SPRAY TOP 10 - Most Gruesome Movie Deaths
Then buzz it up
January 23rd, 2008 at 17:30 by David Schwartz
As sick and depraved as it sounds, sometimes a gruesome death can actually make a film.
Whether it’s some bloke being torn apart by wild animals or some luckless cheerleader being mutilated by a crazed, axe-wielding maniac, we just can’t seem to get enough of it. Sickos, the lot of us!
In fact, just think of the films that could have been saved by the odd gruesome beheading or two. A few fleshing-eating zombies would certainly have spiced up Pride And Prejudice and Moulin Rouge. And is it so wrong to want to see Judi Dench being hacked to pieces? Anyway, so here at hecklerspray we have decided to come up with the 10 most gruesome movies deaths ever.
Oh, and we're sure that there will be people who will say it’s a rubbish list and that we forgot the one about the bloke who gets his brain scooped out by a teaspoon while his balls are being eaten by a small puppy. (By the way, if that movie exists please let us know. It sounds great!)
10. The Hitcher (1986)
‘Driving a girl away’
We decided to put this in, despite the fact that you don’t actually see anything. Odd, we know.
However, the thought of being pulled apart by two trucks is certainly something we would rather not think about too much.
Unlike the shit remake with Sean Bean, the Rutger Hauer original is not a bad film, but Leigh’s demise certainly sticks in the head.
9. American History X (1998)
‘The Kerb Stomp’
This infamous scene certainly wins the award for the most realistic sound effects.
Basically, neo-Nazi skinhead Derek (Edward Norton) teaches wounded black car thief Lawrence ‘a real lesson’ by forcing him to bite down on the kerb.
He then breaks his neck with one vicious stomp to the head. Crunch!
8. The Last House on the Left (1972)
‘No stomach for the kill’
Teaching teenagers for so long clearly had an effect on Wes Craven. After finally giving up college lecturing to become a director, the usually mild-mannered man spent most of his career making movies about all the different ways they can be brutally murdered.
Obviously, the A Nightmare on Elm Street series is what Craven will always be remembered for, but it was his first film, The Last House On The Left, that really hit the mark for all-round gruesomeness.
Still cut from just about all of the versions of his 1972 debut, the scene involves a girl being brutally butchered by two killers. They then decide to bathe in her bloody insides. Nice.
7. Wilderness (2006)
‘The Doggy Snack’ (trailer)
Does Sean Pertwee insist on showing us his insides in every film he’s in? Is it in his contract?
Not happy with showing us his ‘sausages’ in Dog Soldiers, Pertwee decides that he wants to go one better by being eaten alive by dogs. Forget Jaws, this is Jowls.
The rest of the film is garbage, but there is something about being gobbled up by ‘man’s best friend’ that makes for some uncomfortable viewing.
6. Casino (1995)
‘Not very Vice’
Even director Martin Scorsese himself was surprised this totally gratuitous scene got through the censors.
It involves some poor idiot and a vice. Go figure.
The only question you need to ask is whether you think his head goes ‘pop’ or ‘crack’. Watch it and judge for yourself.
5. Scanners (1981)
‘The Headache’
OK, we're sure there are far worse murders than this, but it just would not feel right to leave this Cronenberg masterpiece out.
Still, most of you will be familiar with what happens in this infamous scene.
But for those of you who are not (where have you been?), it basically involves naughty Scanner and all-round headcase (get it?), Darryl Revok (Michael Ironside), demonstrating his head-exploding telepathic powers at an ESP conference to deadly effect.
4. The Thing (1982)
‘Chest horrible’ (manky compilation)
This scene gets in purely because of its creativity. And, well, the fact that is simply shocking and disturbing.
Apparently, Rob Bottin, the FX wonderkid behind the special effects, had to go into hospital during the making of this film because he was so exhausted.
Maybe he should have gone into a mental hospital after thinking up this death scene involving Dr Copper (Richard Dysart) offering infected colleague Norris (Charles Hallahan) some much-needed CPR.
See, that’s a nice thing to do. But what happens next is anything but. While pumping his chest, Norris’ rib cage opens up and bites the good doctor’s hands off. Talk about chest pains!
3. Robocop (1987)
‘The Melting Man’
Now we've got strong stomachs, but even this made us feel a bit queasy.
Emil (Paul McCrane) gets soaked in toxic waste and instantly starts to melt.
After freaking out his fellow bad guys with his pleas to "help me," he is finally put out of his misery when the ringleader accidentally runs him over in his car. Cue a shower of pinky green liquid and people being sick into their popcorn. Uuurgh.
2. I Spit on Your Grave (1978)
‘The harshest cut of all’
A death scene guaranteed to make any man grown wince and howl.
A gang rape victim lures one of her tormentors into a warm bath before cutting off his dick with a carving knife.
Nothing else you can really say about that.
1. Cannibal Holocaust (1980)
‘Death by Dildo’
The whole film could make up this top 10, to be quite honest. The film is so sick, we can barely think about it without wanting to vomit.
But there is one brutal murder which does tend to stick out. No, it’s not a strap-on dildo, but actually one with spikes on it.
Yes, you heard correctly. An Amazonian tribeswoman is found guilty of adultery and is duly punished in the harshest of ways.
OK, pass the sick bucket.
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January 24th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
What??!
No John Hurt and that nasty cough of his?!
January 24th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
Any given Robocop 2 death would have fit the bill… ‘Squeal like a pig’, anyone?
March 15th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
cannibal holocaust could easily fill all ten spots. what about irreversible or Salo, 120 day of sodom. those should be up there too.
April 21st, 2008 at 8:08 pm
None of these are as gross as SAW IV, when the black guy (Sam) gets one arm, one leg, and his bigger head (lol) gets twisted around all the way, or when (in Final Destination 3) when Kris Lemche gets cut in half AND smashed by a falling sign, which falls, and while he trying to move, it crushes his legs and cuts him in half, and you see his twitching fingers. Another gruesome death is from a TV show, called “Dexter,” on Showtime and Channel 13 Albuquerque, when Dexter the serial killer.forensics investigator cuts a guy’s cheek, drills into his stomach, impales him with a knife, saws of his lips and fingers, then, he dumps the body and takes the blood from the guy’s cheek and keeps it in a slide that can be viewed under a telescope. He keeps slides of all of his victims’ blood in a box behind his bed. Now that’s what I call gross and gruesome.
September 5th, 2008 at 2:02 am
WHAT ABOUT “THE RELIC” WHEN EVERYONE IS IN THE MUSEUM AND THEY SHOW THE “KOTHOGA” LITERALLY RIP OFF AN OFFICERS HEAD. AND ALONG OTHER PEOPLE’S HEADS.