8 Most Iconic Slasher Movie Death Scenes

4. Scream - Mr. Telephone Man, There's Something Wrong With My Line

Part of what made Psycho so shocking for audiences was that the initial protagonist- Hollywood icon Janet Leigh- was also the killer's initial victim. At the time, Hollywood films wouldn't dare kill their lead actors and actresses, especially not midway through the feature. As an affectionate parody of the genre, Scream one upped Hitchcock by having it's biggest star, Hollywood royalty Drew Barrymore, die in the first 10 minutes. What makes the scene so brilliant is that it transitions well between parody and sincerity. While home alone, Barrymore is called by a gravelly-voiced stranger. At first claiming to have miscalled her, he then shifts into having a conversation with her that includes flirting and discussion of horror films. Rather than, y'know, hanging up on him, she coyly continues with the conversation as any dumb Horror movie teen would do. When she realizes the threat of the caller, she hurries off the phone only to be called back again. When she threatens to sic her boyfriend on him, his corpse is magically displayed within view of a window. The scene begins as cheesy, but then the mind games become even more sinister as he suggest ways he could kill her too and how she should defend herself. When he eventually gets the jump on her, she runs from the house and sees her parents approaching, giving her and the audience a twinge of hope. But alas, he catches her and stabs her repeatedly. Once her parents realize she's gone, they frantically search only to find her bloody body hung on a tree. The scene is excellently-paced: not only is Barrymore's dread built, postponed and carried out, we get the human weight of her death as her parents worst fears are displayed in front of them.