was watching Children of Men the other day, and was completely taken
aback when a recognizable A-list star got killed early on in the movie. It got
me thinking about other surprising death scenes. (Especially within the genre I
love.)
In a horror and suspense
film, if a well-known actor/actress is in it, the audience basically assumes
that person will make it to the end, regardless if they break any survival
rules. (Unless they have the words, “with” or “and” in front of their names in
the opening credits. Then we know they’re screwed!)
Although, some scary movies
make surprising turns and kill off the most known star in the movie, no matter
if they were the lead or not. These kills are usually always done for shock
value and are met with sudden and startling reactions from the audience. Here is
my top ten of celebrity death scenes that definitely startled me. (Regardless of
the fact if I should have seen some of them coming.)
WARNING – SOME SPOILERS AHEAD!
5. Jamie
Lee Curtis – Halloween 8
Any true Halloween fan
went into this sequel, knowing the fate of Laurie Strode. (Jamie Lee Curtis) I
went in knowing and hoping it wasn’t true. When Michael Myers ended up killing
Laurie, I still was stunned. It astonished me as to how the series ended up
killing off an iconic heroine in the horror genre in the first ten minutes of a
movie that’s most known for Busta Rhymes ninja kicking Michael Myers in the
head. She deserved more than that.
4. Steven
Seagal – Executive Decision
I hardly
remember anything from this thriller, but what I do remember is watching the
scene where Steven Seagal ended up dying in the aircraft that fell apart in
the sky in the first ten minutes of the film. I’ll never forget that day.
Everyone in my family had yelled, “Holy Sh*t!” in unison. We were all really
pissed too, because we thought we were all watching a “Steven Seagal” movie.
3.
Sigourney Weaver – Alien 3
When I watched Alien 3
for the first time, I was shocked from learning that all the previous survivors
(Bishop, Hicks, Newt) from James Cameron’s Aliens, were all killed in the
crash from their escape pod. (Except for Ripley of course) However, my jaw
didn’t drop until it was revealed that Ripley has been impregnated by one of the
aliens, which led her to committing suicide at the end to kill the alien inside
of her. I always hated how the filmmakers made the bold decision to kill her
off, which is probably why Alien: Resurrection is one of my guilty
pleasures. (Sure, it’s a Ripley clone, but Sigourney Weaver still kicks some
serious ass!)
2. Samuel
L. Jackson – Deep Blue Sea
I’ll never forget the moment
when I saw Samuel L. Jackson get eaten by a shark on screen. Everyone in the
theatre (including the men) had yelled, screamed out, and jumped in their seats.
I kept wondering to myself why there was such an extreme close up on his face
during his “survival” speech. By far one of the most effective and scariest
jumpers I had to endure.
1. Drew
Barrymore – Scream
Drew
Barrymore had been offered to play the lead heroine, Sidney Prescott in the
Scream franchise, but decided to make the brave decision in turning down the
lead role to play the doomed teenager, Casey Becker in the film’s prologue
instead. By making this decision, the film’s opening sequence has become one of
the most unforgettable and scariest scenes ever shown in a main stream horror
film. Although, the scene and premise has been copied over the years with other
successful actors dying in the first ten minutes in horror films, none have ever
been quite as memorable as Drew Barrymore’s death scene in
Scream.