10 Best Back From The Dead Moments In Horror Movies

Which shocking horror moments saw these characters come back from the dead?

The Lazarus Effect
Blumhouse

Horror movies always try to twist and spin a story to ensure that their beloved genre icons survive or get resurrected in time for the sequel. Even if you see a body disintegrate into dust, you can never fully count a character out of returning at some point in the future. The genre loves this trope, and it has resulted in some amazing scares over the years.

That's because at a base level, a supposedly dead character reappearing later in the story, or an unforeseen plot development managing to resurrect the presumed-killed, is great at taking audiences by surprise. It can often make for a satisfying and unexpected twist in the tale - when done right anyway.

Which movies managed the best moments when a character was bought back from the dead though? And what was the most unexpected way in which it happened?

10. Jack Comes Back Deader Than Ever - An American Werewolf In London

The Lazarus Effect
Universal

Director John Landis’s 1981 horror-comedy An American Werewolf in London has become a cult classic. The movie starred David Naughton and Griffin Dunne as two American backpackers who very quickly regret their decision to go traipsing across the English moors. A mysterious and vicious beast attacks them in the night leaving David (played by Naughton) injured and Jack (Dunne) dead - well, undead.

The beast, which is discovered to be a werewolf, has not only mauled Jack to death but has left him cursed. Whilst in the hospital recovering David makes a terrifying discovery that he himself is now a werewolf following the attack. An important detail revealed by his recently departed friend. A friend who very quietly and shockingly appears to David in his room, complete with clawed face and blood-soaked clothes, and nonchalantly asks for a piece of toast.

An American Werewolf in London has plenty of tongue-in-cheek humor running throughout. This almost unexpected reappearance of Jack in such a subtle manner is particularly effective. Not only does it serve to surprise viewers but also offers them a good indication of how the tone for the rest of the movie will likely play out.

Contributor
Contributor

Steven Davies is a freelance writer, movie critic, and editor-in-chief of the Horror Asylum. Passionate about everything entertainment-related he considers himself somewhat of an aficionado on a wide range of movies, franchises, and TV shows.