The 10 Most Horrible Deaths in 1980s Horror Movies

Few decades have been so influential for the horror genre like the 1980s. From the late 70s to the early 90s, an impressive number of horror films were released, which then turned into multi-film franchises or inspired and created hitherto unseen tropes. Genre conventions set in the 80s can be seen in horror films even today, and this demonstrates how many 80s horror films were ahead of their time. It was a modern golden age for the genre, and the best horror film from each year of the 1980s is a classic today.

Not only did classic, iconic monsters and horror film characters take shape during that time, but the brutality of visual horror also underwent a major transformation. From the forgotten horror films of the 1980s to celebrated franchises, this period marks the development of visceral visions. practical effects, editing techniques and cinematic tactics this upped the gore factor of horror films for years to come.

10

Frank is torn apart

Hellraiser (1987)

Filled with religious iconography that is dripping onto every frame, Infernal is one of the most grueling horror films of the 80s that inspired a franchise that has struggled to live up to the standards it set. The depravity that drives this horrible case, full of perversioncreates a disgusting atmosphere where every sound and every whispered expression of desire becomes a source of horror. As an exploration of God's rejection, Infernal features gruesome deaths amplified by the morbid practical effects that defined the franchise.

The most horrific death is that of Sean Chapman's Frank Cotton. Dozens of metal hooks hold him down and slowly tear him apart as he mockingly declares "Jesus wept," one of the film's best quotes, in a final act of defiance as he is torn to pieces. The lack of visual effects makes his death particularly visceral, especially the look of pride on Frank's face, marked by Chapman's defiant choice to stick out his tongue as his character is decapitated. Cotton's contentment in knowing that he is suffering a fate worse than crucifixion and that he can bear it makes his death particularly disturbing.

9

Sylvia is killed with a water pipe

My Bloody Valentine (1981)

The premise for My damn boyfriend sets up a horror film par excellence. With a myth that is ignored by young people and a haunting tradition forcibly reinstated despite several warnings, it takes time to reach the bloodfest of the film's second half. The horrific atmosphere takes hold of the spectators, as it does for the young victims.

Of all the questionable choices young people have made in horror films, getting drunk and visiting a mine that was once the scene of a massacre has to be one of the stupidest. The mine provides the ideal setting for the murderous villain to kill his victims one by one, and Sylvia's death is the most inventive in My damn boyfriend. After impaling his head on a water pipe, the killer turns on the faucet and running water pours from his open mouth.

8

Jason is brutally cleaved

Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)

Few movie characters are as iconic as Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th franchise, especially since he's died more times than any other horror movie villain. Spanning nearly three decades, spanning a dozen Friday the 13th movies, all without him, Voorhees has been killed in every horrible way imaginable and keeps coming back. The returns weren't really important until after his first true death in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapterwhich should be the end of the franchise.

A young Tommy Jarvis, played by teenager Corey Feldman, finally figures out how to trap Jason and confronts him with a shaved head meant to look like Jason as a child. Jason is stunned by the sight, and Tommy's mother takes the opportunity to hit him with a meat cleaver. In the ensuing fight, Tommy hits him again, slashing Jason's deformed face. However, the truly horrible part is yet to happen. Seeing Jason's fingers still twitching, Tommy goes wild and repeatedly attacks Jason's body with the cleaver.

7

Brundle disintegrates

The Fly (1986)

David Cronenberg is one of the pioneers of visceral body horror effects in cinema, but what defines his use of the scare tactics popular in the genre is the thematic association he introduces between the horrifying visuals and the psychosis of the characters traversing the disgusting body. horror in his films. Its characters are captivating and empathetic, allowing body horror to affect viewers on both a visual and emotional level.

The fly is a dark and devastating reflection on the dangers of overzealous scientific experimentation. Its character-driven exploration of the effects of terminal illness on a person and their partner leaves viewers disgusted and depressed. Protagonist Seth Brundle's transformation from man to insect is an unforgettably scarring image, and the final form of Brundle's disintegrated body that his girlfriend is forced to shoot in a moment of euthanasia will live on in horror film history as one of the most horrific fates to ever befall a character.

6

Rhodes is torn apart

Day of the Dead (1985)

George A. Romero's zombie franchise comprises strong, compelling films about the tug of war between selfishness and humanism that defines people's responses to impending doom. The second film, Day of the Deadis one of the best zombie films of all time. It follows the last survivors of a zombie apocalypse as they all take shelter in a missile silo and prepare for the inevitable confrontation with the zombies. It's a depressing and grueling watch, an experience made especially disgusting by legendary makeup artist Tom Savini's incredible practical effects.

Captain Rhodes is particularly despicable among the people living in the bunker. His aggressive and sadistic actions threaten the peace that some of the others try to establish in an attempt to create a paradisiacal space where they can spend their final moments before the zombies come to attack. So when Rhodes dies, It's a satisfying moment for viewersespecially since he's been split in two by a horde of hungry zombies that he can't stop on his own. Savini's effects make Rhodes' final moments particularly gruesome and unforgettable, as one of the most visceral deaths in zombie cinema history.

5

Glen is pulled onto the bed

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

A Nightmare on Elm Street introduced viewers to another iconic horror movie villain that would become a staple ever since, as the film inspired an entire franchise. The claw-handed Freddy Krueger is unique: he haunts people in their dreams, but they die in real life, in the most horrific ways imaginable. It's conceptually easy to survive with him, as you just need to stay awake, but it's also impossible to never sleep, and Krueger is always waiting for the moment we fall asleep.

Glen, played by Johnny Depp in his first acting role, decides to watch TV all night so that Krueger can't catch up to him. But everyone who tries to stay awake while watching TV inevitably falls asleep in front of the screen, and so does Glen. Immediately, the blades in Krueger's hand wrap around him from below and pull him onto the bed. This doesn't seem particularly horrible. It's heavy symbolism, really. But moments later, fragments of Glen's body and his blood pour out from the hole in the bed, painting his room with his remains.

4

ConSec marketer's head explodes

Scanners (1981)

What it does Scanners and most of David Cronenberg's filmography shows that difficult and incredibly bloody moments are created without the use of visual effects. While makeup and costumes can help with practical effects like ripped bodies and chunks of flesh, explosions are a little more difficult to create, especially when they happen on body parts. But that didn't stop Cronenberg from creating a film where people have the power to make other people's heads explode.

The film's most memorable effect is when Darryl Revok blows up a ConSec trader's head. The explosion itself is unbelievable due to the lack of visual effects. A shotgun loaded with salt was used for the purpose, but knowing the answer doesn't take away from the horrific visuals. The explosion itself might have been shocking and unforgettable if it weren't for its torturous one-minute duration. It's impossible to unsee the pained expressions on Darryl and the marketer's faces as the former spends a lot of time trying to make the latter's head explode.

3

The death of the sleeping bag

Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988)

Jason Voorhees never runs out of unique and fascinating ways to kill his victims. Although the weapons he has wielded over the years have resulted in bloody decapitations, his most memorable death is much more exaggerated than its frightening structure would be associated with. Instead of using a machete or an axe, he simply uses the most available tool - the sleeping bag where his victim is lying.

Jason traps the unsuspecting student in his sleeping bag and swings the bag with the woman inside into a nearby tree. That's all it takes to kill her. While this reminds viewers of Jason's strength, it's a little unrealistic as his lifeless body's face simply slides out of the bag after he swings it from the tree once. It was a much more brutal murder, but the original version, in which he hits the tree several times with the bag, is more believable. Unfortunately, the film's board demanded this be toned down.

2

Tina on the ceiling

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

The best way to establish a monster as scary is to have it come in guns blazing, brutally killing someone before viewers know what hit them. At the beginning A Nightmare on Elm Streetwhen Tina Gray dies, the public knows Freddy Krueger is not to be confused. His victims may be young, but he will not hesitate to brutally kill them when given the opportunity. Tina Gray first meets Krueger in a nightmare where she can't escape him. Fortunately, she wakes up before she dies, but her nightgown has been torn.

She won't be so lucky next time. Her nightmare involves finding Freddy waiting for her outside the locked house, and as she desperately knocks on the door, Krueger attacks her. Out of her dream, her boyfriend wakes up to find that Tina's abdomen has been cut open and she is levitating in the air, while blood from her wounds splatters everywhere. Tina's spinning body is dragged across the wall and ceiling, leaving a trail of blood and painting the room with her blood. It's a chilling way to establish the rules of the film and how dangerous Krueger is.

1

The chest cavity eats Dr. Copper's arms

The Thing (1982)

Few directors have had a greater impact on the horror genre than John Carpenter. Although he is most famous for Halloween (1978), his most terrifying film is perhaps The thing. With a monster that can transform into anyoneinspires indescribable fear in the hearts of spectators who are eager to know who will be attacked next and who the Thing will imitate next.

The film's bloodiest death establishes beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is a vengeful being that people should be wary of. When Dr. Copper tries to resuscitate a frozen body by doing CPR, and the chest collapses, it's just sad. But then, the chest cavity grows teeth that eat its arms. Moments later, the body's intestines seemingly come to life and a centipede-like creature crawls out to cause one of the most horrific deaths of all time. horror cinema history.