20 Best Horror Movie Kills of 2025
19. Curley - The Long Walk
Stephen King's The Long Walk is an unavoidably brutal story in which a group of young men take part in a competitive walking marathon to the death, and if there was any lingering doubt about this film adaptation pulling its punches, it dispensed with that notion very early on.
That is to say, the first kill is absolutely brutal, and arguably the most effective in the entire picture.
On the very first day of the walk, poor Thomas Curley (Roman Griffin Davis) develops a charley horse in his leg, and despite Ray's (Cooper Hoffman) firm effort to help him through it, he ultimately succumbs to the cramp. As Curley cries in anguish and laments his bad luck, he's suddenly approached by a soldier who gives him his "ticket." As in, Curley gets shot through the side of the face, the bullet leaving a gaping hole in his mug.
Director Francis Lawrence refuses to cut away or obscure the moment of impact at all, ensuring Curley's demise leaves a rattling impact which confirms beyond any doubt that this adaptation isn't playing around.