Top 10 Hilarious Movie Deaths Of the 90s
#10: Hiding in the Bathroom
Top 10 Movie Hiding Places
“Jurassic Park” (1993) After the security gates power down, the residents of Jurassic Park start munching on the visitors. The cowardly attorney Gennaro hides from a t-rex in a nearby bathroom in a selfish effort to save himself. As the dinosaur destroys the structure, the man is left with nothing but a toilet to grasp. He’s quickly ripped off of his porcelain throne and gobbled up like an appetizer. Gennaro’s comeuppance happens to be one of the comical moments of the tense scene, as his instant karma comes in one of the most painful ways possible. This is just one of the film’s many sequences that seamlessly blend entertainment, tension, and humor together.
#9: Jumping Out the Window
“The Hudsucker Proxy” (1994) “The Hudsucker Proxy” captures the Coen brothers in the middle of their ‘90s run, right before they became household names for black comedies like “Fargo.” The opening scene features the President of Hudsucker Industries jumping out his boardroom window like an Olympic diver. What could have been a maudlin or disturbing death becomes humorous with a dash of fantasy. Charles Durning’s character gets a running start and grins as he plummets to earth, giving the moment an extra hilarious bit of detail. Even though “The Hudsucker Proxy” might be a lesser-seen entry in their catalog, this is one of the Coen brothers’ hidden comedy gems.
#8: Not Quite Invincible
Top 20 Hilarious Movie Deaths
“GoldenEye” (1995) Computer hacker Boris provides most of the comic relief as a villainous henchman in “GoldenEye.” Having survived the destruction of his boss’s evil lair, the loud-mouth stands up in gleeful defiance. He quickly gets a lethal dose of irony courtesy of some liquid nitrogen. Frozen into a statue, Boris’s unexpected death comes like an ironic twist. His demise induces laughs with an icy flash that finally shuts him up for good. Alan Cumming’s giddy performance works to make his death all the more satisfying. “GoldenEye” has more than a few bright spots, but Boris’s famous last words offer up one of the film’s funniest moments.
#7: The Pepper Scene
Another Top 10 Hilarious Movie Deaths
“Dumb and Dumber” (1994) Harry and Lloyd end up unintentionally killing a man in this riotous part from “Dumb and Dumber.” Presented with some hot peppers, the boys prank the nefarious Mental with an extra spicy burger. The result puts the man on the floor with a bad stomach ulcer. Trying to save his life, the two accidentally feed him rat poison as their eating buddy takes his final breath. Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels help make this sequence especially humorous while playing up their lack of intelligence. Making a tragic death funny, “Dumb and Dumber” asks viewers to laugh at the entire scene despite its morbid nature.
#6: Hypnotized
“Office Space” (1999) Office drone Peter wishes for a way to transcend his boring work lifestyle and his girlfriend Anne hopes to change that with hypnosis. During the hypnotherapy session, the administrator Dr. Swanson dies of a heart attack. Peter seems largely unfazed by the development, and Ron Livingston’s performance brings out the hidden comedy of it all. His expression underscores the dark humor of the scene and the irony of his newfound happiness. Having entered a Zen state, the hero takes the entire process in like it’s no big deal. It’s even funnier knowing that the entire procedure largely worked in Peter’s favor and altered his life for the better.
#5: Surprise Lion Attack
Top 10 Surprise Disney Villains
“The Naked Gun 2 ½: The Smell of Fear” (1991) Lieutenant Frank Drebin evades the gunpoint of the evil Hapsburg, but Captain Ed shows up to provide an unwanted assist. Singer and actor Robert Goulet’s character plummets to the pavement, but since it’s a “Naked Gun” movie, he can't just hit the ground. Hapsburg survives his dramatic fall only for a lion to randomly maul him on the street. Not only is it hilarious that a wild animal shows up, but the entire scene comes out of nowhere. The surprise of the villain’s death makes for one of the more sudden and funny deaths from the decade.
#4: Shark Attack
Top 10 Hilarious Movie Shark Attacks
“Deep Blue Sea” (1999) Most Samuel L. Jackson films allow the actor to make at least one impassioned speech to the rest of the cast. In “Deep Blue Sea,” his typical monologue gets subverted by the writers in a superb reversal of expectations. Jackson’s Russell Franklin rallies the troops to begin the third act, but stands a little too close to treacherous waters in the meantime. This allows for a gigantic shark to interrupt him in gruesome fashion. Among the most spectacular deaths in Jackson’s entire career, Russell’s plans die as fast as you can say “shark attack.” It might be the most surprising and strangely hilarious character death of the ‘90s.
#3: Missile Launch
“True Lies” (1994) “True Lies” ends with a dramatic fight on a Harrier jet as the antagonist tries to bring down secret agent Harry Tasker. After toppling over the wing, extremist Aziz ends up hanging from the plane’s missile. Never one to be subtle, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Tasker fires the villain into oblivion with a choice one-liner. The sight of a man riding a missile will make anybody chuckle, and the special effects make that dream a reality. Not concerned with rationality, this adventure sequence only seeks to entertain and ends up producing laughs at the same time. James Cameron’s action film never lets up and this scene pushes the limits of absurdity in the best way.
#2: Chubbs’ Gift
“Happy Gilmore” (1996) Former golf superstar Chubbs Peterson takes Happy Gilmore under his wing in the film of the same name. After they become friends, the amateur golfer thanks his mentor with an unexpected gift. The affable instructor doesn’t react to the alligator head the way Happy would’ve hoped. Chubbs tumbles backwards out a window in a tragically funny demise. Carl Weathers plays the moment with just the right amount of broad comedy, inviting the viewers to chuckle at his clumsiness. His death provides one of the biggest laughs in the movie with a life-altering event for both characters. Thankfully for fans of the golf master, he ends up making a posthumous appearance later on with his hand fully restored.
#1: Oh My God!!!
Top 10 Hilarious Movie Deaths Of the Century (So Far)
“Troll 2” (1990) If “Troll 2” makes any sense at all, this scene doesn’t do a good job of making it any clearer. It does provide one of the craziest deaths ever as a group of goblins feast upon a victim that’s been turned into plants. As a girl becomes consumed by the so-called trolls of the film, the character Arnold delivers one of the more amazing line readings in cinematic history. Even a fly decides to land on him as he reacts to the gruesome moment. Thankfully for the squeamish, the low-budget effects aren’t believable enough to take seriously and prompt huge laughs in this wacky sequence.
