8 Most Iconic Slasher Movie Death Scenes

8. Suspiria - Stabbed Through The Heart, And You're To Blame

As mentioned, the Giallo subgenre in Italy emerged from film noir with its hidden antagonists, unclear morality and scandalous sex. What distinguished Giallo from Noir was its lush saturation. Color palettes were often overwhelmingly bright, especially its depiction of viscera. Dario Argento's Suspiria, set in a prestigious German dance academy with a dark secret, encapsulates this tone well with its initial scene. A female student is running hysterically through the school from an unseen attacker. She's eventually pinned down by the pursuer and repeatedly stabbed against a stained glass ceiling. Each stab penetrates her chest and further pushes out her heart. The emphasis on penetration connotates the act with a sexual encounter-which is a real psychological compulsion called "picquerism". Likewise, the scene objectifies its female victim, who's dressed in a loose nightgown and has a frozen face of terror. Her dayglow blood combined with the stained glass makes for a vibrant display, which reaches its climax when she's dropped through the glass in a makeshift noose, turning her corpse into a portrait itself.