If you’re a fan of horror, you’re not surprised when half of the characters are dead by the end of the film. It’s a normal thing that takes place in scary movies; the audience often trying to figure out who’s going to survive and who’s going to meet their demise before the credits roll. However, there are moments when it’s entirely too shocking when a character dies; viewers are left gobsmacked as they watch certain characters die on screen. Usually, the characters die in a really tragic and sick way, making it that much worse. Here’s a list of the most shocking deaths in horror films, ranked.
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10 Big Bob - The Hills Have Eyes (1977)
Craven-Maddalena Films
From the very beginning of the movie, it’s clear that Big Bob Carter is the head of his household; the patriarch and the glue that holds the family together. So when the Carters run out of gas on the side of the road, it’s no surprise when Big Bob tells the family he’ll walk to the gas station by himself. As he makes the trek back to his awaiting loved ones, the sun sets and the cannibals make their appearance. Big Bob is crucified (literally) and then burned alive by the cannibals as a means to draw his family’s attention to that specific area. His murder is long, drawn-out, and just downright sad.
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9 Georgie - It (2017)
New Line Cinema
Okay, this one might be predictable since the book has been out for ages, as well as the first movie adaptation, but still, Georgie’s death is brutal. He’s just a little kid, and he goes off in the rain by himself because he’s not suspecting anything terrible is going to happen to him. When his paper boat is suddenly sucked into a sewer drain, he meets Pennywise the Clown, and things go awfully wrong for him. Pennywise ends up biting Georgie’s arm off, and then drags him into the sewer, claiming his body to feed on. A sad moment happens later on in the movie, when Pennywise possesses Georgie’s body and taunts Bill with it, but the older brother is able to see past the trick and shoot the fake Georgie.
8 Billy - The Mist (2007)
Darkwoods Productions
Quite possibly every parent’s worst nightmare; having to make the ultimate decision for your child and then have it be for absolutely nothing. At the end of the movie, David and the other adults make the heavy decision to take their own lives instead of falling to the hands of the monsters closing in on them. David, of all people, does the deed, and even kills his own son, which is hard to watch. It’s a jaw-dropping moment when David realizes that he’s out of bullets, and he’s the only one left standing, then accepting that he’s going to be eaten alive. Suddenly, the military rolls up and sends the monsters packing; David was devastated for not waiting just a few more minutes.
7 Ashley and Ashlyn - Final Destination 3 (2006)
Ashley and Ashlyn’s tanning bed deaths have been hailed as one of the best deaths in the Final Destination franchise because of the real fear it enlisted in people after they watched the movie. It takes a few minutes to realize that they’re being cooked alive; Ashley’s drink causing a short circuit. It’s no wonder that tanning bed customers were suddenly wary of climbing into one after watching a shelf fall onto the tanning beds and trap the girls inside as they get roasted to death.
6 Dick Hallorann - The Shining (1980)
Warner Bros.
Hallorann genuinely wanted to help Danny after getting several signs that the young boy was in danger, and viewers who watch The Shining for the first time root for him, as he makes his way to the hotel. However, Hallorann is met with his demise by an axe to his chest from Jack; the crazed man releasing an ear-piercing shriek as he swings Hallorann around the room.
5 The Elders - Midsommar (2019)
A24
It’s truly a heart-stopping moment that both fans of horror and Ari Aster haven’t forgotten since the first time they watched this scene. If you’ve seen the film before, and you watch it with someone who hasn’t, it’s always a slight thrill to watch their reaction to the elders stepping off the cliff and smashing into the ground. The audience watches in shock as the older people of the village climb up a tall cliff, make their peace, and then plummet to their deaths without a second thought. Amazingly, that’s not even the worst part! After the second elder jumps, he survives the fall, and the people take pity on him and smash his head in with a hammer.
4 Olga - Suspiria (2018)
Seda Spettacoli
Olga’s death is genuinely a very hard scene to watch if you’re squeamish about bones breaking and body-horror. Its grotesque and painful to watch, and in a bizarre way, Olga’s body is connected to Susie’s, who’s in the room above her. Susie starts to dance, and that’s when the horror begins. Olga’s body twists and contorts as Susie dances, Olga’s bones snapping and twisting inside her body until she eventually dies. It’s a horrible scene in a masterful horror film.
3 Charlie - Hereditary (2018)
Finch Entertainment
Ari Aster really has a talent for making deaths in his movies extremely shocking and memorable for his audience. Charlie is brought to a party she definitely shouldn’t be at, and when she eats cake that has nuts in it, she has a severe allergic reaction. Peter, her brother, who brought her to the party, rushes her out and into the car, panicking as his sister struggled to breathe. A deer appears in the middle of the road and Peter swerves to avoid hitting it, not realizing that Charlie has her head sticking out of the window to get some fresh air. In one quick moment, Charlie is decapitated by a pole; her head remaining in the middle of the road. To make matters even worse, Peter leaves her body in the car for their parents to find the next morning.
2 Marion Crane - Psycho (1960)
Paramount Pictures
One of the most well-known deaths in film history, Psycho takes the cake for most dramatic murder in black and white. We all know the scene; Crane is in the shower, unsuspecting as Norman sneaks up on her with his knife. The violin that fills the space as the shower curtain is drawn back and Norman starts to attack, is bone-chilling and abrasive; Crane being slashed to death before sliding down the wall. Her death was so surprising, since it was presumed that she would be safe from anything bad, but as we’re aware, that’s not the case.
1 Thomas Kane - Alien (1979)
Brandywine Productions
Talk about the jump scare of all jump scares. Ridley Scott’s Alien claims the top spot on this list because of the entire scene as a whole, not just the death that resulted in it. Kane is on the table, convulsing and really going through it, as his crew mates hold him down and try to figure out what’s going on. The sight of the alien ripping through Kane’s chest is sick and iconic for all the right reasons, killing him instantly and leaving his friends to battle the monster by themselves.
