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Too soon? Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most impactful and unexpected deaths in live-action movies. There’s also a spoiler alert for the following films.
Transcript
00:00 "Is it dark?"
00:02 "I don't feel so good."
00:08 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most impactful and
00:13 unexpected deaths in live-action movies.
00:16 There's also a spoiler alert for the following films.
00:18 "Do you have anything to say before sentence is carried out?"
00:22 "I'm sorry for what I am."
00:27 10. Cain - Alien
00:30 We knew something fatal was bound to happen in this sci-fi horror film, but we didn't
00:34 think it would be this gross.
00:36 The first death of Alien comes after Cain wakes up from his face-hugger coma to sit
00:40 down for a meal.
00:42 Everybody is all smiles until the crewmate starts to be sick.
00:46 "What's the matter? The food ain't that bad, baby."
00:49 "You're choking mom."
00:52 He appears to have died, but that's just the least of everyone's problems.
00:56 His chest bursts open to reveal a baby xenomorph in a horrifying reveal.
01:01 The effects are still scary to this day, provoking realistic reactions from the cast members.
01:07 Setting off a horrible chain of events, this death strikes terror into the hearts of most
01:11 viewers to this day.
01:13 9. Maggie Fitzgerald - Million Dollar Baby
01:22 If you went into this movie expecting a typical sports plot, you were probably shocked by
01:26 its ending.
01:27 Hilary Swank's character receives a serious injury in the ring that paralyzes her.
01:32 Spending the rest of the story in the hospital, she eventually asks her trainer Frankie Dunn
01:36 to end her life.
01:37 "I can't be like this Frankie.
01:40 Not after what I done.
01:45 I seen the world."
01:47 Maggie's dire condition makes her consider a much different fate than anyone could have
01:51 expected at the film's start.
01:53 It might be a dark ending, but it also makes you wonder about the hardships people go through
01:57 with various medical problems.
01:59 Her controversial death brings this Oscar-winning project to a dramatic and gut-wrenching close.
02:04 "He gave her a single shot.
02:07 It was enough adrenaline to do the job a few times over.
02:11 He didn't want her going through this again."
02:15 8. Bruno and Shmuel - The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
02:20 The horrors of World War II and the Holocaust are explored through the eyes of children
02:24 in this period drama.
02:26 Bruno makes an unlikely friend in Shmuel after finding him on the other side of a concentration
02:31 camp fence.
02:32 Neither kid completely understands their place in the larger society around them, representing
02:37 the innocent bystanders caught in a broken world.
02:40 "Why do you people wear pajamas all day?"
02:43 "They're not pajamas."
02:45 "Well, those."
02:47 "We have to.
02:49 We took all of the clothes away."
02:51 "Who did?"
02:52 "The soldiers."
02:53 "The soldiers?
02:54 Why?"
02:55 The pair end up spending their final seconds together as they both enter the gas chamber.
02:59 It's already a terrible moment to watch, but it's made even worse knowing their age.
03:03 Bruno's parents can't even come to save him in time.
03:06 Many people that watch the movie will likely never forget this powerful climax, completely
03:10 knocked over by these deaths.
03:12 "Bruno!"
03:15 "Bruno!"
03:17 Number 7.
03:32 Albus Dumbledore – Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
03:36 Among the most pivotal figures in the saga, Albus Dumbledore doesn't survive the sixth
03:41 entry in the series.
03:42 His death comes at the hands of Severus Snape in a tense confrontation.
03:46 "Severus."
03:48 "Please."
03:59 "Avada Kedavra."
04:01 The mentor and friend dies without Harry Potter being able to help him.
04:06 This also signals a huge win for the Death Eaters in Voldemort, and is a major setback
04:11 for the greater wizarding world.
04:13 Michael Gambon and Alan Rickman's key performances are crucial to creating the impact of this
04:18 emotional scene.
04:19 The latter actor in particular gets to really shine, conjuring up one of his most compelling
04:23 turns on screen.
04:25 "You dare use my own spells against me, Potter?"
04:30 "Yes."
04:32 "I'm the Half-Blood Prince."
04:36 Number 6.
04:38 Wolverine – Logan
04:40 Seemingly bringing the Wolverine story to an end, Logan gives the titular hero one last
04:45 chance to prove himself.
04:47 Set in the future, he faces off against the clone X-24 in a brutal fight in the forest.
04:53 After being impaled on a tree, the protagonist survives with the help of the powerful Laura.
04:58 The two then share a touching moment together before Logan succumbs to his wounds.
05:03 "Don't be what they made you."
05:05 The power of Hugh Jackman's acting makes the scene one of his best as the character.
05:10 Even as the performer plans to return to the role, this remains an impactful sequence featuring
05:15 the demise of a legendary superhero.
05:18 Number 5.
05:19 Everyone in the Car – The Mist
05:21 In this horror climax, the remaining survivors of the film are seemingly trapped in their
05:25 car as they contemplate their next move.
05:28 Deciding to make a drastic choice, the group opts to kill themselves rather than die at
05:32 the hands of the movie's interdimensional villains.
05:35 "Four."
05:36 "Four bullets."
05:42 "But there's five of us."
05:48 David executes the other passengers and prepares to get taken by the creatures.
05:52 By the time The Mist fades away, the military appears and reveals that safety was only a
05:57 few more minutes away.
05:59 The hero realizes his premature actions in a disturbing scene.
06:03 Thomas Jane's character screams in despair, completely broken and at his lowest point.
06:08 The entire film comes to a close on one of the biggest gut punches in recent cinematic
06:13 history.
06:14 Number 4.
06:15 Charlie Graham – Hereditary
06:17 "Are you okay?"
06:18 "It's hard to breathe."
06:22 After his sister Charlie has an allergic reaction, Peter drives her to get medical attention.
06:27 Charlie opens the car window to get some air, but the car swerves to avoid a deer and a
06:32 telephone pole takes off her head.
06:34 Charlie's death is especially gruesome and her brother can't even process the death
06:38 afterward, staring into the distance in silence.
06:41 Proving to be the pivotal scene of the movie, the sequence ensures that nobody is ever the
06:45 same after the tragedy.
06:47 "No!"
06:54 You probably won't be sticking your head out of a car window anytime soon after watching
06:59 this.
07:00 Hereditary lives for these kinds of uncomfortable twists, bringing a sense of dread to the audience
07:04 at every turn.
07:05 "Well now your sister is dead!
07:07 And I know you miss her, and I know it was an accident, and I know you're in pain, and
07:12 I wish I could take that away from you.
07:14 I wish I could shield you from the knowledge that you did what you did, but your sister
07:20 is dead!"
07:21 Number 3.
07:22 Half of Humanity - Avengers Infinity War
07:25 "You should have gone for the head."
07:29 Once Thanos gathers the stones for his gauntlet, he snaps away half of the population.
07:38 The result is one of the most disturbing scenes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
07:42 Looking completely lost, many of the Avengers watch helplessly as their friends turn to
07:47 dust, shocking even the most casual fan of the superhero series.
07:51 Witnessing the likes of Black Panther and Spider-Man disappear is unsettling, leaving
07:55 the remaining heroes in a state of hopelessness.
07:57 "I don't feel so good."
07:59 Peter Parker's demise really puts the entire snap into perspective as he fades away in
08:03 Tony Stark's arms.
08:05 Seeing such powerful people crumble still makes us break down, beating out the deaths
08:09 of Black Widow and Tony Stark in Endgame.
08:12 Number 2.
08:13 John Coffey - The Green Mile
08:16 Michael Clarke Duncan's character is a miracle worker in this adaptation of the Stephen King
08:20 story.
08:21 Even though he's behind bars, John Coffey makes the best of his death row sentence by
08:25 healing several people.
08:27 "What did you just do to me?"
08:30 "I helped him."
08:33 It becomes clear that the prisoner is also innocent of his crime, but this doesn't stop
08:37 the authorities from executing him.
08:39 Unable to save Coffey, the guards are forced to go through with the act in a harrowing
08:43 sequence.
08:44 The climax of the movie shows that the Green Mile avoids the usual fantasy clichés.
08:48 It also speaks to the unfortunate nature of innocent people being executed, giving viewers
08:53 a hard dose of reality in the process.
08:56 "Please, Bo, don't put that thing over my face.
09:01 Don't put me in the dark.
09:05 I was afraid of the dark."
09:08 Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
09:12 Goose - Top Gun
09:14 The wingman dies in a tragic accident that shakes Maverick's foundation.
09:18 "Goose, you're gonna have to put this out.
09:20 I can't reach the ejection handle.
09:22 Eject!
09:23 Eject!
09:24 Eject!
09:25 Eject!
09:26 Eject!
09:27 Watch the canopy!"
09:29 Brooks - The Shawshank Redemption
09:32 Unable to live on the outside, the ex-convict brings his life to a dramatic close.
09:37 Rue - The Hunger Games
09:43 In a surprise attack, the contestant receives a fatal spear wound.
09:47 "It's okay.
09:48 You're okay.
09:49 You're okay.
09:50 You're okay."
09:53 Neil Perry - Dead Poets Society
09:56 The student rejects his father's plans in a drastic and heartbreaking decision.
10:12 Tom Blake - 1917
10:15 A thrilling plane crash leads to the unexpected death of a brave soldier.
10:19 "I'm on diet."
10:21 "Yes.
10:31 Yes, I think you are."
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10:49 Number 1.
10:51 Malcolm Crow - The Sixth Sense
10:54 "I see dead people."
10:56 "In your dreams?
11:01 While you're awake?"
11:05 If you didn't know this surprise going into the movie, consider yourself one of the lucky ones.
11:10 M. Night Shyamalan's beloved thriller features one of the greatest and most startling reveals of them all.
11:15 Malcolm Crow, the child psychologist that aids Hayley Joel Osment's character, has been dead the entire time.
11:22 His shooting at the start of the film actually resulted in his death, completely transforming the meaning of each scene after.
11:28 Viewers can watch the first sequence again with a renewed appreciation for the material, taking in the real power of the twist.
11:34 "Why did you leave me?"
11:36 "I didn't leave you."
11:40 Bruce Willis' character becomes even more tragic with this realization, giving viewers one of the best surprises ever.
11:47 Did we forget a death scene that shocked you? Let us know in the comments below.
11:51 "Live long and prosper."
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12:05 [music]