10 Most Gruesome Deaths From 1980s Horror Movies

This article contains mentions of brutal deaths and murder in horror films.

Few decades have been as influential for the horror genre as the 1980s. From the late ’70s to the early ’90s, there were an impressive number of horror movies released, which then turned into multi-movie franchises or inspired and created tropes previously unheard of. Genre conventions set in the ’80s can be seen in horror movies even today, and that demonstrates how many ’80s horror movies were ahead of their time. It was a modern golden era for the genre, and the best horror movie from each year of the 1980s is a classic today.

Not only did classic and iconic monsters and horror movie characters take shape during that time, but the brutality of visual horror also went through a major transformation. From the forgotten horror movies of the 1980s to the celebrated franchises, this period in time marks the development of visceral practical effects, editing techniques, and cinematographic tactics that upped the gore factor of horror movies for years to come.

10

Frank Gets Torn Apart

Hellraiser (1987)

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Hellraiser

R
HorrorThriller

Based on the novella The Hellbound Heart,  Hellraiser is a 1987 supernatural horror film written and directed by the novella’s original author, Clive Barker. After an unfaithful wife encounters the zombie of her dead lover, demonic entities known as cenobites pursue him after he escapes their sadomasochistic underworld. 

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Release Date

September 18, 1987

Runtime

94 minutes

Cast

Ashley Laurence
, Sean Chapman
, Doug Bradley
, Andrew Robinson
, Claire Higgins
, Nicholas Vince
, Simon Bamford
, Grace Kirby
, Oliver Smith

Director

Clive Barker

Writers

Clive Barker

Studio(s)

Film Futures
, New World Pictures

Distributor(s)

Entertainment Film Distributors

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Rife with religious iconography that’s dripping in every frame, Hellraiser is one of the most grueling horror movies from the ’80s that inspired a franchise that has struggled to live up to the standards set by it. The depravity that drives this horrifying affair, chock-full of perversion, creates a disgusting atmosphere where every sound and every whispered expression of desire becomes a source of horror. As an exploration of the rejection of God, Hellraiser features gruesome deaths amplified by the morbid practical effects that have come to define the franchise.

Characters from the Hellraiser franchise

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The most gruesome death is that of Sean Chapman’s Frank Cotton. Dozens of metal hooks take hold and slowly tear him apart as he mockingly declares “Jesus wept”, one of the best quotes from the movie, in a final act of defiance while being torn into shreds. The lack of visual effects makes his death particularly visceral, especially the expression of pride on Frank’s face, marked by Chapman’s defiant choice to stick his tongue out while his character gets decapitated. Cotton’s contentment at knowing he’s suffering a fate worse than crucifixion and can withstand it makes his death particularly disturbing.

9

Sylvia is Killed With A Water Pipe

My Bloody Valentine (1981)

My Bloody Valentine Movie Poster

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My Bloody Valentine

R
HorrorThriller

My Bloody Valentine is a Canadian-made horror/slasher film that follows a group of people who decide to throw a party for Valentine’s Day to disastrous results. The dance, which had been banned for two decades prior due to a tragic mining incident it had caused, is brought back, only for those involved to incur the wrath of a miner as he picks them off one by one.

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Release Date

February 11, 1981

Runtime

93 Minutes

Cast

Paul Kelman
, Lori Hallier
, Neil Affleck
, Don Francks
, Cynthia Dale
, Alf Humphreys
, Keith Knight
, Patricia Hamilton

Director

George Mihalka

Writers

John Beaird

Studio(s)

Canadian Film Development Corporation
, Secret Film Company

Distributor(s)

Paramount Pictures

Expand

The premise for My Bloody Valentine sets up a quintessential slasher movie. With a myth that is ignored by the youth and a haunting tradition forcefully reinstated despite several warnings, it takes its time building up to the gorefest in the second half of the movie. The horrifying atmosphere creeps up on viewers, just like it does on the young victims.

Sylvia’s death is the most inventive one in My Bloody Valentine.

Of all the questionable choices that the youth have made in horror movies, getting drunk and visiting a mine that was previously a sight of a massacre has got to be one of the stupidest. The mine provides the ideal backdrop for the slasher villain to take out his victims one by one, however, and Sylvia’s death is the most inventive one in My Bloody Valentine. After impaling her head on a water pipe, the killer turns the spigot and running water flows out of her open mouth.

8

Jason Is Brutally Cleaved

Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)

Friday the 13th_ The Final Chapter (1984) - Poster

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Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter

R
HorrorThriller

Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter is the fourth installment in the Friday the 13th franchise. Directed by Joseph Zito, the film continues the story of Jason Voorhees, the infamous and relentless killer, who goes on another murderous spree. Set in the familiar locale of Crystal Lake, it focuses on a group of teens who become Jason’s latest targets, culminating in a climactic confrontation meant to bring the saga to an end.

Release Date

April 13, 1984

Runtime

91 Minutes

Cast

Judie Aronson
, Kimberly Beck
, Joan Freeman
, Barbara Howard
, Corey Feldman
, Erich Anderson
, Peter Barton
, Crispin Glover

Director

Joseph Zito

Writers

Barney Cohen
, Bruce Hidemi Sakow
, Ron Kurz
, Victor Miller
, Carol Watson
, Martin Kitrosser

Main Genre

Horror

Expand

Few movie characters are as iconic as Jason Voorhees from the Friday the 13th franchise, especially because he’s died more times than any other horror movie villain. Spanning almost three decades, across a dozen Friday the 13th films, all of which don’t feature him, Voorhees has been killed in all gruesome ways imaginable and keeps returning. The returns weren’t really a thing until after his first true death in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, which was supposed to be the end of the franchise.

Jason canonically died in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, but became the iconic unkillable villain he is today when the traumatized killer Tommy digs up his grave in a later film, which allows Jason’s body to be struck by lightning and infused with life.

A young Tommy Jarvis, played by a teenage Corey Feldman, finally figures out how to trap Jason, and confronts him with a shaved head, meant to look like Jason as a kid. Jason becomes stupefied by the sight, and Tommy’s mother seizes the opportunity to strike him with a cleaver. In the ensuing fight, Tommy hits him again, cleanly slicing through Jason’s deformed face. However, the real gruesome part is yet to happen. Seeing Jason’s fingers still twitching, Tommy goes feral and repeatedly hacks at Jason’s body with the cleaver.

7

Brundle Disintegrates

The Fly (1986)

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9/10

The Fly

R
Horror Sci-FiDrama

The Fly follows scientist Seth Brundle as he makes a groundbreaking teleportation experiment. During testing, he inadvertently merges with a housefly, leading to unforeseen consequences.

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Release Date

August 15, 1986

Runtime

96 minutes

Cast

Jeff Goldblum
, Geena Davis
, John Getz
, Joy Boushel
, Leslie Carlson
, George Chuvalo
, Michael Copeman
, David Cronenberg
, Carol Lazare
, Shawn Hewitt
, Typhoon
, Ann Green

Director

David Cronenberg

Writers

Charles Edward Pogue
, David Cronenberg

Studio(s)

20th Century

Distributor(s)

20th Century

Main Genre

Horror

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David Cronenberg is one of the pioneers of visceral body horror effects in cinema, but what sets his use of the scare tactics popular in the genre is the thematic association he introduces between the horrifying visuals and the psychosis of the characters that go through the disgusting body horror in his movies. His characters are endearing and empathetic, allowing body horror to affect viewers both on a visual and an emotional level.

The Fly is a dark and devastating rumination on the dangers of overzealous scientific experimentation. Its character-driven exploration of the effects of terminal illness on a person and their significant other leaves viewers both disgusted and depressed. The transformation of protagonist Seth Brundle from man to insect is an unforgettably scarring image, and the final form of Brundle’s disintegrated body that his girlfriend is forced to shoot in a moment of euthanasia will live on in horror movie history as one of the most gruesome fates to befall a character.

6

Rhodes Gets Ripped Apart

Day Of The Dead (1985)

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Day of the Dead

NR
HorrorDramaMystery

Day of the Dead (1985): Set in a post-apocalyptic world, a small group of scientists and soldiers are trapped in an underground missile silo. Tensions rise as they seek to survive the growing zombie threat outside while dealing with internal conflicts and differing approaches to the crisis.

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Release Date

July 3, 1985

Runtime

100 minutes

Cast

Lori Cardille
, Terry Alexander
, Joseph Pilato
, Jarlath Conroy
, Anthony Dileo Jr.
, Richard Liberty
, Sherman Howard
, Gary Klar
, Ralph Marrero
, John Amplas
, Phillip G. Kellams
, Taso N. Stavrakis
, Greg Nicotero
, Don Brockett
, William Cameron
, Deborah Carter
, Winnie Flynn
, Debra Gordon
, Jeff Hogan
, Barbara Holmes
, David Kindlon
, Bruce Kirkpatrick
, ‘Wild Bill’ Laczko
, Susan Martinelli
, Kim Maxwell

Director

George A. Romero

Writers

George A. Romero

Main Genre

Horror

Expand

George A. Romero’s zombie franchise comprises compelling and strong films about the tug-of-war between egoism and humanism that defines people’s responses to impending doom. The second film, Day of the Dead, is one of the best zombie movies ever. It follows the last remaining survivors of a zombie apocalypse as they all bunk together in a missile silo and prepare for the inevitable confrontation with the zombies. It’s a depressing and grueling watch, an experience made especially disgusting by legendary makeup artist Tom Savini’s incredible practical effects.

Rhodes’ death isn’t just brutal on screen, as the horrible smell of the animal remains used for the effects had to be endured by Joseph Pilato, who plays the captain, unlike the rest of the cast and crew, who wore masks to work.

Captain Rhodes is particularly despicable among the people who live in the bunker. His aggressive and sadistic actions threaten the peace that some of the others try to establish in an attempt to create a paradisiacal space in which they can spend their final moments before the zombies come attacking. So, when Rhodes dies, it’s a satisfying moment for viewers, especially because he’s ripped in two by a horde of hungry zombies who he can’t stop by himself. Savini’s effects make Rhodes’ final moments particularly grisly and unforgettable as one of the most visceral deaths in zombie movie history.

5

Glen Gets Pulled Into The Bed

A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)

019750_poster_w780.jpg

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9/10

A Nightmare on Elm Street

R
Horror

A Nightmare on Elm Street, released in 1984, explores the terror faced by a group of teenagers haunted in their dreams by Fred Krueger, a vengeful spirit. As they confront a series of mysterious deaths, Nancy Thompson uncovers the truth about Krueger’s dark past and seeks to stop him.

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Release Date

November 9, 1984

Runtime

91 minutes

Cast

Heather Langenkamp
, John Saxon
, Ronee Blakley
, Amanda Wyss
, Jsu Garcia
, Johnny Depp
, Robert Englund
, Charles Fleischer
, Joseph Whipp
, Lin Shaye
, Joe Unger
, Mimi Craven
, Jack Shea
, Ed Call
, Sandy Lipton
, David Andrews
, Jeff Levine
, Donna Woodrum
, Shashawnee Hall
, Carol Pritikin
, Brian Reise
, Ash Adams
, Don Hannah
, Leslie Hoffman
, Paul Grenier

Director

Wes Craven

Writers

Wes Craven

Studio(s)

New Line Cinema

Main Genre

Horror

Expand

A Nightmare on Elm Street introduced viewers to another iconic horror movie villain who would become a staple since then, as the movie inspired an entire franchise. The claw-handed Freddy Krueger is unique – he haunts people in their dreams, but they die in real life, in the most horrifying ways imaginable. It’s conceptually easy to survive from him, as one only needs to stay awake, but it’s also impossible to never sleep, and Krueger’s always waiting for the moment one falls asleep.

Split image of Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Street and Jack Torrance in The Shining

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Glen, played by Johnny Depp in his first acting role, decides to watch TV the entire night, so Krueger can’t get to him. But, everyone who’s tried to stay up by watching TV has inevitably fallen asleep in front of the screen, and the same happens to Glen. Immediately, the blades on Krueger’s hand wrap around him from underneath and pull him into his bed. That doesn’t seem particularly horrifying. It’s heavy-handed symbolism, if anything. But moments later, shreds of Glen’s body and his blood shoot out from the hole in the bed, painting his room with his remains.

4

The ConSec Marketer’s Head Explodes

Scanners (1981)

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Scanners

R
Horror Sci-FiThriller

Scanners is a science fiction horror film directed by David Cronenberg. Released in 1981, the movie centers around individuals with telepathic and telekinetic abilities known as scanners. It follows a man with these abilities who is recruited to hunt down a rogue scanner leading a rebel faction. The film stars Stephen Lack, Jennifer O’Neill, and Michael Ironside, blending psychological tension with intense action sequences.

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Release Date

January 14, 1981

Runtime

103 minutes

Cast

Michael Ironside
, Jennifer O’Neill
, Stephen Lack
, Lawrence Dane
, Patrick McGoohan

Director

David Cronenberg

Writers

David Cronenberg

What makes Scanners and most of David Cronenberg’s filmography is that gnarly and unbelievably gory moments are created without the use of visual effects. While makeup and costuming can help with practical effects like torn bodies and meat chunks, explosions are a little harder to create, especially when they’re happening on body parts. But, that didn’t deter Cronenberg from creating a movie where people have the power to make others’ heads explode.

The most memorable effect in the movie is when Darryl Revok makes a ConSec marketer’s head explode. The explosion itself is unbelievable because of the absence of visual effects. A shotgun loaded with salt was used for the effect, but knowing the answer doesn’t detract from the horrifying visual. The explosion itself would perhaps have just been shocking and not unforgettable if not for the excruciating minute-long buildup. It’s impossible to unsee the pained expressions on Darryl’s and the marketer’s faces as the former spends such a long time focusing on trying to make the latter’s head explode.

3

The Sleeping Bag Kill

Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988)

Friday the 13th_ The New Blood Movie Poster

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10/10

Friday The 13th Part VII: The New Blood

R
HorrorThriller

Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood is the seventh mainline film in the iconic horror/slasher franchise, directed by John Carl Buechler. Following a traumatic incident from her childhood, a telekinetic teenager named Tina Shepard returns to her old home on Crystal Lake years later, where she accidentally resurrects the masked serial killer, Jason Vorhees. 

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Release Date

May 13, 1988

Runtime

88 Minutes

Cast

Lar Park Lincoln
, Kevin Blair
, Susan Blu
, Terry Kiser
, Kane Hodder
, Susan Jennifer Sullivan
, Elizabeth Kaitan

Director

John Carl Buechler

Writers

Manuel Fidello
, Daryl Haney

Studio(s)

Friday Four, Inc.

Distributor(s)

Paramount Pictures

Expand

Jason Voorhees never runs out of unique and fascinating ways to kill his victims. While the weapons he has brandished over the years make for gory decapitations, his most memorable kill is much more campy than his scary frame would be associated with. Instead of using a machete or an ax, he simply uses the most available tool at hand – the sleeping bag in which his victim is lying.

Jason traps the unsuspecting coed in her sleeping bag and swings the bag with the woman inside at a nearby tree. That’s all it takes to kill her. While this reminds viewers of Jason’s strength, it’s a little unrealistic how the face of her lifeless body just slips out of the bag after he swings it at the tree one time. It was a much more brutal murder, but the original version, in which he hits the bag at the tree multiple times, is more believable. Unfortunately, the film board required that to be toned down.

2

Tina On The Ceiling

A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)

019750_poster_w780.jpg

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9/10

A Nightmare on Elm Street

R
Horror

A Nightmare on Elm Street, released in 1984, explores the terror faced by a group of teenagers haunted in their dreams by Fred Krueger, a vengeful spirit. As they confront a series of mysterious deaths, Nancy Thompson uncovers the truth about Krueger’s dark past and seeks to stop him.

Where to Watch

  • stream
  • rent
  • buy

Not available

Not available

Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

November 9, 1984

Runtime

91 minutes

Cast

Heather Langenkamp
, John Saxon
, Ronee Blakley
, Amanda Wyss
, Jsu Garcia
, Johnny Depp
, Robert Englund
, Charles Fleischer
, Joseph Whipp
, Lin Shaye
, Joe Unger
, Mimi Craven
, Jack Shea
, Ed Call
, Sandy Lipton
, David Andrews
, Jeff Levine
, Donna Woodrum
, Shashawnee Hall
, Carol Pritikin
, Brian Reise
, Ash Adams
, Don Hannah
, Leslie Hoffman
, Paul Grenier

Director

Wes Craven

Writers

Wes Craven

Studio(s)

New Line Cinema

Main Genre

Horror

Expand

The best way to establish a monster as scary is to have them come in guns blazing, brutally killing someone before viewers know what hit them. Early on in A Nightmare on Elm Street, when Tina Gray dies, audiences know Freddy Krueger isn’t to be messed with. His victims may be young, but he won’t hold back from brutally killing them when he gets the chance to. Tina Gray first meets Krueger in a nightmare where she can’t escape from him. Fortunately, she wakes up before she’s dead, but her nightgown has been slashed.

It’s a terrifying way to establish the rules of the movie and how dangerous Krueger is.

She’s not as lucky the next time. Her nightmare involves her finding Freddy waiting for her outside the locked house, and while she’s knocking desperately on the door, Krueger attacks her. Outside her dream, her boyfriend wakes up to find that Tina’s abdomen has been slashed, and she’s levitating in the air, as blood from her wounds splatter everywhere. Tina’s spinning body gets dragged up the wall and across the ceiling, leaving a trail of blood and painting the room with her blood. It’s a terrifying way to establish the rules of the movie and how dangerous Krueger is.

1

The Chest Cavity Eats Dr. Copper’s Arms

The Thing (1982)

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11

9.5/10

The Thing

R
Horror Sci-FiMystery

A team of researchers set out to study an alien spacecraft found in Antarctica, where they also discover an alien body on the site. The alien buried in ice is actually alive and has the ability to imitate human form. The group must find a way to distinguish who the real person is from The Thing and stay alive. John Carpenter’s 1982 film is a remake of 1951’s The Thing from Another World and stars Kurt Russel as the hero RJ MacReady.

Release Date

June 25, 1982

Runtime

109 minutes

Cast

T.K. Carter
, David Clennon
, Keith David
, Kurt Russell
, wilford brimley

Director

John Carpenter

Writers

Bill Lancaster

Studio(s)

Universal Pictures

Distributor(s)

Universal Pictures

Expand

Few directors have had a bigger impact on the horror genre than John Carpenter. While he’s most famous for Halloween (1978), his most terrifying movie is perhaps The Thing. With a monster that can shapeshift into anyone, it instills unspeakable fear in the hearts of viewers who are on the edge of their seats in anticipation of who will be attacked next and who the Thing will imitate next.

Custom image of Halloween and Children of the Corn

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10

The most gory death in the movie establishes beyond a doubt that there’s a vengeful being who people have to be cautious of. When Dr. Copper tries to resuscitate a frozen body by doing CPR, and the chest collapses, it is just sad. But then, the chest cavity develops teeth that eat his arms clean off. Moments later, the body’s intestines seemingly come alive, and a centipede-like creature crawls out to deliver one of the most gruesome deaths in horror movie history.

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