Top 10 Scariest Movie Deaths You Don't See
Death can be pretty scary in movies, but for some reason when these deaths happen off screen, it drives the scare factor up to 11 and has us terrified to death! WatchMojo presents the Top 10 Off Screen Deaths that had us up all night! But what will take the top spot? SE7EN's Lust Victim, Heather Donahue from The Blair Witch Project, or Pam's iconic death from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre? Watch to find out!
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#10: Bill Hudley “House of 1000 Corpses” (2003)
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Off-screen deaths are not necessarily about shying away from violence. You’ll see what we mean in our first entry, which appears in Rob Zombie’s gory homage to grindhouse cinema, “House of 1000 Corpses.” Before Rainn Wilson was known for his comedic brilliance thanks to “The Office,” he was flexing his horror-movie-victim muscles as a casualty of the insane Firefly family and their sadistic plans. As we watch the demented Otis explain to his latest victim what happened to poor Bill, we’re shown some unsettling images of torture. However, the final kill is withheld from us, in favor of the frightening reveal of what Otis did to Bill’s corpse. Ladies and gentlemen: Fishboy!
#9: Dennis Nedry “Jurassic Park” (1993)
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Steven Spielberg was knocking it out of the park with thrills for the whole family by the early ‘90s, and “Jurassic Park” had the makings of a classic monster movie thrill-ride. In order to make sure that this mega-budget blockbuster did not receive a rough rating, much of the violence was hidden off-screen. Although Mr. Arnold’s death is completely unseen and all we’re left with is a severed arm, the scheming Dennis Nedry takes the prize for most chilling off-screen death. As he tries to run away with the stolen DNA samples, he is attacked by a dilophosaurus, and we bear witness to the look of pure terror on his face before the camera pans away from his demise.
#8: Annie “It Follows” (2014)
It’s pretty gutsy to hide violence from bloodthirsty horror fans, but in some cases, the results are even more terrifying. After all, out of sight doesn’t mean out of mind. “It Follows” introduces horror fans to a sexually transmitted curse which makes those afflicted the targets of an invisible entity that chases – or rather follows – its prey. Although initially unidentifiable and unseen, this killer briefly takes on the appearance of random people and is only visible to its targets, but we are never shown its true form. The film’s opening shows young Annie, who is clearly being terrorized by an off-camera presence. And suddenly, a jump cut brings up to the traumatizing outcome: Annie’s mangled body, alone on a beach.
#7: Katie Embry “The Ring” (2002) A film about a killer videotape is going to be shrouded in mystery and riddled with questions. Although a supernatural story does not require much logical thinking, the characters and audience alike will be asking, “how does one end up dead after viewing this terrifying video?” We get a glimpse of the ghoulish Samara and her freakish tricks when she attacks Noah later in the film, but the first shocking death is what gets us jumping out of our seats. Although we know what’s coming, we are hoping somehow that Katie makes it out alive. Her twisted face proves otherwise.
#6: Lambert “Alien” (1979)
When the Nostromo crew picks up some unwanted cargo, they fall prey to a fierce alien creature that is hungry as hell. As we watch the Xenomorph pick off the crew one by one, we realize that there’s nowhere to run on this spaceship. A brilliant mix of horror and science fiction, “Alien” has its fair share of terrifying moments and slasher-style deaths. In one such scene, poor Lambert becomes paralyzed with fear in front of the alien, as Parker swoops in for the rescue. But it’s all for naught, as Parker ends up dead. In a brilliant moment of cinematic suspense, we hear Lambert’s screams, followed by a slow reveal as Ripley discovers her friends’ bodies.
#5: Bullies “Let the Right One In” (2008)
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Hailed as a modern horror classic, this Swedish fable for adults relies far more on atmosphere and story than on gore and violence to achieve its chills. The story of a young vampire girl who befriends the shy boy next door achieved international acclaim for its clever use of horror tropes. When Oskar is being tormented at the pool by a bunch of bullies, we witness the most poetic and beautiful act of off-screen murder on this list. His head held underwater by a bully, Oskar does not know that Eli is exacting some vicious revenge on the surface. We’re treated to some muffled screams, a severed head, and tattered limbs, slowly sinking to the bottom of the pool.
#4: Glen Lantz “A Nightmare on Elm Street” (1984)
The world has come to know supernatural serial killer Freddy Krueger as a bit of an over-the-top showman because his kills are gruesome and often theatrical. The deaths in “A Nightmare on Elm Street” are all equally violent and grisly, and director Wes Craven does not shy away from gore. It’s interesting that this off-screen death seems to be the most brutal and extreme in the film. As a dreaming young Johnny Depp is sucked into his bed, his poor mother, and we - the poor viewers - have to watch as blood shoots into the air like a geyser up to the ceiling, sealing his fate.
#3: Pam “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (1974) In a film filled with off-screen violence and implied horror, this scene stands out thanks to its brilliant tone and atmosphere. While looking for some gas to fill up their van, a group of young kids gets mixed up with a family of insane murderous cannibals. The teens get picked off one by one, in classic slasher film style – usually with the aforementioned chainsaw or other household tools. When Pam runs into the masked Leatherface, she’s caught, dragged to the slaughterhouse, impaled on a hook, forced to watch her friend get slaughtered with a chainsaw, and stuffed into a freezer – most likely to be eaten at some point. She never appears on screen again.
#2: Lust Victim “SE7EN” (1995)
David Fincher successfully scarred viewers back in 1995 with his serial-killer thriller “Se7en,” and gave us probably the most brutal death on this list. There’s a psychopath on the loose, and his spree is inspired by the seven deadly sins. That means detectives Somerset and Mills witness an array of creative and unsettling deaths. As with all the victims on this list, the murders in “Se7en” have already occurred off-screen; the detectives only ever find the bodies. With the Lust victim, however, we barely even get a glimpse of the victim. Instead we get a quick look at the murder weapon and a gruesome retelling of what happened. And just like that: we all need therapy. Before we reveal our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions: - Barbra “Night of the Living Dead” (1968) - Georgie “Funny Games” (1997) - Marcy “Cabin Fever” (2002)
#1: Heather Donahue “The Blair Witch Project” (1999)
While our screens were littered with more and more violent horror films in the ‘80s and ‘90s, “The Blair Witch Project” perfected the effect of off-screen horror. This low-budget indie darling shocked the world with its found-footage motif, while leaving almost all the violence to the viewer’s imagination. As the audience tags along with this film-crew threesome, trudging along the deep Maryland woods making a documentary about the legend of the Blair Witch, things get real eerie, real quick, but always out of view. The final chase and sudden demise of Heather as they investigate a creepy house is the most effective gut punch because we see everything through her eyes: she holds the camera until she no longer can, and it feels as if we ourselves are being attacked. Do you agree with our list? What other off-screen deaths terrified you? For more shocking top 10s published daily, don’t forget to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.
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