Top 10 Movie Fates Worse Than Death
#10: Trapped in the Sunken Place
“Get Out” (2017) You’ll find throughout this list that most of these fates tie into the notion of being powerless. Take Chris Washington for example. Unknowingly sitting down to a hypnosis session with his girlfriend’s mother, Chris is commanded to sink into the floor. Chris suddenly finds himself in a dark void where he can see and hear what’s happening around him, but he can no longer control his body. Chris eventually learns that several others have had their bodies taken over, with their consciousnesses trapped in the Sunken Place. Director Jordan Peele compared the Sunken Place to becoming “a prisoner in your own mind.” Imprisonment is one thing, but watching somebody steal your life and being virtually helpless to reclaim it gives us an appropriately sinking feeling.
#9: The Iron Maiden
“The Old Guard” (2020) This action film centers on a group of practically immortal mercenaries. Since they’re able to survive almost anything that comes their way, you wouldn’t think that the stakes would be especially high. Self-healing can be a blessing and curse, however. Immortal Quynh is willing to accept any fate as long as Andy is with her. Not only is Quynh separated from her close comrade, but her punishment is beyond metal - or iron in this case. Knowing that she’ll continually revive herself, her captors ensnare Quynh in an Iron Maiden and drop it into the sea where she’s forced to drown over and over again. It’s later revealed that Quynh eventually escaped, but can anyone truly recover mentally from such torture and trauma, not to mention isolation?
#8: Red Skull’s Punishment
“Avengers: Infinity War” (2018) For Johann Schmidt, aka Red Skull, getting sucked into a wormhole was only the beginning. In “Avengers: Infinity War,” Red Skull resurfaces on the planet Vormir where he’s forced to guard the Soul Stone for more than seven decades as punishment. Unable to claim the Soul Stone for himself, Red Skull can only advise those who seek it. Not exactly the most fulfilling existence, and the dreary scenery doesn’t help. We can immediately tell that the years of solitude have taken a toll on Red Skull. Once cunning and charismatic, he now appears defeated and - for lack of a better word - soulless. In one timeline at least, Red Skull’s curse is broken when Thanos retrieves the Soul Stone, but where does one go from there?
#7: The Phantom Zone
“Superman” (1978) The Phantom Zone is definitely one of the most unique prisons ever depicted on screen, as well as one of the most unnerving. In the first two “Superman” movies, it’s seen as a flat, mirror-like object that was created by Jor-El. For their acts of treason, General Zod, Ursa, and Non are sentenced to the Phantom Zone, getting launched into space. Helplessly flying through space is a chilling notion and the Phantom Zone’s otherworldly nature only adds to the dread. Although Zod is one of the most commanding villains in the “Superman” lore, even he is visibly intimidated by the punishment that Jor-El has cooked up for him. Ironically, it’s Jor-El’s son who inadvertently frees the Kryptonian criminals - who are ready for some payback.
#6: Becoming a Donkey
“Pinocchio” (1940) Disney’s version of “Pinocchio” might not be as grim as the book it’s based on, but the fate of Lampwick and the other naughty boys on Pleasure Island still haunts us. Enticing children with cigars, beer, and treats, the coachmen plans to turn the boys into donkeys and sell them into slave labor. Some, like Lampwick, are deprived of their ability to speak. It’s unknown what exactly happens to the donkeys who can still talk, although we imagine it’s not pretty. It’s the uncertainty that makes their fate so disturbing. We never see any of them change back into boys, leaving us to assume that they all spend the rest of their days in the salt mines, at the circus, or hee-hawing for their mothers.
#5: The Dementor’s Kiss
“Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” (2004) Avada Kedavra may be the most fatal curse in the Wizarding World, but there are arguably worse fates. Just as unforgivable is the Cruciatus Curse, which tortures victims into insanity. Using this “Torture Curse” on another person could land you in Azkaban prison. If you escape Azkaban and are recaptured, the worst fate of all may await. Sirius Black is almost subjected to the Dementor’s Kiss, which involves having his soul sucked out. Although still technically living, the kiss’s recipient is stripped of everything that made them feel alive. Many people take comfort in the idea that a soul lives on in death. While it’s unclear what becomes of the soul after a Dementor consumes it, the kiss derives victims of any comfort whatsoever.
#4: The Sarlacc Pit
“Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi” (1983) Getting frozen in carbonite is no day at the beach, but Han Solo is in store for an even ruder awakening after being unfrozen. Jabba the Hutt sends Luke, Chewbacca, and Han all to the Great Pit of Carkoon where… well, C-3PO explains it better than we ever could. Getting eaten by a carnivorous beast is never a pleasant way to go, but it’s the prolonged period of digestion that makes Sarlaccs so bloodcurdling. It’s a fate that’s slow, gruesome, and pretty gross when you think about it. Although our heroes are spared such a dismal exit, some of Jabba’s guards aren’t so lucky. Of course, just because you fall into the pit doesn’t necessarily mean that escape is futile. Just ask, Boba Fett.
#3: Buried Alive or Blinded & Left with a Snake
“Kill Bill: Volume 2” (2004) Few things are scarier than being buried alive. Surrounded by darkness, seemingly all you can do is wait for suffocation, dehydration, or starvation to take its toll. Fortunately, the Bride uses the one-inch punch technique to break free. Too bad poor Ryan Reynolds’ didn’t know that one. Upon squaring off with Elle Driver back at Budd’s trailer, the Bride gives her old rival an eye-full. We’re not saying that visual impairment is worse than death, as many blind people live happy, fulfilling lives. Having your one eye ripped out and being left for dead with a black mamba, however, is another story. Although the Bride could deliver a finishing blow, leaving Elle desperately screaming is a far crueler punishment for what she’s done.
#2: Becoming a Human Fly
“The Fly” (1986) On paper, becoming a human-fly hybrid might sound kind of cool. Your strength would be enhanced and you could crawl on the ceiling. What’s not to like? After seeing what Seth Brundle goes through, however, we’d rather just get swatted like a common housefly. Release doesn’t come so easily to Seth. His transformation into “Brundlefly” is a gradual - not to mention repulsive - one. Seth loses his teeth and hair while his skin is beyond dermatology treatment. As if becoming a disgusting creature isn’t bad enough, Seth’s sanity begins to crumble as well. Just when you think that things can’t possibly get any worse, the Brundlefly’s body is fused with lab equipment. When Ronnie shoots the suffering Seth, it’s an act of mercy above all else. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Turned into a Walrus, “Tusk” (2014) Still Better Than Being a Fly, But Not By Much Stuck in the Middle, “The Human Centipede” (2010) Of Course, Being In the Front or Back Is No Picnic Either Trapped in Emily’s Head, “Being John Malkovich” (1999) Watching Both of His Ex-Wives Live Happily Ever After Together Stinky Pete’s Makeover, “Toy Story 2” (1999) He Probably Would’ve Preferred Rotting in Some Landfill Under the Moonlight, “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” (2003) A Life Without Pleasure or Pain Isn’t Really Living At All
#1: 15 Years in a Room & the Aftermath
“Oldboy” (2003) One day, Oh Dae-su is captured and trapped in a hotel room where he remains for fifteen years. Dae-su doesn’t know why he’s been imprisoned or who put him there, which makes the next decade and a half all the more agonizing. On top of all that, Dae-su’s wife is murdered and he’s blamed. Revenge and the prospect of escape are the only two things that get Dae-su through the days. When Dae-su is finally freed, the worst has yet to come. Dae-su sleeps with a young woman named Mi-do, but this is all part of an elaborate plot. Mi-do turns out to be Mi-do’s daughter and he was manipulated into falling in love with her. No amount of hypnosis can undo this emotional scarring.