10 Most Vicious Acts of Revenge in Horror Movies
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VOICE OVER: Kirsten Ria Squibb
WRITTEN BY: Jonathan Alexander
Horror movies will always push the blood-soaked envelope! For this list, we'll be looking at the most brutal ways characters in scary movies got their comeuppance. Along the way, expect a few gory spoilers. Our countdown includes scenes from "Carrie", "Return to House on Haunted Hill", "Unfriended" and more!
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Most Vicious Acts of Revenge in Horror Movies. For this list, we’ll be looking at the most brutal ways characters in scary movies got their comeuppance. Along the way, expect a few gory spoilers. Did we miss any notable payback scenes? Let us know in the comments below!
Hopefully the students at this Prom night danced like there was no tomorrow - because for most of them, there wouldn’t be one. Following a very cruel prank involving pig’s blood, Carrie’s psychic rage ensures she isn’t the only one covered in red. The most tragic part is that most of her victims are completely innocent. She hallucinated that everyone was laughing at her, and unfortunately, that was enough for Carrie to turn on them all. Honestly, those that died first got off easy compared to the ones she left in the burning gymnasium. The only small justice is that the real culprits, Chris and Billy, met an even worse end via an exploding car.
The kidnapped Madeleine endured unspeakable trauma from pimp Tony and the clients who paid to assault her. So, it’s certainly vindicating to see her take out her assailants, one by one, in gruesome fashion. Naturally, she saves the best - or, in this case, the worst - for last. Tony is shot in both knees and dragged into a field. His final fate involves a hole, a rope and a very speedy horse. Suffice it to say, this exploitation film definitely lived up to its title of a “cruel picture.” At the very least though, Madeleine gets serious points for creativity.
“Shutter” (2004)
Talk about being haunted by the past. This film tells the story of a young photographer, who watched his friends commit a heinous crime against his former girlfriend. Because of this, she ended up taking her own life, and from beyond the grave, she seeks revenge. As a ghost, she coerces her attackers into taking their own lives too. The guilty lover thinks he’s being saved for last, but instead, she leaves him alive. Her ghost, however, is a literal weight on his shoulders, one that he can’t ever escape. This fate begs the question: what’s actually worse? Death by haunting, or living with the knowledge of everything he’s done?
As a ghost trapped in a decrepit asylum, there isn’t much else to do besides plot ways to get back at your murderer. However, Dr. Vannacutt apparently didn’t consider that when he performed horrifying experiments on the inmates. With the power of a mystical idol, he was even able to control their spirits in the afterlife. But, once they’re freed, they quickly make up for lost time. The group of tortured souls unleashed decades of pent-up aggression on the doctor - ripping him to pieces. It’s a downright grisly end, but given everything Vannacutt put them through, payback was long overdue.
Beautiful trapeze artist Cleopatra thinks she’s above the so-called ‘freaks’ in the carnival sideshow. She plots to marry Hans, a person of short stature, and kill him for the inheritance. When the sideshow performers welcome her into their ranks, she mocks and humiliates them. Her scheme exposed, the performers turn her into what she hates the most: one of them. The film kindly spares us from the actual mutilation, but the “quacky” aftermath is enough to prove it wasn’t pleasant. Sure, she’s technically still living, but in Cleopatra’s eyes, we’d bet this is a fate much worse than death.
The recipe for this ghastly murder is as follows: a Skype call, a guy with a big mouth, and a very angry spirit. However, the most important step is to blend it all together. Unfortunately for Ken, he had to learn that last step the hard way. Of his friends, his only real crime was being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Well, and saying some mean things about the deceased Laura. Apparently, that was enough for him to become the main course in her post-mortem haunting. And, if his friends’ reactions are any indication, his dish is a total jaw-dropper.
Shigeharu is a downtrodden widow looking for love. So he sets up an audition process, pretending that it’s for a movie role. But he doesn’t quite find what he’s looking for in Asami. The fact that he was in a prior relationship enrages his new girlfriend. Asami drugs him and gets some slow, agonizing payback by way of needles. Her vengeance is by no means justified; there’s nothing wrong with the fact that Shigeharu was married before. But in Asami’s twisted mind at least, this does constitute revenge. Just thinking about this scene is enough to make even genre-diehards shiver in their seats.
This thriller is all about how far a man is willing to go to avenge the murder of his pregnant wife. As Kim Soo-hyun quickly proves, the answer is very, very far. He tracks down the killer, Jang Kyung-chul, and rigs him up to a guillotine that will drop when the door opens. And who’s unwittingly doing the honors? None other than Kyung-chul’s own family. The mode of death is quick, but right before he goes out, Kyung-chul is hit with the knowledge that his own child is dropping the blade. The most haunting part of this execution is knowing that the falling knife will be the last thing Kyung-chul’s family sees of him.
They say no good deed goes unpunished, but it’s some decidedly bad deeds that are punished in this revenge horror-thriller. After Krug, Francis and Sadie attack Mari and almost kill her, they take refuge in the Collingwood lake house. Mari’s parents John and Emma take them on, one after the other, dealing out gruesome kills. But the bloodiest comes in the final minutes. John decides that he wants his vengeance reheated and sticks Krug’s head into a microwave. From there, all it takes is a pop, and Krug’s skull has painted the appliance red. Like most things reheated in a microwave, it’s not ideal, but it’s quick, and it gets the job done.
After Jennifer is assaulted and almost killed, she’s left with a lot of trauma. She channels it into stalking down and killing her five attackers. Each of their deaths are sadistic and bloody and will burn into your brain. But even among them, Stanley’s stands out. He’s captured in a bear trap, bound to a tree, and has his eyes served up to the crows. To make it even more twisted, Jennifer films it all - just like they filmed what they did to her. Leave it up to a novelist to craft such a poetic end.
#10: Bloody Prom
“Carrie” (1976)Hopefully the students at this Prom night danced like there was no tomorrow - because for most of them, there wouldn’t be one. Following a very cruel prank involving pig’s blood, Carrie’s psychic rage ensures she isn’t the only one covered in red. The most tragic part is that most of her victims are completely innocent. She hallucinated that everyone was laughing at her, and unfortunately, that was enough for Carrie to turn on them all. Honestly, those that died first got off easy compared to the ones she left in the burning gymnasium. The only small justice is that the real culprits, Chris and Billy, met an even worse end via an exploding car.
#9: Galloping On
“Thriller – A Cruel Picture” (1973)The kidnapped Madeleine endured unspeakable trauma from pimp Tony and the clients who paid to assault her. So, it’s certainly vindicating to see her take out her assailants, one by one, in gruesome fashion. Naturally, she saves the best - or, in this case, the worst - for last. Tony is shot in both knees and dragged into a field. His final fate involves a hole, a rope and a very speedy horse. Suffice it to say, this exploitation film definitely lived up to its title of a “cruel picture.” At the very least though, Madeleine gets serious points for creativity.
#8: Haunted
“Shutter” (2004)
Talk about being haunted by the past. This film tells the story of a young photographer, who watched his friends commit a heinous crime against his former girlfriend. Because of this, she ended up taking her own life, and from beyond the grave, she seeks revenge. As a ghost, she coerces her attackers into taking their own lives too. The guilty lover thinks he’s being saved for last, but instead, she leaves him alive. Her ghost, however, is a literal weight on his shoulders, one that he can’t ever escape. This fate begs the question: what’s actually worse? Death by haunting, or living with the knowledge of everything he’s done?
#7: Ghost of a Chance
“Return to House on Haunted Hill” (2007)As a ghost trapped in a decrepit asylum, there isn’t much else to do besides plot ways to get back at your murderer. However, Dr. Vannacutt apparently didn’t consider that when he performed horrifying experiments on the inmates. With the power of a mystical idol, he was even able to control their spirits in the afterlife. But, once they’re freed, they quickly make up for lost time. The group of tortured souls unleashed decades of pent-up aggression on the doctor - ripping him to pieces. It’s a downright grisly end, but given everything Vannacutt put them through, payback was long overdue.
#6: A Freaky Fate
“Freaks” (1932)Beautiful trapeze artist Cleopatra thinks she’s above the so-called ‘freaks’ in the carnival sideshow. She plots to marry Hans, a person of short stature, and kill him for the inheritance. When the sideshow performers welcome her into their ranks, she mocks and humiliates them. Her scheme exposed, the performers turn her into what she hates the most: one of them. The film kindly spares us from the actual mutilation, but the “quacky” aftermath is enough to prove it wasn’t pleasant. Sure, she’s technically still living, but in Cleopatra’s eyes, we’d bet this is a fate much worse than death.
#5: Blended
“Unfriended” (2014)The recipe for this ghastly murder is as follows: a Skype call, a guy with a big mouth, and a very angry spirit. However, the most important step is to blend it all together. Unfortunately for Ken, he had to learn that last step the hard way. Of his friends, his only real crime was being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Well, and saying some mean things about the deceased Laura. Apparently, that was enough for him to become the main course in her post-mortem haunting. And, if his friends’ reactions are any indication, his dish is a total jaw-dropper.
#4: Pointed Payback
“Audition” (1999)Shigeharu is a downtrodden widow looking for love. So he sets up an audition process, pretending that it’s for a movie role. But he doesn’t quite find what he’s looking for in Asami. The fact that he was in a prior relationship enrages his new girlfriend. Asami drugs him and gets some slow, agonizing payback by way of needles. Her vengeance is by no means justified; there’s nothing wrong with the fact that Shigeharu was married before. But in Asami’s twisted mind at least, this does constitute revenge. Just thinking about this scene is enough to make even genre-diehards shiver in their seats.
#3: Makeshift Guillotine
“I Saw the Devil” (2011)This thriller is all about how far a man is willing to go to avenge the murder of his pregnant wife. As Kim Soo-hyun quickly proves, the answer is very, very far. He tracks down the killer, Jang Kyung-chul, and rigs him up to a guillotine that will drop when the door opens. And who’s unwittingly doing the honors? None other than Kyung-chul’s own family. The mode of death is quick, but right before he goes out, Kyung-chul is hit with the knowledge that his own child is dropping the blade. The most haunting part of this execution is knowing that the falling knife will be the last thing Kyung-chul’s family sees of him.
#2: Microwave Dinner
“The Last House on the Left” (2009)They say no good deed goes unpunished, but it’s some decidedly bad deeds that are punished in this revenge horror-thriller. After Krug, Francis and Sadie attack Mari and almost kill her, they take refuge in the Collingwood lake house. Mari’s parents John and Emma take them on, one after the other, dealing out gruesome kills. But the bloodiest comes in the final minutes. John decides that he wants his vengeance reheated and sticks Krug’s head into a microwave. From there, all it takes is a pop, and Krug’s skull has painted the appliance red. Like most things reheated in a microwave, it’s not ideal, but it’s quick, and it gets the job done.
#1: Hooked
“I Spit on Your Grave” (2010)After Jennifer is assaulted and almost killed, she’s left with a lot of trauma. She channels it into stalking down and killing her five attackers. Each of their deaths are sadistic and bloody and will burn into your brain. But even among them, Stanley’s stands out. He’s captured in a bear trap, bound to a tree, and has his eyes served up to the crows. To make it even more twisted, Jennifer films it all - just like they filmed what they did to her. Leave it up to a novelist to craft such a poetic end.
