20 Gory Movie Moments That Left Horror Fans Cheering

7. Shotgun To The Face - Maniac (1980)

Some might call Maniac's infamous shotgun-to-the-head scene a case of twisted masochism, but, to most horror fans, it's simply badass. Handling the discomforting effects on director William Lustig's vile (yet awesome) exploitation flick, Tom Savini had to create several woman-skewering visuals, since the film's slasher is a disturbed sicko who loves scalping the ladies. But one sequence, where the horrid Frank Zito (Joe Spinell) must first kill the boyfriend before getting the girl, required a male victim - a change of pace.

Naturally, Savini opted to play the guy, thus sealing his place in horror's pantheon as one of the genre's most memorable casualties. In the film, he and his girl are parked near the Verrazano Bridge in Brooklyn, trying to get it on, when Frank shows up, shotgun in hand. POW!

It's interesting to note that this scene looks darker because it was lit entirely by the car's actual headlights, which may be a part of the reason that it was so effective.