9. Scanners Louis Del Grande
It was the scene of the film that launched David Cronembergs career in American cinema and has been spoofed, parodied and even referenced in Waynes world and The Simpsons. While an exploding head might have been seen as funny in Monty Python, there is nothing funny about it in 1981s Scanners. Michael Ironside (dubbed the poor mans Jack Nicholson by some) has extraudinary psychic powers and is hired to kill for a scientist. In the most infamous scene he uses his powers to make Louis Del Grandes head explode in front of a studio audience. The gradual build up in tempo of the soundtrack is paired with the intercutting between Ironsides intense face and Grades pained expression until his head explodes in an eruption of brain, blood and gore.
8. Death Proof The Original Girls
A film of two halves. However you apply this to Tarantinos much ballyhooed Grindhouse project, whether it is in reference to the Grindhouse double bill with fake trailers in the middle, or simply Death Proof which was released individually, and is itself a film of two halves, the phrase is very apt. This triple death closes the first half of the movie. With Rose McGowan having previously been polished off by Kurt Russells chillingly good Stuntman Mike, he turns his attention to our original girls (whom were lukewarm to at best). The girls car cruises along the road with them all carelessly rocking out to a sweet tune when Stuntman Mike suddenly appears out of nowhere and collides with them at over 120mph. We see each death twice, the second time in slow motion. While Jordan Ladd gets off comparatively easy flying through the window and landing fifty metres down the road, Miss Poitier has her leg severed off landing with a flop on the road and dies of severe whiplash. But Ferlito surely has the goriest death. First her face smashes into the front seat; she is then whiplashed backwards and has the front wheel of the stunt mans car grind over the face.