Fans Are Debating The Most Gruesome Movie Death Of All-Time, And I Think There's A Clear Choice

We’re technically still early on in the 2025 movie schedule, with the summer coming our way pretty quickly. But through upcoming horror movies, and other genres that tend to feature death-based set-pieces, there’s always a potential for a moment that’s so gruesome it needs to be talked about endlesslly.

Thanks to a new Reddit discussion wholly dedicated to such moments, I feel comfortable saying there’s a clearly crowned champion that will still be turning stomachs for years to come.

I’m Sorry, But Terrifier 2’s Allie Kill Wins This Gruesome Movie Death Thread

Someone in the r/moviecritic subreddit asked the group's patrons to “name a movie or show that has the most gruesome death.” According to the popular definition of the word gruesome, for an act to be considered it needs to be seen as “inspiring horror or repulsion.”

So it’s not all about the red red kroovy you Droogs love to talk about, and doesn't need to be the all-out bloodiest; though there’s plenty of instances in this thread that do include some gory details. Which is why, for me, this reminder of Terrifier 2's most hardcore sacrifice takes the cake.

It’s one thing for filmmaker Damien Leone to showcase blood, dismemberment, and other examples of brutality in the Terrifier series’ most unspeakable acts. But that last caveat from our Redditor of the moment is what really hammers this home for me, since it technically shouldn't count without Allie dying. But the sheer hope that she didn't survive such a monstrous experience makes it viable.

If you’re up for an NSFW refresher, here’s that absolutely gruesome moment:

TERRIFIER 2 - Allie's Death (Bedroom Scene) - YouTube

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Once poor helpless Allie started to be coated in bleach and salt, that’s where I had to voice my agreement to no one around that I also hope this Terrifier 2 character died as soon as the scene changed. So for me, that’s the most gruesome act in the movies mentioned.

But if you know me, and if you read that thread carefully, there’s one example that I couldn’t help but highlight from the history of the James Bond movies.

A Very Honorable Mention For Gruesome Movie Deaths Needs To Go To James Bond

When 1989’s 007 thriller Licence to Kill coined the tagline, “His bad side is a dangerous place to be,” that wasn’t just the marketing department being cute. Redditor @Prize_Farm4951 is speaking my language in this regard, because the second of Timothy Dalton’s James Bond duology let 007 go pretty hard on his adversaries. Here’s the list of some, but not all, of Commander Bond’s brutality in that picture:

Seeing this list fail to mention the ingenious kill that Bond executes when it comes to henchman Dario (Benicio del Toro) kind of proves this point even further. Director John Glen’s final 007 directing post saw the vicious helper of Franz Sanchez (Robert Davi) exit the world of the living through being fed into a cocaine grinder.

Here now is a prime example of what was too gruesome for PG-13, in 1989:

Licence to Kill (8/10) Movie CLIP - Dario Gets Shredded (1989) HD - YouTube

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Don’t worry if you may remember that Licence to Kill scene a little differently, as it’s one of the reasons why this James Bond picture needed to be trimmed. In order to avoid a more mature rating from various film classification boards, each of the moments mentioned above - and more - were altered. Some of those cuts were undone in later years, as home video releases would see the brutality added back in.

My point in including this example is that while the James Bond movies have provided examples of mainstream action at its best, there’s even a gruesome streak to that storied history. Does it trump Art the Clown’s treatment of Allie in Terrifier 2? Absolutely not.

But is it worth nothing the changing definitions of not only what’s considered “gruesome,” but also what’s allowed in a PG-13 movie? You bet. And with that lesson learned, we can all focus on 2025 films like Final Destination Bloodlines, which promises some gruesome fun ahead of its May 16th premiere.