Some movie deaths are more brutal than others. These are some of the most hideously gruesome horror movie deaths we can think of. Warning: Spoilers ahead — and don’t read on if you have a weak stomach.

Charlie in Hereditary

Milly Shapiro in Hereditary, A24

In this memorable horror film from Ari Aster, poor young Charlie (Milly Shapiro) dies in an extremely shocking and awful manner.

After accidentally eating peanuts at a party, Charlie goes into anaphylactic shock. Her brother Peter (Alex Wolff) drives her to the hospital, speeding frantically. Struggling to breathe as her throat closes up, she sticks her head out of the car window to get more air. Unfortunately, Peter swerves to avoid a deer in the road and instead hits a telephone pole.

Charlie is abruptly, and shockingly, decapitated.

Nick in Bone Tomahawk

A still from Bone Tomahawk, RLJE Films

This deserves a spot on our list because it’s got to be one of the worst and most horrifying horror movie deaths ever.

In perhaps the most famous scene from this extremely gruesome movie, Evan Jonigkeit’s character Nick is among a party of Westerners captured by a tribe of inbred, cannibalistic Native Americans referred to in the movie as the Troglodytes, or cave dwellers.

If you’ve seen Nick’s death scene, it’s surely burned into your memory. The Troglodytes strip Nick naked before scalping him and shoving his scalp into his mouth with a rock. While he’s still alive, they visciously bisect him. Then they eat his body. The sound of Nick’s screams, plus the scraping sound of the sharpened tool the Troglodytes use to perform the bisection — a bone tomahawk — is absolutely sickening.

Quint in Jaws

Robert Shaw as Quint in Jaws, Universal Pictures

Quint’s death scene in Jaws is an absolute classic of the horror genre.

Weary after spending days hunting down the shark that killed multiple innocent people in the island community of Amity, New York, shark-hunter Quint (Robert Shaw) finally meets his end.

He is viciously bitten in half by the shark — which is ironic, considering his character’s backstory is that he survived the U.S.S. Indianapolis, one of the most horrific shark attacks in Naval history.

Quint’s screams, the fake blood that squirts out of his mouth, and the surprisingly realistic-looking shark prop make this scene one of the most hideously gruesome horror movie deaths ever.

Fire Extinguisher Man in Irréversible

A still from Irréversible, Lionsgate

In Gaspar Noé’s 2002 French film Irréversible, Marcus and Pierre set out for revenge against the man who savagely raped and beat Alex, the woman they both love.

This film is full of truly awful scenes that are punishing to watch. But one scene in particular is unforgettable because of how heinous it is.

At a gay nightclub, Pierre and Marcus search for Le Tenia, the street name of the man who attacked Alex. Pierre mistakenly identifies the wrong man and beats him to death with a fire extinguisher as other onlookers in the club do nothing to stop it. At the same time, the real Le Tenia watches it all go down, amused.

The awful sounds of the fire extinguisher crushing the man’s skull into the dance floor is hard to forget, making this one among the most truly gruesome horror movie deaths.

Cameron in Halloween Kills

A still from Halloween Kills, Universal Pictures

In this brutal scene in the 2021 Halloween franchise installment Halloween Kills, villain Michael Myers kills character Cameron Elam (Dylan Arnold) in an absolutely horrible way.

Inside the Michael Myers house, Cameron comes face to face with the bad guy himself. First, Myers stabs Cameron in the gut. After falling to the ground, Cameron reaches for a gun, but Myers steps on his hand, crushing it. Then Myers grab Cameron and uses his head to smash the wooden railings on the stairs, dragging his body across the broken spikes before using one to impale him.

Later, Myers delivers Cameron’s final blow by twisting his head clean off.

Bishop in Aliens

A still from Aliens, 20th Century Studios

Adding another awful bisection to this list, next we’ve got the death of Lance Henrikson’s character Bishop in Aliens, the 1986 follow up to the first Alien movie.

Just when Bishop and Ellen (Sigourney Weaver) are about to become friends, Bishop is brutally and unexpectedly murdered by the Queen alien.

First, the Queen impales him with a pointy spiked appendage from the back, which bursts through his chest in a move reminiscent of the original chestburster scene in the first movie. Then he’s ripped in half and thrown on the ground. While this is happening, white gooey liquid pours out of his mouth. It’s horrifying.

Christian in Midsommar

Jack Reynor in Midsommar, A24

Last but not least, Christian’s death in Ari Aster’s Midsommar is so brutal that its unforgettable.

The movie follows a group of Americans, including Christian (Jack Reynor) and his girlfriend Dani (Florence Pugh) who visit a small Swedish town for their quaint midsummer festival. But things get sinister when it’s revealed that the villagers intend to make human sacrifices out of their guests.

In this iconic scene, high on hallucinogenic drugs, Christian is the final sacrifice in the May Queen ritual. Inserted inside the carcass of a dead bear, Christian is burned alive in a triangular structure along with the other sacrifices.

Liked This List of 7 Hideously Gruesome Horror Movie Deaths?

Linda Blair in The Exorcist, Warner Bros.

You might also like 11 Most Nightmare-Inducing Horror Movie Villains