10 Worst Ways Movie Characters Have Died In Space
7. Head Explodes - Outland
In Outland, Sean Connery plays O' Niel - a federal marshal who monitors a mining colony on Jupiter's moon, Io. When O' Niel discovers the outpost is being used to smuggle drugs, a hit is put on his head.
How O' Niel learns of the narcotics is... pretty gross. One of the workers, Tarlow, ingests amphetamines to keep himself stimulated during his shift. While down in the mines, the drug's side effects kick in, causing Tarlow to suffer crippling anxiety and hallucinations.
As he screams that he's been attacked by spiders, his colleagues ignore him, assuming he's playing a practical joke. But as Tarlow's psychosis exasperates, he rips off a piece his spacesuit, exposing him to Io's lethal atmosphere. Because Io has no oxygen and one-sixth the gravity of Earth, the decompression swells Tarlow's head up before causing it to explode
Even though explosive decompression is a regular trope in sci-fi horror and a genuine concern for astronauts, the reality is not as bloody as this film implies. Nevertheless, having your skull inflate like a balloon before popping is a deeply unnerving thought.