By Eric Myford
10 of the Best Exploding Heads Scenes in Horror!
Well this should certainly be a gorehound's delight. There really isn't much that is more brutal than watching someone's entire head disappear into an explosion of blood and gore. And sure an exploding head has been done many times but some are pretty awful, and some don't even have any gore, which is bizarre *cough*Chopping Mall*cough*. So let's get into this, loaded with GIFs for gory goodness.
Scanners (1981)
Of course I'm going to kick it off with this movie because pretty much every horror fan's mind goes to this when you say exploding head. Just so iconic, so well done. And it's not just one great scene, the whole movie is awesome. An absolute Cronenberg classic. Telekinesis for the blood soaked win!
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Sure, zombie movies are all about destroying the brain but this one is straight up obliteration. I think what really impresses me about this one is not even how old the movie is and how good the kill is, it's the distance. This gore has some get up and go for sure. Ah Romero, he always knew what the audience wanted.
The Frighteners (1996)
You really wouldn't think of a movie starring Michael J. Fox as having a great exploding head scene, but remember it was directed by the guy who made Dead Alive, so there you go. This one may not be as intense as the others but the immediate appearance of the ghost head after the fact makes it really stand out. And it's an awesome flick.
Maniac (1980)
There is a kind of irony here watching Tom Savini's head explode from a shotgun blast because of work done by... Tom Savini. He will always be a master FX artist and this scene absolutely shows why. Oh that insane amount of splatter, his time in Vietnam during the war assured his FX will also go down as some of the most realistic.
The Beyond (1981)
What's a Fulci movie without insane gore? Well they exist but the man is known for his crazy kills and The Beyond is chock full of them. One of my favorite Lovecraftian movies, this film is pure insanity but one of my favorite death scenes is the ginger kid's mind blowing (pun intended) departure from the story.
Daybreakers (2009)
A severely underrated vampire movie, here when an experimental serum goes horribly wrong, we see the guinea pig lose his head, followed by the rest of his body. So damn good, this isn't even a highly gory film, more of a dark drama surrounding vampires, but this scene absolutely stands out for obvious reasons.
Planet Terror (2007)
He was a great character, we enjoyed him for the whole movie and then splat. But it was still so incredibly satisfying, as much as it was unexpected in that moment. This grindhouse throwback is wall to wall gore the whole way through, but this scene which is both horror and humor pushed together, it's so simple and so effective.
The Prowler (1981)
Once again Savini hits us with another intense and incredibly gory headshot. This slasher movie is generally beloved among slasher fans because it is really well done, but it stands out mainly because the kills are so good, and by proxy, the FX work. If done well, I don't think I could ever get tired of seeing heads sheared away by shotgun blasts.
Night of the Creeps (1986)
This one is unique because it's something coming out of the head that's the explosion, and the flamethrower follow up just makes it that much better. Brain slugs, total cheese, right? Not here, this movie is one of the best to come out of the 80s and this scene in particular is just amazing to say the very least.
Deadly Friend (1986)
I saved the best for last because this is just so ridiculous. The whole movie is ridiculous but that's what makes it so much fun. Dead original Buffy brought back to life with robotics chucks basketball at Mama's head and it explodes into bits. I will never get tired of watching this scene, it's so amazing.
I hope you enjoyed this little slice of violent decapitation as much as I did putting it together. Until next time gorehounds, I have many more macabre delights upon the horizon.
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