10 Best 'I’m Dead And I Know It’ Moments In Monster Movies

Those monster movie characters who knew their goose was cooked.

by Andrew Pollard
Lizzy Caplan Cloverfield
Paramount Pictures

Given the very nature of the genre, the world of horror is obviously overflowing with plenty of death, death, and, just for good measure, a smidge more death. And while so many of horror's victims unfortunately don't see their own demise coming, there are some characters who actually realise what's about to happen and have a few seconds to digest their fate.

For those figures, some of those might take a moment to fire out one last wisecrack, others may maintain a silence, stoically taking in their final breaths, while there are also those characters who scream in guttural terror. To be honest, guttural terror tends to be the more popular approach, particularly in the monster movie subgenre, because, well, most of these victims weren't exactly all that happy at the prospect of being sliced 'n' diced by some hulking beast or assimilated by an otherworldly creature.

So with that in mind, here are ten victims of horror monster movies who were very much aware that their goose was cooked... and that there was nothing they could do about it.

10. Robert Muldoon - Jurassic Park

Lizzy Caplan Cloverfield
Universal

In Jurassic Park, few people are quite as appreciative of the velociraptors and their capabilities as the park's game warden Robert Muldoon. And even with his death imminent, Muldoon can't help but admire the smarts and strategy of these stunning creatures.

Not only is Muldoon's demise one of the most memorable of the movie, but it's one of the most memorable deaths in cinema history. With his gun locked, loaded, and with a velociraptor in his sights, Muldoon carefully gets ready to take his shot. As the tension rises, the sweat pours, and the creature appears completely oblivious, the camera angle changes so that we see another velociraptor standing to Muldoon's left.

Fully aware that he'll be ripped to shreds imminently, Muldoon quips "Clever girl" as he acknowledges how he'd been played by these velociraptors. A great hunter and tracker himself, Bob Peck's character essentially gives his soon-to-be attacker one last nod of respect before he's swiftly killed off-screen.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.