Top 10 Most BRUTAL Deaths in Zombie Movies

Top 10 Brutal Deaths in Zombie Movies

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Brutal Deaths in Zombie Movies.

For this list, we’ll be ranking the bloodiest or most visceral death sequences from the world of undead cinema. Despite already being dead, the zombies themselves aren’t exempt from suffering gruesome ends on this list. Also, there will be some spoilers rising from the grave.

Have you seen all of these? Let us know in the comments!

#10: Rookie Mistake

“Dead Snow” (2009)
Question: what’s worse than fighting off a horde of zombies? How about Nazi zombies? That sounds a lot worse to us, which makes this rookie mistake from a sequence in 2009’s “Dead Snow” all the more frustrating. You’d think that characters in a movie involving the undead would’ve learned not to leave their backs vulnerable to attack from an outside window, but that’s exactly what happens to Erlend around the midpoint of the film. His brutal demise certainly doesn’t seem pleasant, but it probably could’ve been avoided with some common sense.

#9: Be Careful What You Wish For

“Deathdream” (1974) [a.k.a. “Dead of Night”]
Hey, did you know that Bob Clark, who directed “A Christmas Story,” also had a wild career in horror and exploitation films? “Deathdream” is one of the director’s earliest cult films, an atmospheric and melancholic take on the classic tale, “The Monkey’s Paw.” Here, a grieving mother wishes for her son Andy, who’s killed in Vietnam, to return home. Her wish comes true, but the boy is still dead, and is soon seeking the blood of living victims. The scene where Andy attacks a doctor is made all the more powerful by intercutting the graphic attack and bloodletting with shots of Andy’s father looking at baby photos of his son. It makes “Deathdream” feel just a little bit more impactful, thanks to this emotional connection.

#8: Bye-Bye, David

“Shaun of the Dead” (2004)
2004’s “Shaun of the Dead” is a brilliant send-up of established zombie movie tropes while also celebrating those tropes the whole way. One of these tropes is the inclusion of a particularly nasty death, with the victim in this case being the overbearing and annoying David. Personality flaws aside, we don’t really think for a moment that David deserved the level of violence presented here, as he’s very literally torn apart by a zombie horde. The practical effects serve the viewers well, and David goes out in what definitely appears to be a lot of pain, suffering and anguish.

#7: Ritual Sacrifice

“Tombs of the Blind Dead” (1972)
We realize that the undead Knights Templar in director Amando de Ossorio’s “Tombs of the Blind Dead” are supposed to be villains, but we can’t help it: they just look so damn cool. C’mon, they ride undead horses, fer cryin’ out loud! Seriously, though, these “Blind Dead” monsters do go for the jugular, such as when they appear in a flashback to offer up a ritual sacrifice. They torture a screaming victim before feasting upon her blood. Later, the now-undead Templars corner another victim and attack, drawn by her screeching cries of terror.

#6: Movie Theater Pile-On

“Messiah of Evil” (1973)
The brutal impact of our next entry isn’t necessarily drawn from the physical assault displayed, but rather the relentless suspense and atmosphere that’s conjured up. The horrific and surreal nightmare “Messiah of Evil” features a number of notable sequences where ghoulish, zombie-like citizens from the town of Point Dume slowly stalk and consume their victims. The first, occurring in a supermarket, features former “Price is Right” model Anitra Ford, while the second, which takes place in a movie theater, is even more harrowing. The oppressive vibe never fails to chill our blood as more and more ghouls surround actor Joy Bang while another film is playing in the background.

#5: Death by Tarman

“The Return of the Living Dead” (1985)
“The Return of the Living Dead” is a near-perfect distillation of pure horror and totally successful comedic beats. How else can you explain a sequence wherein a group of New Wave punk rockers encounter an undead beast colloquially known as the “Tarman?” The Tarman’s design is gloriously messy and goopy, surprising the group as it shouts for “BRAINS!” The leader of the group unfortunately gets the worst of it, as Tarman gets close enough to bite his head and make a meal out of it. It’s the sort of over-the-top physical effect that could’ve only been achieved back in the glorious 1980s.

#4: Lawnmower Deaths

“Dead Alive” (1992) [a.k.a. “Braindead”]
Peter Jackson is another filmmaker, similar to Bob Clark, who got his start making some of the goriest and most depraved horror films of the day. “Dead Alive,” a.k.a. “Braindead,” has to be one of Jackson’s most infamous early efforts, a film that’s so chock full of blood ‘n guts that…well, it honestly defies description. Just take a look at this lawnmower scene for proof, wherein protagonist Lionel runs through his undead-infested house like an absolute maniac. The red stuff flies every which way but loose, as Lionel mows down zombie after zombie. His companions even get in on the act, using blenders in an effort to dispose of the menace.

#3: Choked Down

“Day of the Dead” (1985)
Director George A. Romero is, rightfully so, considered by many as the King of the Zombie Film. As a result, he’s helmed some of the genre’s most memorable death sequences. From the shocking outdoor feast from his original “Night of the Living Dead” to the apartment onslaught in 1978’s “Dawn of the Dead” no one did it quite like George. “Day of the Dead” might feature one of Romero’s most memorable scenes, however, where the villainous Captain Rhodes finally gets his comeuppance at the clawing hands of a zombie horde. He’s torn apart, but has one final insult for the zombies trying to consume his remains. Say it with us: “Choke on em!”

#2: Guts

“City of the Living Dead” (1980)
It’s Italian director Lucio Fulci who’s the subject of our final two entries, with the first being the “Godfather of Gore’s” initial offering in his “Gates of Hell” trilogy. “City of the Living Dead” features a number of memorable death scenes, but the most infamous has to be what befalls poor Rosie. Actor Daniela Doria reportedly went the extra mile for her scene. That’s because it’s long been alleged that Doria partially swallowed actual organs for the scene where her character spews up her insides. We obviously can’t show it here, but some other reports do claim that Fulci used a bust of Doria for the scene. Still, it’s gross either way.

#1: Splinter

“Zombie” (1979) [a.k.a. “Zombie Flesh Eaters”]
It doesn’t matter whether horror fans know Lucio Fulci’s 1979 horror film as “Zombie,” “Zombi 2” or “Zombie Flesh Eaters,” because it’s highly likely that they’ve seen at least one of its infamous scenes. Maybe it’s the commercial crossover moment wherein a zombie fights a shark, or maybe it’s this unbearably brutal death scene for Paola. Fulci went full stop for this sequence where Paola’s home is invaded by zombies, who smash through the door and go for broke. They grab her face and pull it, slowly and ever-so-close to a sharp, jutting splinter in the door. The splinter goes in and we’re left with one of the most infamous scenes in zombie movie history.