10 Most Memorable Death Scenes In Horror Films

Pam being apprehended by Leatherface and frantically trying to wriggle free as he impales her on a meathook is certainly a solid contender for the genre's most impactful death scene, although this doesn't actually finish her off, if you want to get technical about it. The demise of her boyfriend, Kirk, is equally memorable and disturbing. A couple of minutes prior to Pam discovering Leatherface's chamber of horrors, Kirk unknowingly wanders into the chainsaw-wielding maniac's lair (the human tooth on the front porch wasn't a sufficient warning sign, apparently).

It such a fleeting, simple murder scene, but it's amazingly effective. Calling out "is anybody there?", he curiously moves towards an open door that reveals a crimson wall covered in mounted skulls and taxidermy (again, you'd think alarm bells might be ringing), where he stumbles, and is suddenly confronted by the enormous, masked madman.

With an incredibly satisfying "crack", Leatherface wallops poor Kirk over the head with a meat tenderiser, leaving him to writhe about on the floor for a moment before finishing him off. It's ironic that neither of the two scenes of brutality that The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is most remembered for actually feature a chainsaw, but there's something far more brutal about a mallet to the head. The result is rather like watching an animal being slaughtered. Having Leatherface come at Kirk with the chainsaw at this point would've felt cheap, and maybe somewhat gratuitous.

And of course, the chainsaw would've robbed the scene of its fantastic use of sound. It's such a real-looking scene - a bit too real for comfort. In fact, that's an apt description for the film in its entirety.