No Silence For Simon – Urban Legends: Final Cut (2000)

Amy Mayfield (Jennifer Morrison) was a struggling film student who had trouble coming up with a good story. After having a discussion about urban legends with one of the campus security guards, Amy came up with the story about a killer who slaughtered his victims based on urban legends. Upset that Amy decided to do a horror film like he was, her initial DP quit on her. Thanks to the help of one of her friends, Schorm ‘Simon’ Jabuscko (Marco Hofschneider) was brought on board! One night while Simon was on a smoke break outside, Amy was inside recording some of the students screaming at the top of their lungs. In that moment, a killer snuck up behind Simon and started hitting him with his own camera equipment. Simon tried screaming for help, but no one could hear him over the screaming already happening. The killer hit him over and over again until he was dead. I just LOVE death scenes that are based on urban legends, and this one is one of my all-time favorites!

Did The Lawyer Split? – Thir13en Ghosts (2001)

Benjamin Moss (JR Bourne) was the lawyer of the evil millionaire, Cyrus Kriticos (F. Murray Abraham). After Cyrus died, he left his giant house and his riches to his nephew, Arthur (Tony Shalhoub), and Arthur’s family. What they didn’t know was that the house was a giant trap filled with the most malevolent spirits to ever plague the earth. Benjamin knew all about Cyrus’s plan and he was paid pretty handsomely to aid him. As the family was checking out their new “house”, Benjamin snuck into the basement to collect his money. He passed all of the cages filled with the killer ghosts into the heart of the house. Once he found his money, the second he picked it up, the trap was set off. The door to the first ghost was opened and Benjamin suddenly realized the danger he was really in. As he tried backing away, two glass door closed right into him, splitting him in two. This was one of the GNARLIEST deaths I’ve ever seen! I love his shocked expression and how the front half of his body slides down so we can see his insides. It was so well done and creative!

Don’t Worry, I Would Never Let You Down – American Psycho II: All American Girl (2002)

After killing infamous maniac, Patrick Bateman, Rachael Newman (Mila Kunis) began an obsession of tracking down serial killers. She believed that if she became her professor, Robert Stark’s (William Shatner) next teaching assistant, it would guarantee her a spot at Quantico and into the FBI. Rachael had students in her way, one of them being her supposed friend, Cassandra (Lindy Booth). Cassandra and Robert had a secret love affair and at one of his get-togethers, she spilled the beans to Rachael that the position was guaranteed to her. Rachael suggested that they go to her Cassandra’s dorm to talk about it further. That’s where Rachael faked her suicide by hanging her. I love how Cassandra asked her at the party to not let her down, then it cuts to Rachael saying she would never let her down to her hanging body. It might be a bit corny, but I like a little corny sometimes.

McKinley The Middleman – Final Destination 3 (2006)

Ian McKinley (Kris Lemche) was a student at McKinley high school. While attending the local fair with his classmates, he and his girlfriend, Erin (Alexz Johnson) got on one of the roller coasters, ready to have a thrilling ride. When their classmate, Wendy (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) started freaking out that the coaster was going to crash and kill them, they got off the ride along with a few others. Wendy and her friend, Kevin (Ryan Merriman) later visited them at their work, claiming that Death wasn’t done with them. They were unconvinced until Erin was killed right in front of him. Ian blamed Wendy for Erin’s death and followed her to the tricentennial where more deaths occurred. As it was Wendy’s turn to die, the only clue she had was the name McKinley, so she believed Ian was going to cause her death. As she tried to get away from him, he blocked her path. After Death manipulated nearby fireworks to go off, they hit the giant McKinley sign behind Ian, causing it to fall on him and completely crush him. Ironically, Ian thought he would cause her death, but he ended up saving her life.

Sarge The Shield – The Hills Have Eyes 2 (2007)

After tremendously failing a war reenactment, a group of National Guard trainees were sent on a supply run to a group of scientists monitoring a supposedly deserted area. The Sergeant (Flex Alexander) in charge of the soldiers was a no-nonsense leader who had no problem giving order and punishments. When they reached the scientists’ camp, they immediately knew something wasn’t right. When they received a distress call from the nearby hills, their supply run turned into a rescue mission. As they trekked up the hills, one of the soldiers, Spitter (Eric Edelstein) was attacked by the psychotic cave-dwellers who was looking to kill them all. Spitter grabbed his gun and tried shooting the maniac. That’s when Sarge walked right into the line of fire. Spitter accidentally shot him and they had no resources to help him or get him rescue. This was one of the deaths that shocked me the most when I first started getting into the horror genre! We think that because Sarge is so tough, he would put up a hell of a fight against these cannibals. Instead, he’s one of the first to go, and it’s because of one of his own men.

The New Hero? I Think Not! – Feast III: The Happy Finish (2009)

After ravenous monsters took over their town and killed a majority of its residents, a small group of survivors tried to sneak to the sheriff’s station to arm themselves. Their plan backfired tremendously and it seemed like they were completely screwed. Then a rugged man, only known as Sh*tkicker (John Allen Nelson), with a strong car rammed right into the station, allowing everyone to get inside. They were now armed with guns and he was armed with an offensive plan of attack. As he was giving one of the survivors, Secrets (Johanna Putnam), a gun of her own, the two exchanged flirtatious glances. Their heated chemistry came to a startling halt when Secrets accidentally pulled the trigger and blew his brains out. This scene actually got a reaction from me, I didn’t see it coming AT ALL! It was so hilarious and very on-par with the franchise.

Nolan’s Nautical Nightmare – Friday The 13th (2009)

Nolan (Ryan Hansen) and his girlfriend, Chelsea (Willa Ford) joined their friends on a fun vacation at their pal, Trent’s (Travis Van Winkle) cabin. What they didn’t know was that the cabin stood near Camp Crystal Lake, a place where infamous murderer, Jason Voorhees (Derek Mears) killed anyone who stepped foot there. When Trent asked Nolan and Chelsea to take the gas cans down to his boat, he specifically told Nolan not to take his boat out… which pretty much guaranteed that he would. While Nolan drove the boat all around the lake, Chelsea was dragged behind on water skis. Chelsea hung on for a good while before body slamming into the water. As Nolan turned the boat around to pick her up, Jason shot an arrow straight through his head, causing his body to make the boat speed up and crash right into Chelsea. It was such an unexpected moment that really got me the first time I watched it, and it’s one of those death scenes that I randomly think about from time to time.

Reverend Zombie’s Reckoning – Hatchet II (2010)

Reverend Zombie (Tony Todd) was a con artist who ran illegal boat tours in the closed off Honey Island Swamp. When one of his boats went missing, a young woman named Marybeth Dunstan (Danielle Harris) tracked him down and told him that the vengeful spirit who haunted the swamp, Victor Crowley (Kane Hodder) butchered his employee and a handful of tourists the night before. Seeing an opportunity to end the curse, Zombie gathered a search/hunting party to kill Victor Crowley. His REAL intention was to give Crowley the opportunity to take revenge on the three people who caused his death: Marybeth’s father, her uncle, and their friend, Trent (R.A. Mihailoff). After Crowley already killed Marybeth’s father, Zombie gave him Trent and Marybeth’s “uncle” Bob (Tom Holland). Zombie believed he lifted the curse, but he got his information wrong and he gave Crowley the wrong guy. Realizing he was screwed, Zombie tried to fight Crowley, but he already lost. Crowley hacked him repeatedly, cutting off his entire lower half. Then he dug into his body and completely removed his skin. Then he just tossed him aside like he was nothing. Revenge was a dish best served skinless.

The Shot Barely Heard – Wolf Creek 2 (2013)

Sergeant Gary Buhlmer (Shane Connor) and Constable Brian O’Connor (Ben Gerrard) were sitting in their cruiser in the Australia heat waiting for speeders to drive by. One truck drove by, but their radar showed he wasn’t past the speed limit. Due to boredom, they decided to pull the man, Mick Taylor (John Jarratt) over anyway and mess with him. They started talking about how he was speeding, and they ended up writing him a ticket for the condition of his truck. He asked Brian if he was sure that he wanted to give out that ticket, and that made Brian want to give it to him even more. They drove off and left Mick with his ticket… and his rifle. As the cops drove away while boasting about what they just did, Mick shot Brian’s head clean off. What was so great about this scene was the set up. It doesn’t catch you completely off guard. We hear him pull the trigger and we hear the bullet zip through the air before hitting Brian. We all knew it was coming, but it’s still a great execution!

Fletcher The Framed – ABCs Of Death 2 (2014)

After a young girl in town went missing, a lot of the townsfolk pointed fingers at a man, Fletcher (Ian Virgo), absolutely sure he killed her. He was tricked into confessing and a couple of men tied him up and drove him out to the middle of nowhere. As they planned their execution, back in town, everyone realized that the young girl was not only alive, but completely unharmed (aside from being with her pedophile boyfriend). While Fletcher believed he was going to be shot, he realized how much trouble he was in when one of the men pulled out an axe. A couple of locals tried to drive out to stop the execution, but they faced a deadly wreck and didn’t make it. Since they were never reached, the men knelt Fletcher on top of a stump and drove the ax into his neck… multiple times. It was such a brutal and undeserving death for an innocent man, but it certainly was effective.

Ron’s Biggest Mess – Scouts Guide To The Zombie Apocalypse (2015)

Ron (Blake Anderson) was a janitor at a research facility in the middle of the woods. His shift started just fine as he blasted some Iggy Azalea on his headphones and played a little concert with his mop. As he entered a room to clean it, the only lab technician there, Peter (Theo Kypri) left him to grab a snack. As he was cleaning, his curiosity got the better of him and he came across a body on a ventilator. He accidentally disconnected the breathing tube and he believed that the body was dying. He climbed on top of him and started doing chest compressions. He pressed pretty hard as his hands went right through the body’s chest. That’s when the body woke up and started attacking him. As Peter was struggling with the vending machine, the body threw Ron all around the room behind him. This whole scene was just so hilarious and iconic in the horror community!

Dillon’s Hero Moment – Victor Crowley (2017)

Dillon McMaster (Dave Sheridan) was an aspiring actor who gave boat tours at the now (somewhat) thriving Honey Island Swamp. A group of young filmmakers approached him with a deal: if he could help take them around the swamp to shoot, he could be in their movie. As they discussed their first scene, a plane crashed nearby in the swamp. To make matters worse, one of the filmmakers, Rose (Laura Ortiz) accidentally resurrected the vengeful spirit of Victor Crowley (Kane Hodder), a deformed maniac who mutilated everyone who stepped foot in his swamp. With Dillon and the handful of the crash survivors stuck in the plane, help and hope seemed to dwindle more with each passing minute. The survivors died one by one and it was down to Dillon and two others. They decided their best bet was to get the plane’s engine running again and pushing Victor through it. They tried everything they could to push him through but it wasn’t working. That’s when Dillon decided that Rose was worth dying for. He gave his goodbye in classic Dillon fashion and tackled Crowley right into the fan, killing them both.

Charlie’s Last Party – Hereditary (2018)

Charlie Graham (Milly Shapiro) was a quiet and timid young girl. After losing her grandmother, she had difficulty coping. When her brother, Peter (Alex Wolff) wanted to go to a party with his friends and classmates, they’re mother insisted on Charlie going to the party as well. It went about how it was expected, Peter went off to get high with his crush and Charlie awkwardly stood around kids she didn’t know. When a couple of the teenagers were passing out pieces of a cake, Peter pushed Charlie to grab a piece. After she ate some, she had more and more difficulty breathing, soon realizing that the cake contained nuts and she was having an allergic reaction. Peter put her in the backseat and drove as fast as he could towards the hospital. Charlie rolled the car window down and stuck her head out in a desperate attempt for more air. That’s when Peter noticed an animal in the road and swerved severely to the right, causing Charlie’s head to clash with a nearby pole, decapitating her. This death was so tragic and unexpected and that’s why it worked so well.

I’M Not Stuck In Here With YOU – 3 From Hell (2019)

After almost dying in a police shootout, Baby Firefly (Sheri Moon Zombie) and her family were locked up for years. A few years after she was sentenced, Baby was up for parole, but when she showed no remorse or sanity, she was denied a chance to get out. As the guards escorted her out, Baby snapped and broke the nose of one of the guards, Greta (Dee Wallace). Greta had her problems with Baby before, but this was the final straw. One night, Greta escorted her to a dark part of the prison, where two criminals, Slackjaw (Dot-Marie Jones) and Poker (Alicia Adams) were waiting for her. With their weapons, they cut and beat Baby up, and it seemed like it was the end for her. However, she got the upper hand at some point and completely butchered both women. When Greta returned, she saw Baby standing victorious over their mutilated bodies. Baby even wrote her a little love note in their blood to add insult to injury, literally. I absolutely love the camerawork of this scene. It’s so quick, you don’t know what’s happening. Then when you watch it again, you can tell the exact moment everything turned around.

Tori’s Trust-Fall – Brightburn (2019)

Tori (Elizabeth Banks) and Kyle (David Denman) Breyer were a young couple desperate to add a child to their happy family. When an alien ship crashed near their house, they thought their prayers were answered when they found a little baby, Brandon (Jackson A. Dunn) inside of it. For 11 years, things were absolutely perfect, but on his 12th birthday, Brandon started developing new alien abilities and a craving for violence. As the body count rose, Tori finally learned the truth about him. After Brandon killed Kyle, Tori was all alone against him. She knew that the only thing that could hurt him was the material on his ship. She fled to their barn to grab a sharp piece of the ship and when Brandon found her, she lulled him into a false sense of security. They hugged each other, but as she tried to stab him, he grabbed her arm and looked at her, betrayed. He lifted her out of the barn and high in the sky. They shared one last look before Brandon let go of his mother and watched her fall to the ground. It was such a haunting and heartbreaking scene.

Cookin’ Kathleen – Thanksgiving (2023)

One year after a Black Friday riot took place at RightMart, causing many deaths and injuries, Sheriff Eric Newlon (Patrick Dempsey) was hellbent on taking revenge on all of those responsible. One of them was Kathleen Wright (Karen Cliche), the wife of RightMart’s owner, Thomas Wright (Rick Hoffman). She insisted on opening the store early on Thanksgiving night that night. Plus, she was the one who erased all footage of the riot and claimed the cameras weren’t working that night. After Eric kidnapped Thomas, his family, and his daughter’s friends, he prepared a Thanksgiving dish best served roasted. As he was basting Kathleen and preparing her for the oven, she woke up at some point and was able to sneak away. It didn’t last very long though as he chucked a pitchfork at her to incapacitate her. She begged and pleaded from inside the oven, but it was no use as she was slowly cooked. He even stabbed her with a pop-up turkey timer. This was one of the most brutal roasts I’ve seen in a horror film. He wasn’t joking when he said Kathleen would make a great dinner.

Couple’s Crash-Out – Smile 2 (2024)

Famous actor, Paul Hudson (Ray Nicholson) and famous pop star, Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) were one of Hollywood’s hottest couples. In the spotlight, they seemed like the perfect duo, but behind closed doors, their relationship was a complete mess. While driving home one night, their car was filled with drugs, loud music, and a LOT of arguing. While Skye threw punches, Paul yelled and laughed in her face. As Paul started to mock how she looked when she cried, Skye completely snapped and jerked the wheel. Paul almost gained control, but the car started swerving and they ended up driving off a hill and crashing into a bunch of trees. Skye barely survived and when she came to, she saw that Paul’s head was caved in. The camerawork is what really made this scene so unsettling for me, especially during the car’s leap. The whole moment was so uncomfortable to watch and that’s what made it work so well.

Erik’s MRI-ncident – Final Destination: Bloodlines (2025)

Erik Campbell (Richard Harmon) lived a content life with his family. When his cousin, Stefani (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) returned home from college due to horrible nightmares, she tracked down their grandmother, Iris for answers. She learned that Iris (Gabrielle Rose) prevented a disaster that would’ve killed many people years ago. In doing so, she stopped Death’s original plan, and all these years, Death killed the original survivors and their families. After Iris and her son, Howard (Alex Zahara) were killed, Stefani believed that Erik was next to die. However, since Erik wasn’t Howard’s biological son, he ended up being spared. After his sister was killed, his brother Bobby (Owen Patrick Joyner) was next. The family was told that if a person dies and is brought back to life, it would stop Death’s plan completely. Erik decided that they would trigger Bobby’s peanut allergy and temporarily stop his heart. They hung out in a room with an MRI machine, and Death turned the machine on, making its magnetic pull strong enough to pin Erik inside of it with a wheelchair. The poles in the wheelchair tore through Erik’s midsection and completely folded him in half. It was so gnarly and original!