This is a tough top ten list to make… mostly because it relies solely on one person (me) to comb through the vast library of horror movies to find the ten best deaths. Out of all the hundreds of thousands of deaths out there, how can one person accurately boil them down to simply ten? The answer is “they can’t.” But fuck you, I tried to do it anyway. The list I came up with is pretty solid, and whether you feel like they are the best deaths ever or not, really doesn’t matter, because this effort is one of personal taste. So while you may have your own personal favorite horror movie deaths, do me a favor and don’t be all like “Hey, this death is better than that death” or “But you forgot to add this.” Instead, read, enjoy, and reminisce about these money kill scenes, and maybe one day write a list of your own. Or you could just ignore everything I just said and bust my balls anyway… I really don’t care. But just remember if you’re a total dick, don’t be surprised if one day you’re parked in lovers’ lane and some crazy dude pops up from out of the woods, jumps on the dashboard of your car and blows your head up with a shotgun blast. Also, as a sign of appreciation and thanks for all the hard work that goes into these lists, do me a favor and click one of the ads at the top of the page. You wouldn’t believe how long it takes to research these lists and put them together. Thanks.

10. Feast – The Death of Harley Mom

Feast is a proper enough film to start off with. While the film may not resonate with most viewers as being worthy of being on a top ten list, its originality and creativity can’t be denied. The one moment that truly stands out though is the death of the biker chick in the film as she is left for dead in front of the bar as crazed monsters run around, trying to kill everyone. What makes Harley Mom’s death worth of being included on this list is the fact that first, she’s orally raped by a newborn monster, sprays monster jizz all over the place and then gets her ass blown up. It’s one hell of a way to go, and certainly the only death of its kind in movie existence. This death is on her purely for the fact that it’s so unique, original, and really kind of funny… n a sick and twisted way.

9. Hellbound: Hellraiser II – The Return of Julia

Out of all the deaths in the Hellraiser series, the most disturbing has to be the return of Julia in Hellbound: Hellraiser II. The first thing that makes it so great is that the entire death takes place on a dirty old mattress… trust me, nothing savory ever happens on a dirty old mattress. The victim is an insane bastard who thinks he has bugs crawling all over him. A bastardly doctor hands him a straight razor and he starts going to town… which is disturbing enough. But on top of all that, a naked skinless chick springs out from inside the bed, wrestles around with the man and then sticks her hand into his skull like it was the moist vagina of a woman who had just given birth to triplets. It’s a well done scene with great special effects, a certain level of bizarreness, and a whole lot of fucked up.

8. Scanners – Head Explosion

People like to point to the Scanners death scene as one of the best death scenes in the horror genre. And it’s certainly one of the best. However, I put it down here at lowly number eight because it’s really the third in a series of groundbreaking head explosions. The head explosion in Scanners was preceded by two great ones which came before (I’ll talk about those later.). But the one in Scanners is done with such skill that it does deserve to be on this list. First off, this head explosion is perfectly executed by David Cronenberg, who uses a nice combo of sound effects and tension building, combined with the weird “Oh-faces” of Michael Ironside to create a nice buildup to the cranial explosion. The end result is one messy piece of goodness complete with icky sounds.

7. Maniac – Shotgun in Lovers’ Lane

Maniac is by far the worst movie out of all the ones on this list, but it has within its putrid exploitive framework one of the best kills of all time, as executed by William Lustig’s gritty exploitation directing and Tom Savini’s old school practical effects. What I like best about this death is that the whole good shit takes place in slow motion. Two lovers are making out and for no good reason at all, a crazy fucker with a shotgun, runs, jumps on the hood of the car, and blows the fucking brains out of a mustachioed Tom Savini… all in slow motion. And to top it all off, we even get a nice little scene of his chick screaming, followed by some blood splashing on her face, which is hilarious in its own right. The scene definitely leaves an impression.

6. Day of the Dead – The Death of Captain Rhodes

Whereas some deaths take place out of context and aren’t dependent on the actor to be executed, this next death is the exact opposite. Much of Day of the Dead is spent making Captain Rhodes look like the world’s most evil, despicable man. So when his gruesome death comes along, you can’t help but feel a little bit of joy. In Day of the Dead, after the crazy Hispanic dude lets a bunch of zombies over-run the military compound, we find everyone scattering like underage kids at a house party when the cops roll up. Rhodes, after being shot by the best zombie in the world, is trying to escape, when he opens the door and finds himself face to face with a horde of zombies. He is quickly torn in half, and watches as his legs are dragged down the hallway. His final words are classic in their own right as he screams, “Choke on ‘Em!” Yet again, this is another scene featuring the immortal special effects of Tom Savini.

5. City of the Living Dead – Puke Your Guts Out

Lucio Fulci’s City of the Living Dead is an acquired taste… but I’ll tell you one thing that’s not, the sick fucking gore in this film. I probably could have included a couple of deaths from that film on this list, but I chose this one because it is so goddamn off the wall and completely ridiculous. In City of the Living Dead, a couple is parked in a car and making out (Note to self: Don’t park in car and make out with someone), when all of a sudden, a dead priest shows up. This creepy-faced priest stares at the girl… until her eyes start to bleed and she literally starts to puke up her insides. Kudos to the actress in this scene for putting that shit in her mouth because it looks gross as hell. I also like the liberal use of clichés in the clip as the boyfriend fails to start the car and then can’t open the door. Good stuff.

4. A Nightmare on Elm Street – Bedtime for Johnny

My favorite scene out of the whole A Nightmare on Elm Street series is the death of Johnny Depp in the original film. Who can forget the first time they saw young Johnny get sucked into his bed while sporting his fruity little shirt. Oddly enough, I was more concerned about the stereo landing on him the first time I saw the scene. Then, a couple seconds later we have one of the coolest scenes in movie history as the bed erupts into a geyser of blood… which always left me with the thought, “Who knew there was so much blood in the human body?” I like to think that Johnny Depp’s character fell into a giant blender.

3. Dawn of the Dead – Exploding Head

There is so much good shit in the original Dawn of the Dead film that it’s hard to pick just one scene. The one I chose may not be everyone’s favorite, but for me, it’s one of the most visceral and sudden scenes in horror movie history. Blink an eye and you may miss it. The scene in question is the moment where Whooley, after going completely, batshit crazy kicks open a door and blasts some guy in the head with a shotgun. His head then proceeds to explode in a shower of skull fragments and blood. One moment there’s a face and the next, there’s nothing. Romero doesn’t spend time dwelling on it either, he just has some chick scream into the camera and then moves onto the next death, which might make it all the more impactful. Once again, Tom Savini and crew were responsible for this badass death.

2. Zombie – Splinter in the Eye

I have mixed feelings about the movie Zombie in general, but there’s one thing I have no doubt about. The eye scene in Zombie is one of the most skin-crawlingly uncomfortable scenes I’ve ever watched. The first time I watched it, I was like, “Oh man, that’s gonna suck… but there’s no way they’ll show it.” Then you see that sharp piece of wood going into the chick’s eye while listening to those horrible screams, and you can’t help but be affected by it. The scene looks frighteningly real and still works today. It definitely deserves its spot on this list.

1. Psycho – The Death of Marion Crane

The opening death in the original Psycho is still one of the best directed moments in horror movie history. Everything comes together so well for just this one seen. The score is classic. The chick is likeable, and the violence is sudden, bloody, and frighteningly realistic. Has there ever been a more spoofed horror movie moment? Probably not. Even if you have never seen Psycho, you’ve seen some version of this death. Hell, I bet every once in a while, when you step into the shower, this scene will pop into your head. Right down to the simple mechanic of blood swirling down a shower drain, Psycho’s opening death is a perfect death. While it may not be as gory or as violent as some of the deaths on this list, its impact can’t be denied.

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