2. Marvin's Head Gets Blown Off - Pulp Fiction
In 1994, Quentin Tarantino created one of the most influential movies ever made: the smash hit Pulp Fiction. Audiences fell in love with Tarantino's chronology-bending, postmodern pastiche of noir films stuffed to the brim with darkly comic moments. In one of the most unexpectedly funny moments of the film, Tarantino played the gruesome death of a minor character as shock humour. Professional killers Vince Vega and Jules Winnfield are driving from the scene of a hit and having a theological debate over whether or not divine intervention saved them from a hail of gunfire. Vince turns around to ask fellow criminal, Marvin, what his opinion on the matter is only to have his gun accidentally discharge, painting the inside of the car with Marvin's brain. This scene has since become legendary and is a prime example of how to throw a curveball at your audience.