Favorite Horror Deaths
List of the most iconic, artistic, and generally frightening kills in the history of horror cinema.
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- Actress
- Stunts
- Soundtrack
Cute, spunky and appealing brunette actress Robbi Morgan was born on July 19, 1961. Robbi made her movie debut playing the titular character, as a little girl, in the touching drama, Me, Natalie (1969). Morgan did a wickedly funny and dead-on impression of Mae West while singing the hysterically bawdy song, "Oh, You Nasty Man", as part of a talent show in Curtis Harrington's excellent Depression-era horror winner, What's the Matter with Helen? (1971). Robbi achieved her greatest enduring cult cinema popularity with her memorably sweet portrayal of bubbly'n'perky hitch-hiking camp counselor "Annie" in the landmark slasher classic, Friday the 13th (1980). She not only had co-starring roles in the made-for-TV pictures, Forbidden Love (1982) and I Married a Centerfold (1984), but also made a guest appearance on the TV show, The Fall Guy (1981). Morgan performed stunts for the comedy feature, The Great Outdoors (1988). Besides her regrettably sparse film and TV credits, Robbi also acted in a Broadway stage production of the musical comedy, "Barnum", which ran from 1980 to 1982. Robbi Morgan has been married to actor and game show host, Mark L. Walberg, since 1987; the couple are the proud parents of two children.as Annie from Friday the 13th (1980).
Slashed in the throat with a knife by Mrs. Voorhees.
* First detailed death in the series after the off screen double murder in the prelude. Showing the death in gory detail set the standard for F13 films.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Kevin Norwood Bacon was born on July 8, 1958 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Ruth Hilda (Holmes), an elementary school teacher, and Edmund Norwood Bacon, a prominent architect who was on the cover of Time Magazine in November 1964.
Kevin's early training as an actor came from The Manning Street. His debut as the strict Chip Diller in National Lampoon's Animal House (1978) almost seems like an inside joke, but he managed to escape almost unnoticed from that role. Diner (1982) became the turning point after a couple of television series and a number of less-than-memorable movie roles. In a cast of soon-to-be stars, he more than held his end up, and we saw a glimpse of the real lunatic image of The Bacon. He also starred in Footloose (1984), She's Having a Baby (1988), Tremors (1990) with Fred Ward, Flatliners (1990), and Apollo 13 (1995).
Bacon is married to actress Kyra Sedgwick, with whom he has 2 children.as Jack Burrel in Friday the 13th (1980).
Speared through the throat from under a bed by Mrs. Voorhees.
* Even those that don't like these kind of movies have to appreciate seeing a young Kevin Bacon getting speared. Best kill of the original F13.- Actress
- Additional Crew
Jeannine Taylor was born on 2 June 1954 in Hartford, Connecticut, USA. She is an actress, known for Friday the 13th (1980), The Edge of Night (1956) and The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana (1982). She has been married to James McConnell since 3 February 1990.as Marcie Cunningham in Friday the 13th (1980).
Took an axe to the face by Mrs. Voorhees.
*One of the few deaths in the original that used a cut to distinguish between the off-screen kill and the end product. Savini does a great job designing what looks to be a pick axe lodged into Marcie's skull.- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Betsy Palmer was probably best known for playing Jason Voorhees' mother in the horror film Friday the 13th (1980), but her career as an actress began many years before.
Palmer was born Patricia Betsy Hrunek in East Chicago, Indiana, to Marie (née Love), who launched the Chicago Business College, and Rudolph Vincent Hrunek, a Czech-born industrial chemist. Palmer played a young female officer opposite Jack Lemmon in Mister Roberts (1955), and appeared in another war film the same year, The Long Gray Line (1955). Throughout the late 1950s, Palmer was recognized as a news reporter on Today (1952) on NBC, then became largely involved in television. She remained in made-for-TV films and notable guest appearances, before playing the murderous avenging mother, Mrs. Voorhees, in the horror film Friday the 13th (1980). She also continued working in television, and appearing in low-budget films like The Fear: Resurrection (1999). Palmer spent her later years between her home in New York City and Sedona, Arizona.
Betsy Palmer died of natural causes on a Friday, May 29, 2015, at a hospice care center in Danbury, Connecticut.as Pamela Voorhees in Friday the 13th (1980).
Decapitated by Alice Hardy.
*Fitting ending for one crazy mommy. Look for f/x man Savini's hairy hands as he stood in for Betsy during the kill shot.- Tom McBride was born on 7 October 1952 in Charleston, West Virginia, USA. He was an actor, known for Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981), Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985) and As the World Turns (1956). He died on 24 September 1995 in New York City, New York, USA.as Mark in Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981).
Machete to the face by Potato sack wearing Jason Voorhees.
* Machete to the face was sudden and scary, but handicapped Mark being pushed down hundred of steps in his wheelchair puts this over the top as the best kill from F13p2. It may be wrong, but its scary and funny as hell. - Marta Kober was born on 23 October 1963 in New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981), Neon Maniacs (1986) and Rad (1986).as Sandra Dier in Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981).
Speared together like some sick shish kabob with lover Jeffrey as the couple was having sex by Jason Vorhees.
* First time in the franchise two people were murdered at once. Effectively shows the bloody spear hitting the floor rather than showing the spear pierce through the couple's bodies. - Actor
- Additional Crew
Bill Randolph was born on 11 October 1953 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He is an actor, known for Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981), Dressed to Kill (1980) and Double Negative (1985).as Jeffrey in Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981).
See Marta Kober above for more information.
* Since I already covered this kill, I'm using this space to give an honorary mention to Larry Zerner who played Shelly in Part III. Attacked off camera, and shown dead in a less than noteworthy fashion, he falls under the best of the rest because his character was annoying as hell and frankly had it coming.- Catherine Parks was born on 10 December 1956 in Tampa, Florida, USA. She is an actress, known for Friday the 13th: Part 3 (1982), Weekend at Bernie's (1989) and The Man in the Family (1991).as Vera Sanchez in Friday the 13th Part III (1982).
Shot in the eye with a speargun by Jason Voorhees.
* Might have made the list regardless due to this being the first hockey mask kill be Jason after his terrifying reveal strolling onto the pier. Eye gauging is also impressive. - Jeffrey Rogers was born on 2 July 1963. He is an actor, known for Friday the 13th: Part 3 (1982), The Karate Kid Part II (1986) and Surf II (1983).as Andy in Friday the 13th Part III (1982).
Sliced in half by Jason Voorhees while handstanding.
* Best kill from F13p3. Perfectly executed with the look of Jason hanging his machete in the air for the kill stroke as well as the following grunt and collapse from Andy. - Actor
- Writer
- Production Manager
Bruce Mahler was born on 12 September 1950 in New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984), Police Academy (1984) and Police Academy 3: Back in Training (1986).as Axel in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984).
Throat hacksawed before having his head twisted aroung 180 degrees by Jason Voorhees.
* Sleazy yet hilarious coroner's impressive kill signaled back Tom Savini's return to the franchise.- Actress
- Additional Crew
Born in Los Angeles, California, the fourth of five daughters, she was dubbed "the baby with the beat" by her family - a title she earned for her frequent song and dance routines. Aronson began her professional acting career at a young age. In the height of her success, she left acting to attend UCLA as a Theater Arts major. Upon graduating from UCLA, Judie followed a unique idea she had, and was successful in creating several eclectic stores, which were featured in Los Angeles Magazine's "top 50 stores in LA" issue.as Samantha in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter.
Stabbed from underneath through her back while drifting naked on a swimming tube courtesy of Jason Voorhees.
* Impressive kill that leaves the audience in amazement at how Savini mastered it. Also works as a homage to Bacon's kill.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Clyde Hayes is known for Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984), Neon Maniacs (1986) and The Last Producer (2000).as Paul in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter.
Harpooned in the crotch and subsequently lifted by Jason Voorhees.
* Not as impressive a kill as his girl Samantha's was, Paul's death was both frightening and creative in its own right.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
While he's never been a typical leading man, Crispin Glover has distinguished himself as one of the most intriguing personalities in the movie business. His unusual characters and personal projects have inspired a cult-like following that has dubbed him both madman and genius.
The son of actress and dancer Betty Glover and actor Bruce Glover, Crispin Hellion Glover was born in New York City and raised in Southern California. He was named after the Saint Crispin's Day speech in Shakespeare's Henry V. His middle name, Hellion, was also used by his father. Crispin picked up his father's trade while still in elementary school--by age thirteen, he already had an agent scouting out parts. A lead in a stage production of "The Sound of Music" (starring Florence Henderson) led to guest spots on the TV shows Happy Days (1974), Hill Street Blues (1981) and Family Ties (1982), which in turn led to roles in made-for-TV movies. The adolescent Glover felt "confined" by TV work, however, so he opted to stick to movie parts. He made his big-screen debut in the teen hi-jinx movie in My Tutor (1983), then followed up with a supporting role in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984).
Glover's most defining Hollywood moment happened the next year, when he appeared as George McFly (Michael J. Fox's father) in the instant classic Back to the Future (1985). The underdog character struck a chord with moviegoers. Oddly enough, the actor delivered one of his favorite performances around the same time--playing a small-town kid obsessed with Olivia Newton-John in the indie The Orkly Kid (1985)--but the smaller film was completely overshadowed by his commercial success. Glover did, however, receive critical praise for his next indie role, a starring turn as a high-strung murder witness in River's Edge (1986). Glover and the producers did not come to a financial agreement for him to reprise the role of George McFly in Back to the Future Part II (1989). The producers brought the character back to life by splicing together archived footage and new scenes (using an actor in prosthetic makeup). Glover, who hadn't given permission for his likeness to be used, sued the film's producer, Steven Spielberg, and won. The case prompted the Screen Actors Guild to devise new regulations about the use of actors' images.
In 1990 Glover teamed up with fellow eccentric David Lynch to play the maniacal Cousin Dell in Wild at Heart (1990). He filled the next decade with similarly quirky, peripheral roles, including a turn as Andy Warhol in The Doors (1991) and a cameo as a train fireman in Jim Jarmusch's Dead Man (1995). His small but memorable appearances in films like What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1993) and The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996) often outshone the main action.
When he's not stealing scenes from Hollywood hotshots, Glover pours his considerable energy into other creative endeavors. He wrote his first book, "Billow Rock", before age 18, and since then he's gone on to create a library of peculiar titles (several of which have been published through his family's Volcanic Eruptions press). Among his most famous volumes are "Rat Catching" and "Oak-Mot", both Victorian-era stories updated with macabre illustrations and cut-up text. In 1989 he released an album of spoken word readings and cover tunes (including a rendition of "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'") entitled "The Big Problem [does not equal] the Solution. The Solution = Let it be."
In 1995 Glover began shooting his directorial debut, What Is It? (2005), a surreal film populated entirely by actors with Down's Syndrome. He tours with the film and its sequel It Is Fine! Everything Is Fine. (2007) and his show, "Crispin Hellion Glover's Big Slide Show," which is a one hour dramatic narration of eight different profusely illustrated books. The artist in Glover has been said to be inspired by "the aesthetic of discomfort," a theme which seems to have been carried over into an artistic public performance on David Letterman's NBC show in 1987, Glover emerged wearing a wig and platform shoes, then delivered a swift kick toward Letterman's head that prompted the producers to cut to a commercial. Late 2000 saw him hitting the multiplex with roles in Nurse Betty (2000) and Charlie's Angels (2000), and the titular Willard (2003). He re-teamed with Back to the Future director Robert Zemeckis as Grendel in Beowulf (2007) and has worked with Johnny Depp for the third time in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland (2010). Other Glover projects loom on the not-too-distant horizon.as Jimmy Mortimer aka Dead *beep* in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter.
Pinned to the counter by a corkscrew by Jason Voorhees, before being finished off with a machete across his face.
* Visually artistic death even better when seeing his McFly-esque, dumbfounded looks asking Ted where the corkscrew was. Also earns some impressive post-death points- Lawrence Monoson, a New York native is a veteran actor. Born on August 11, 1964, in Yonkers, Lawrence is easily known for his early film roles starting back in the early to mid 1980s. Monoson appeared in the film The Last American Virgin (1982), followed three years later with a role in the horror movie Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984). Going into the 1990s, Lawrence Monoson mostly found work throughout various television series, including Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993), Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990), JAG (1995), Touched by an Angel (1994), ER (1994) and Prince Street (1997). As the 21st century arrived, Lawrence continued working mostly on the small screen, with work on Star Trek: Enterprise (2001), CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000) and CSI: Miami (2002). He also co-starred in the direct-to-video sequel Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation (2004). His work has been strongly focused in television where he added more episodic contributions in NCIS (2003), Cold Case (2003), The Closer (2005) and CSI: NY (2004).as Ted in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter.
Stabbed in the back of the head through a projecter screen, leaving a trail of blood trailing down.
* He may have not wanted to give Teddy Bear a kiss, but Jason was sure willing to give him a stab while also giving the audience a scare that Jason could in fact pop out of the viewing screen to wreck havoc. - Barbara Howard was born on 4 November 1956 in Palatine, Illinois, USA. She is an actress, known for Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984), Falcon Crest (1981) and White Palace (1990).as Sara in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter.
Axe thrown through a closed door and into the chest of the lovely Sara by Jason Voorhees.
* No locked door can withhold Jason, as he shows in one of the more unanticipated deaths seen in part four. Gets some points for being, in my personal estimation, one of the most beautiful women to ever star in the franchise. - Actor
- Stunts
- Additional Crew
Ted White was born on 25 January 1926 in Krebs, Oklahoma, USA. He was an actor, known for Starman (1984), Romancing the Stone (1984) and Escape from New York (1981). He was married to Jerilyn White. He died on 14 October 2022 in California, USA.as Jason Voorhees in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter.
Slashed to the side of the face with his own machete by Tommy Jarvis before falling on said machete and pressing down slicing his cranium in half.
* Even if this wasn't that good of a death scene, it killed Jason Voorhees and would have been iconic regardless. The fact that it was done by a bald, crazy Corey Feldman who later hacked the deranged serial killer to bits, is icing on the cake. Best kill from F13p4.- Actor
- Additional Crew
John Robert Dixon is a native of Hollywood and first appeared on television's General Hospital (1963) (as a young child) in the 1960s. Transplanted to New York at age 9, John eventually found the stage (in school) appearing in productions including "Oklahoma", "Bye-Bye Birdie" and "Oliver" (as Fagin). Returning to the West Coast in his late teens, John gravitated toward show business, acting again on stage and in a couple of feature films (most notably as "Eddie" in Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985), (Part 5). John has also appeared in numerous television commercials, both nationally and internationally.
Always an adrenaline junkie, John got involved in motor racing around 1990 and ultimately moved away from the industry "for now", driving and instructing throughout the 1990s and beyond. John is back in Los Angeles, working in real estate.as Eddie in Friday the 13th: A New Beginning.
Eyes and head gauged out from increase pressure from Jason Voorhees copy cat killer using a leather strap tourniquet wrapped around a tree.
* John Robert Dixon was a lucky man. Got the best death scene in F13p5, as well as perhaps the best breasts in the entire series. The only noteworthy death of the film, I'd like to use this space to throw out yet another honorable mention to the death of Joey. Although the entire sequence is freaking hilarious, I'd feel guilty of putting it on a 'best of' anything list.- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
At 14, Ron Palillo (born Ronald Gabriel Paolillo) started his own summer theater in Cheshire, Connecticut. His parents, Gabriel and Carmel Paolillo, were surprised when the summer theater actually made money. After graduating from high school, Ron went to the University of Connecticut at Storrs, where he majored in drama. He appeared in many school plays in college. After graduation, Ron got a job with a touring company which performed in Shakespearean plays. He claimed to have received invaluable drama training during that tour, acting in Shakespearean masterpieces like "Macbeth", "The Taming of the Shrew" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream".
After his Shakespearean tour, Ron became a member of a repertory company in Miami, Florida. Shortly after arriving in New York, Ron got a role in the off-Broadway success "Hot l Baltimore." He stayed with the show for over a year. Because of his work in "Hot L Baltimore". Ron was given a lead role in a musical special, "The Last Sweet Days of Isaac", on television. After Isaac, he once again went on tour and appeared with Mickey Rooney in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and with Jan Sterling in a serious play, "Summer Brave". He has two brothers and a sister. His elder brother, Richard Paolillo, is an eye surgeon, his brother Robert Paolillo, is a salesman and his sister Ann, became a teacher.as Allen Hawes in Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI.
Heart torn out by recently revived and now essentially superhuman Jason Voorhees.
* Death used to show us the new zombie Jason who is seemingly invincible. Death is pretty well created and is equally as funny as it is frightening.- Actress
- Stunts
- Additional Crew
Darcy DeMoss was born on 19 August 1963 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is an actress, known for Can't Buy Me Love (1987), Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986) and Clown Fear (2020). She has been married to Jack Lippman since 2000.as Nikki in Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI.
Head pressed against RV with force strong enough to leave an indentation of her face.
* Not much to say about this death other than it was creative and well done. I also liked the death of the woman who was speared in a puddle of mud as we watched the bubbles representing her life quickly die out. I thought the whole American Express card gag following kind of ruined the scene and thus just missed making my list.- David Kagen owns an acting school in Studio City, California, David Kagen's School of Film Acting. He's been coaching actors at all levels including Alec Baldwin, Ted Danson, Robin Wright-Penn, Kyle Secor, Scott Lawrence and Dale Midkiff for over 35 years. He continues to work in film and television and will be appearing on House this season. Kagen has taught acting at Yale School of Drama, USC, Syracuse University and has led workshops in Paris, London, Tel Aviv, Montrel, Toronto, Boston, New York and Los Angeles. He holds a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University in Acting. He also attended the Julliard Preparatory School where he studied piano.as Sheriff Michael Garris in Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI.
Back cracked by Jason Voorhees.
* Also marks one of the first times Jason was repeatedly shot at, showing us just how invincible he really has become. Death is effective although more cringe worthy than actually scary. You'd be hard pressed to find someone that didn't want this guy to meet his end.