Top 10 Brutal Fates Worse Than Death in Horror Movies

Top 10 Brutal Fates Worse Than Death in Horror Movies

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most disturbing fates for horror movie characters that have to be worse than resting in peace. Beware of Spoilers!

#10: Alive But Trapped

“The Human Centipede (First Sequence)” (2009)

Three tourists in Germany fall prey to a psychotic surgeon in the first installment of the “Human Centipede” saga. Dr. Josef Heiter’s plan? To surgically join his victims to form a single digestive tract. It’s a horrific experience for everyone, but Lindsay suffers the most. When she tries to escape, she’s punished by being made the middle segment. Things get even bleaker for her when Katsuro takes his life, Heiter is killed during a violent standoff, and Jenny dies from her infection. Lindsay is trapped, helpless and completely alone. With no rescue in sight, she’s stuck right in the middle of this grotesque creation. It’s easily one of the worst fates ever in horror.

#9: Trapped in Madison’s Mind

“Malignant” (2021)

Gabriel May is undeniably the monster in “Malignant,” but his fate is as disturbing as it is tragic. As a parasitic twin, Gabriel never had his own life. He was basically cut off, his brain left inside Madison’s skull. For years, he was dormant until he clawed his way to control, leaving a series of gruesome murders in his wake. To reclaim her life, Madison confronts Gabriel in the mind-space they share. She tricks and eventually locks him in a mental prison, which means Gabriel is back to being suppressed. Isn’t that creepy and somehow sad? He isn’t exorcised or killed; just back in the one place he desperately wanted to escape from. It’s a torment without end.

#8: The Mirror Room

“Suspiria” (2018)

The last place you’d want to end up? A dance school secretly run by a coven of witches. Just ask Olga Ivanova in Luca Guadagnino’s remake of “Suspiria.” After an altercation with Madame Blanc, she’s trapped in a mirror room. There, as Susie Bannion dances under Madame Blanc’s direction and hex, every movement twists and contorts Olga’s body in the most unnatural, agonizing ways. After she's tossed around like a rag doll, the witches use hooks to drag her barely-alive body to the depths of the school. Helpless and broken, Olga is forced to live like the other disfigured victims in this hellish place. It isn’t until Susie grants her plea to die that she eventually finds peace.

#7: A Life Underground

“Barbarian” (2022)

With her grotesque appearance and horrible acts, it’s easy to label the Mother as a monster. But once you learn her backstory, you realize she’s a victim of a fate worse than death. She wasn’t born evil, but was the result of years of abuse at the hands of Frank, the real villain of “Barbarian.” This man abducts women and inflicts unimaginable pain on them and their kids too. As one of them, the Mother grew up in darkness, cut off from the world, never given a chance at a normal life. She became a child, a mother and a monster all at once, without ever truly understanding what any of it meant. It’s not something you’d wish even on your worst enemy.

#6: Becoming Candyman

“Candyman” (2021)

In the “Candyman” lore, becoming the hook-handed spirit is never a voluntary act. It’s always tied to trauma and injustice, a cycle of racial violence passed down like a curse. Anthony’s transformation is especially brutal. Unlike those who die before becoming Candyman, he’s first mutilated, branded with a hook, and left in some sort of limbo. His transformation begins with a bee sting that spreads like an infection, his skin decaying as if he was dying from inside. The hallucinations follow as he sees his reflection replaced by Candyman’s. In the end, he’s gunned down by police to make his transformation complete. From struggling artist to a cursed legend, Anthony is forced into a role he never asked for.

#5: Becoming Walrus-like

“Tusk” (2014)

Some fates are far more chilling than death, and Wallace Bryton’s is among the most bizarrely disturbing. “Tusk” follows the podcaster’s encounter with Howard Howe, an eccentric man obsessed with a walrus named Mr. Tusk. At first, Howard seems quirky but harmless, until things take a darker turn. Wallace is sedated, then wakes up to find his leg amputated. Howard then torturously transforms his captive completely. We’re talking about full body horror here: tongues cut out, bones reshaped, tusks inserted — all so Wallace can fit into a walrus costume. Even though he eventually kills his captor, Wallace is ultimately left in an animalistic state. At this point, death would’ve been the kinder option.

#4: The Sunken Place

“Get Out” (2017)

Imagine being locked away in a mental prison and not being able to control your own body. It’s an unbearable nightmare. Unfortunately for Chris Washington and other victims of the Armitage family’s cult, this is what they face in “Get Out.” After being hypnotized by matriarch Missy, Chris is plunged into the sunken place. In this vast, black void, he can see the real world but cannot interact with it. That absolute lack of control, an allegory for the African American experience, is enough horror. Never mind the ultimate plot to implant parts of a client’s brain into the captive’s body, thus isolating the host’s still-active consciousness. Chris is able to escape this fate, but previous victims weren’t so lucky.

#3: Chased Forever

“It Follows” (2014)

Being trapped in a dark void is scary, but being chased by something unstoppable is a never-ending terror. The entity in “It Follows” never tires; and no matter where you run, it’ll surely find you. The worst part? It can take any form and is only visible to the victim. Jay might seem safe at the end, but a distant figure appears to be stalking her, which means it isn’t over yet. Since the curse is passed through intimacy, it also means Jay will never have a normal life. After the entity is done killing its latest victims, it will surely come back for her. She’s caught in a cycle where there’s no escape.

#2: Wasted Sacrifice

“The Mist” (2007)

In this adaptation of Stephen King’s cosmic “The Mist,” a small town faces the nightmare of a mysterious mist that brings deadly monsters. Anyone who steps outside of a quarantined store risks being ripped apart. But the people inside present their own danger. Chaos escalates until David Drayton escapes with his son and friends, only for their car to run out of gas in the middle of the unknown. In one of the boldest changes to a Stephen King ending, David makes the gut-wrenching decision to kill everyone in the car, leaving no bullets for himself. Moments later, the mist clears and the military arrives. No horror rivals the guilt in committing this terrible act of mercy for nothing.

#1: Living with the Consequences

“Se7en” (1995)

When the serial killer identified as John Doe surrenders at the climax of “Se7en,” the cops don’t realize it’s part of the plan. He confesses to five murders inspired by the seven deadly sins, then offers to lead detectives William Somerset and David Mills to the final two bodies. They instead arrive at the delivery site for a box containing the severed head of Mills’s wife. The wrathful detective has nothing left to lose when he murders the envious John Doe in front of his fellow officers, completing the deadly cycle. Considering how rash this action is, even if he doesn’t get jailtime, Mills is likely to do something worse to himself. It’s one of the worst things to realistically happen to someone.

What is the most brutal fate you’ve ever come across in horror? Let us know in the comment section.