Memorable Death Scenes

7 months ago 26th Mar 11:16

Over the years thousands of characters have died on the big screen some were murdered, others by accident while others just plain deserved it.

Like with any other aspect of cinema some death scenes on the big screen have become iconic and FemaleFirst takes a look at some of the best.

Psycho

The 1960s saw the godfather of horror Alfred Hitchcock release Psycho. The film didn't look at monsters, the supernatural or things that may lurk in the darkest corners of space Hitchcock instead looked at the evil within an everyday human being.

The shower scene was to become one of the most iconic moments in the history of horror cinema and is often considered as one of the most terrifying scenes ever filmed.

But it's Hitchcock's unorthodox filming methods that make this movie such a classic his radical plot structure of killing off leading lady Janet Leigh at the end of the first act is something that had never been done before.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

The 1969 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, directed by George Hill encapsulated the very meaning of the Western dramatic chase scenes on horseback to daring robberies of banks and trains all based around a friendship where either would die for the other.

And it's the film's ending that made the film one of the western genre's most iconic and influential movie as Butch and Sundance did just that, die for each other.

Surrounded by police, injured and low on ammunition the pair run out of their hiding place to go out in a blaze of glory.

King Kong

1933 brought a groundbreaking film came in the form of King Kong using pioneering special effects, stop motion models and animatronics it marked the birth of the visual effect blockbusters.

However it is the end of the film that King Kong, no matter which version you watch, is always remembered for.

Hanging off the Empire State Building, and trying to protect Anne Darrow, he is shot by aircraft before falling off the building to his death.

Platoon

Director Oliver Stone draws on his harrowing experiences in Vietnam as he wrote and directed this insight into brutality of guerrilla warfare in the heat of the jungle.

Since it's release Platoon has widely become to be regarded as one of the finest war movies ever brought to the big screen taking the audience there and showing them the brutality of warfare and what soldiers lost and became to fight for their country.

However it is the death of Sgt Elias, played by Willem Dafoe, that was the iconic image of the movie, used on many of the promo posters, as he was gun down by the enemy.

The Wizard of Oz

Despite being a critical hit when it was released in 1939 due to it's huge budget it wasn't a huge commercial success. However since then the film has gone on to become one of cinema's most famous movies.