10 Horror Movies That Missed Out The Money Shot

Those films that refused to give horror hounds what they'd been promised.

by Andrew Pollard
Scream 5 Ghostface Flamethrower
Paramount Pictures

The horror genre is one famed for those memorable, earned moments which serve as a payoff to the audience who've watched the antics of a film or franchise play out.

In terms of great money shots, there's the torturous screams of a burning-alive Sgt. Howie in The Wicker Man; there's the final act windmill scene of 1931's Frankenstein; there's the full, glorious embracing of insanity by Jack Torrance in The Shining; and there's Rob Zombie's Firefly Family going out in epic fashion in The Devil's Rejects.

While all of the aforementioned moments are ones that horror hounds either demanded to see or needed to see due to how much they'd invested in a tale, there are certain other movies within the genre that sadly fall short on this front. For whatever reason, regardless of whether the film is any good or not, there are some horror offerings that opt against showing us all what we'd wanted or expected.

For example, what's the point in elaborately teasing a tension-laced death, only to go through with said death but not even show it? In terms of a kick in the nether-regions to horror fans, this is an absolute cardinal sin.

So, with that in mind, then, here are ten such films who ultimately opt against delivering some of their true money shots.

10. The Ultimate Fate Of Principal Himbry - Scream

Scream 5 Ghostface Flamethrower
Dimension Films

The third person killed in Scream - following in the footsteps of lovebirds Steven Orth and Casey Becker - the final fate of Henry Winkler's Principal Himbry is stated but sadly never shown.

Seemingly killed by Billy Loomis while co-conspirator Stu Macher was busy setting up his big house party, Himbry is stabbed and butchered afterhours at Woodsboro High. The initial part of this attack is indeed seen on screen, but the final part is kept from audience's eyes.

A plan concocted by Billy and Stu to have the vast majority of classmates leave Stu's party - y'know, so that the film's final act can fully kick into gear - we hear how Principal Himbry's dead, gutted body was left hanging from the school's football posts. Eager to check out this gnarly sight, plentiful characters decide to skip out on the Macher house in order to view this scene of bloody murder.

Unlike the similar fate handed out to Drew Barrymore's Casey in the opening minutes of Scream, the hanged corpse of Principal Himbry goes unseen by horror hounds.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

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 dayjob, 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.