Horror films are filled with gory deaths, from masked killers stalking their prey to perfectly timed decapitations. Some of these freaky moments have become legendary, cementing their rightful spots in Hollywood’s horror movie history. However, we are confident that you are unaware of their creation process!
Let’s dive into some of the coolest behind-the-scenes stories that reveal the creativity and dedication that went into crafting these unforgettable moments.
1. “Black Christmas”—The Plastic Bag Kill
In Black Christmas (1974), Clare is the first victim of the mysterious killer Billy, who suffocates her with a plastic bag and leaves her corpse in the attic. Her plastic-wrapped face even appears on the film’s poster. Lynne Griffin, who played Clare, had to act dead for multiple shots but handled the challenge well. She credited her swimming skills for holding her breath and keeping her eyes open. To prevent the bag from fogging up while breathing, the crew adhered it to her face and made small holes in her nose—a chilling detail for such an eerie scene.
2. “The Exorcist”—Defenestration Scene
The climactic window jump in The Exorcist (1973), where Father Karras sacrifices himself, was an impressive stunt by Chuck Waters. Rubber was added to the stone steps to make it safer before Waters leaped—twice. Georgetown residents charged $5 to spectators watching from nearby buildings. Chuck later revealed the secret to this dangerous stunt, which was to relax his body entirely.
3. “Scream”—The Opening Scene
The opening of Scream (1996) is unforgettable, with Drew Barrymore’s character being terrorized and killed by Ghostface. Writer Kevin Williamson drew inspiration from a real-life experience when he thought someone had broken into a house he was house-sitting. A conversation about horror movies during that incident sparked the idea for the scene. Barrymore, originally cast as the protagonist Sidney Prescott, opted for Casey’s role to defy expectations, ensuring viewers wouldn’t see her death coming.
4. “Hereditary”—The Decapitation Scene
Hereditary (2018) doesn’t hesitate to depict a brutal scene in which a steel pole strikes Charlie, Peter’s younger sister, in the head when she sticks it outside the car’s window. The scene’s truly unforgettable, but what’s even better is how thrilled Milly Shapiro was to film it. She described the experience of being harnessed in the car as feeling like a rollercoaster. Shapiro even loved the model of her severed head, joking about taking it home to scare others. The mix of horror and behind-the-scenes fun makes this scene iconic.
5. “Jaws”—The First Kill
Chrissie’s death in Jaws sets the tone for the entire film. Ten crew members on each side controlled ropes to simulate Susan Backlinie’s thrashing, with Steven Spielberg personally handling the final tug. For authenticity, Spielberg poured water down Backlinie’s throat while she screamed, a method that actor Richard Dreyfuss jokingly referred to as waterboarding.
6. “Final Destination 2″—The Highway Accident
Final Destination 2 opens with a massive highway pile-up triggered by logs falling off a truck. The sequence, filmed over 11 days, used practical stunts for most of the action. However, the logs had to be CGI because real ones didn’t bounce enough for dramatic effect. Real logs barely lifted an inch when dropped, so the exaggerated bounce in the film was pure movie magic, thankfully reducing fears of such an accident in real life.
7. “Psycho”—The Shower Scene
The classic shower scene in the 1960s thriller flick Psycho is one of film history’s most famous moments. Alfred Hitchcock devoted a full week—one-third of the movie’s shooting schedule—to perfecting it. Janet Leigh filmed the iconic close-up of her eye 26 times, and Hershey’s chocolate syrup stood in for blood thanks to the black-and-white format. Reversing a shot of a syrup-covered knife against Leigh’s stomach achieved the stabbing effect. Hitchcock’s meticulous attention to detail made this brief sequence an enduring masterpiece.
8. “Alien”—The Chestburster Scene
The gory chestburster moment in Alien relied almost entirely on genuine surprise to sell the scene. The cast apparently had no idea what was coming, and they definitely weren’t prepared for a realistic blood fountain coming out from Kane’s chest, not to mention the lil’ alien animatronic. Ridley Scott used cuts of meat and a hydraulic ram to create the desired effect. Veronica Cartwright outright passed out on the set when the blood hit her, and Yaphet Kotto ran to his room in a panic. Now that’s how you do a horror scene!
