The horror genre has always been the home of the gore hound. Often testing the limits of the human body, horror movies are notorious for treating their characters like tissue paper as they murder them in a variety of creative. Whether it's decapitation, dismemberment, or just a good old-fashioned stabbing, some horror movies ride or die by the quality of their death scenes and the amount of blood they can fit on screen.
Eventually, viewers get desensitized to the violence, as it comes to be expected within the genre. When a non-horror movie decides to throw a gory death scene at the audience, however, that ends up being far more shocking. Whether it's a comedy, historical epic, or action movie, viewers are typically not expecting to be bombarded with imagery that would make Eli Roth blush.
Spoilers follow for the listed movies
Alex Murphy - 'RoboCop' (1987)
One of the best action movies of the 1980s, RoboCop envisions a crime-ridden Detroit where machines are created to uphold the law. After being brutally murdered by a criminal gang, police officer Alex Murphy (Peter Weller) is resurrected as a cyborg, built for the sole purpose of eradicating crime.
Murphy's death at the start of the film is the most disturbing moment in RoboCop. He is tortured by having his limbs shot off one by one, before being granted mercy with a shot to the head. The brutality of his death immediately makes the audience emphasize with Murphy, getting them on his side as he begins his new journey.
RoboCop is available to stream on Tubi.
Tim Messenger - 'Hot Fuzz' (2007)
One of Edgar Wright's best movies, Hot Fuzz also contains some of his most grizzly death scenes. When super cop Nicolas Angel (Simon Pegg) is transferred from the big city to a small town, he is quickly drawn into the pursuit of a serial killer that no one in the peaceful village wants to admit exists.
As his investigation is routinely stonewalled, Angel receives an invitation to meet with Tim Messenger, a local journalist. Possessing information about the case, he fails to share it as a jagged piece of the church's roof rains down and demolishes his head, creating a scene that would not be out of place in Final Destination.
Hot Fuzz is available to stream on Starz.
Hugo Martinez and His Cartel - 'Rambo: Last Blood' (2019)
Rambo: Last Blood finds the aging war veteran retired and living on a ranch with close friend Maria and her granddaughter Gabriela. When Gabriela is killed by a Mexican cartel, Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) is on the war path once again, resulting in the most violent and bloody entry in the legendary series.
In the final act of Last Blood, John Rambo becomes Jason Voorhees as he massacres an entire unit of mercenaries via traps that impale, decapitate, and crush the goons in a hilariously gory fashion. It all culminates with Rambo confronting boss Hugo and cutting his chest open, ripping the man's heart out and showing it to him.
Rambo: Last Blood is available to stream on Netflix.
Jesus Christ - 'The Passion of the Christ' (2004)
A film that will have you saying "Jesus Christ" in more ways than one, The Passion of the Christ turns the religious tale into a horror story. The movie follows the 12 hours of Jesus' (Jim Caviezel) life before his execution, covering such events as the betrayal by Judas and the famous crucifixion.
The Passion of the Christ is notorious for its violence, with many audience members leaving the theater as Jesus is whipped, beaten and crucified. Director Mel Gibson does not shy away from the brutality of the situation, creating cruelty that feels so real that some have labeled it a snuff film.
The Passion of the Christ is available to stream on Amazon, Hulu, and Tubi.
Seth - 'Superbad' (2007)
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One of the best comedies of the 21st century, Superbad tells the relatable tale of teenagers Seth (Jonah Hill), Evan (Michael Cera) and Fogel, AKA "McLovin" (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) as they attempt to secure alcohol for a graduation party to impress the girls they like. Of course, everything goes wrong.
When Seth attempts to illegally buy alcohol, he earns the wrath of a security guard who slices his windpipe open with a broken bottle and watches as the blood spews out. Alas, it proves to be a dream sequence, but it is still a violent scene that comes out of nowhere in this otherwise non-violent teen comedy.
The Normandy Massacre - 'Saving Private Ryan' (1998)
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One of the greatest war movies ever, Saving Private Ryan follows a small band of soldiers as they are assigned the task of finding Private Ryan (Matt Damon) and relieving him of his duties due to the deaths of his three brothers. Led by Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks), the eight men risk their lives to save one man.
Saving Private Ryan opens with the Normandy Invasion, where countless soldiers are slaughtered as they reach the beach. Men are torn to pieces by the unrelenting machine gun fire from the Nazis perched on the hill, and the sight of a young soldier calling for his mother as he holds his spilled insides is an image that is hard to forget.
Saving Private Ryan is available to stream on Paramount+ and AMC+.
Mornay - 'Braveheart' (1995)
Mel Gibson is certainly no stranger when it comes to violence in his movies, and Braveheart features plenty of grizzly scenes. Telling a fictionalized take on the life of William Wallace (Gibson), the Scottish rebel leads an uprising against their British tormentors, fighting to the death for their freedom.
In one such battle Wallace and his allies are betrayed by Mornay, a turncoat who pretended to side with their cause. After selling Wallace out and leaving him for dead, Mornay is awoken during the night by Wallace riding his horse into his bedroom, before a powerful swing from a mace puts Mornay back to sleep permanently.
Braveheart is available to stream on HBO Max.
The Whole Movie - 'Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky' (1991)
Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky is like The Shawshank Redemption if everyone could dismember each other with their bare hands. When a young man is locked inside a deadly prison governed by a sadistic warden, he uses his superhuman fighting abilities to protect himself and his new friends from the warden's cruel warriors.
Riki-Oh is notorious for its extreme level of violence, as prisoners are routinely killed off in highly memorable ways. Heads explode, people are choked with intestines, faces are sliced in half, and the final boss turns into a grotesque creature who is defeated by an industrial meat grinder. A gore hound's dream.
The Hitman in the Elevator - 'Drive' (2011)
The movie that inspired a generation of men to start chewing toothpicks, Drive revolves around Driver (Ryan Gosling) a criminal-for-hire who works as, you guessed it, a getaway driver. Growing close to his new neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan), the pair are forced to go on the run after a job goes bad.
Crossing paths with a hitman in an elevator, Driver knocks the assassin to the floor before stomping on his head repeatedly, the last shot revealing what remains of his skull. It is a shocking revelation for Irene and the audience of the darkness that exists inside the usually calm and collected Driver.
The Crazy 88 - Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
One of Quentin Tarantino's most iconic movies, Kill Bill follows The Bride (Uma Thurman) as she wages war against those who left her for dead on her wedding day. Split into two films, Kill Bill: Vol 1 shows the beginning of the Bride's quest for revenge, culminating in a showdown with the Yakuza in Tokyo.
The second target on her hit list, O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu), commands a group of assassins called the Crazy 88. When the Bride arrives to ambush O-Ren, she instead battles her loyal soldiers, and in one of the best fight sequences in film, she slices them apart using her trusty katana, creating a flood of blood within the club.
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 is available to stream on Showtime.