Today I’m focusing only on film. I recently went to the
movies and saw Olympus Has Fallen. Not a bad action flick, but the hero, Gerard
Butler, told the villain that he’d stab him in the brain when he caught him…
*Spoiler*
…He did.
The audience applauded. I’ve been to movies were the audience
clapped, cheered, or jeered, but this didn’t seem the type of movie or the type
of audience to have that reaction. So it got me thinking about death scenes and
the reactions they draw from us.
Did Janet Leigh getting knifed in Psycho scare you so
much that you stayed out of the shower? I have a see-through shower
curtain because of that movie.
Did every ridiculous death in The Happening annoy you
so much you wanted those 2 hours of your life back? I mean, a man just laid out
in front of a lawn mower because the wind made him crazy!
Was King Leonidas’ death in 300 momentous? Were you proud
that he stood his ground and died for his lands?
Were you heartbroken at the end of Moulin Rouge when Satine dies in Christian's arms while the final strains of their love song plays in the background?
Or did you go out cheering because Bill “The Butcher”
Cutting finally got his in Gangs of New York?
Vote for the most memorable death scene in the comments. And
no worries, if you haven’t seen any of these films, tell us about one that
stuck with you and why!
toss up between Hitchcock and 299+1... we will say, shower scene... is tops.
ReplyDeletei am thinking which films have the best death scene for me... i only think of spock in wrath of khan...
Jeremy [Retro]
AtoZ Challenge Co-Host
Oh No, Let's Go... Crazy
I used to shower with the curtain half open because of that scene.
ReplyDeleteI did cry at the end of Moulin Rouge. And yeah, the Psycho shower scene freaked me out.
ReplyDeleteGreat topic! How about the witch-melting scene in Wizard of Oz? Classic.
ReplyDeleteNight of the Living Dead: first version. That has influenced me so much in the past forty years. I still see the shot of him standing at the door. "Oh, No" And I wanted to cry.
ReplyDeleteMy favourite (although it does seem odd to call it such) is the end of Reservoir Dogs, when all the characters are pointing guns at each other.
ReplyDeleteI didn't even consider, Reservoir Dogs, until I read Annalisa's comment, but I so, agree. It was awesome. Yes, the shower scene caused me many nights of shower fear. I still hate showering at night, if I am home all alone.
ReplyDeleteHi, I am a new follower, from the A to Z challenge. Cool blog and fun post.
Hey Tamara. Nice place you've got here.
ReplyDeleteI think the shower scene is still the most frightening...
http://writer-in-transit.co.za/
The 300 had a glorious death scene - if you can call it that.
ReplyDeleteAnd I still want those two hours of my life back from watching The Happening.
Jeremy: 299+1 lol! Spock in Wrath of Khan…good one! Are you excited to see the new movie or are you not a fan of what J.J. Abrams did to the Treks? Personally, I can’t wait!
ReplyDeleteRegina: LOL. I’ve done that too when I’m showering at someone’s house who doesn’t have a clear curtain! Good to know I’m not alone.
M.J.: I’ll admit to shedding a tear at the end of Moulin Rouge, but I’m kind of a cry baby.
JM: Love that scene. I’m melting!
Mildred: OMG! How could I have forgotten Night of the Living Dead. I had to watch it in film class and it was so much better than all the newer ones. Not to mention, that death had me all kinds of choked up.
Annalisa: Oh! I forgot about Reservoir Dogs. There are so many good one out there it’s hard to narrow it down to a few.
Melissa: Yeah, I should’ve polled my sister before posting this. She was a film major in undergrad. She would’ve given me some good ones. But yeah, Reservoir Dogs was a good one. And thanks for the follow!
Michelle: The shower scene is classically frightening. No one ever wants the curtain ripped back to find a knife wielding man in drag. That’s never good!
Alex: You’re right, 300 had many glorious scenes. And yeah, I still want my two hours back too, well, make that 4.5. Two hours for The Happening, two for The Village and 30 minutes for The Lady in the Water. Couldn’t take more than 30 minutes of that movie!
The only one I've seen out of them is 300, but I did love the ending. Wish it could've been different, but that's how it is.
ReplyDeleteReservoir Dogs does have a pretty awesome ending. Psycho definitely...but I have to admit I showered with the see-through curtain long before actually seeing the movie. You know what is worse? Showering at night when the power goes off o_o ...seriously, I just kind of stood there waiting for the killer to come in.
ReplyDeleteI also have to give props to Freddy Krueger, for many of his kills. Tina and Glen's deaths both in Nightmare 1 are iconic.
PSYCHO was the scariest death scene. I cried at the end of MOULIN ROUGE because it was over! What a strange musical to steal great songs from the 20th century and put them into a film set in the 19th...
ReplyDeleteI was thinking of a book's version of a death scene but film dramatizes it so much more effectively.
Thanks for the post!
Andrea: I wish the ending could've been different too, but the movie was great because of it.
ReplyDeleteMere:Freddie Krueger freaked me out. I remember watching it and thinking, this is brilliant. You HAVE to go to sleep! So, um, yeah, it freaked me out! lol.
Karen
New House: I was thinking of book death scenes as well, but like you, I realized film is so much more visible and those scenes stick. Granted, book scenes stick too. Moulin Rouge was certainly strange, but fascinating at the same time. Thanks for the comment!
ReplyDeleteI vote for 300. I did feel bad for Satine when she died in Moulin Rouge but I saw that coming. The others, never seen. :D
ReplyDeleteLOL - great choices for screen deaths, especially the 300. I must admit Reservoir Dogs was good but Lucy Liu's exit in Kill Bill 1 was also fairly memorable for me all that blood against the snow!
ReplyDeleteNever really thought about a death scene that got me. Recently it's in Les Mis (well, pretty much everyone dies!). But the scene in Rent when Angel dies is also heartwrenching for me.
ReplyDeleteHi Tamara and Karen - Psycho .. I missed the recent Hitchcock film .. I must catch it somewhere .. I was frightened to watch it before .. now I might just pluck up courage ...
ReplyDeleteCheers Hilary