The headline photo of this item from Friday the 13th Part 3 looks really fake. But in the early 80s…yeah, it still looked pretty unconvincing. That being said, it was in 3D and everyone wearing those awkward glasses screamed (then laughed) watching that scene in the theater. It was pretty cool.

As times have changed, so have the ways filmmakers create special effects. Since the scenes in the list below involve the head, you couldn’t put the actor in harm’s way just to get the shot. That means the practical effects engineers have to find something to pull off the gag.

SPOILERS AHEAD:

Final destination 2

Driving behind logging trucks became an instant hit after its release Final destination 2. The massive highway congestion premonition is one of the most memorable in the franchise.

Poor Officer Thomas Burke can’t avoid a spilled log as it crashes into the driver’s windshield and eventually through his head.

Friday the 13th Part 3

Although the gimmick looked cheap (as mentioned above), there was a lot of work in the 3D movies of the 80s. The filmmakers had to invent ways to make it work, even if that included ruining the effect due to exposed fishing line or other visible gadgets.

Let’s face it, the technology was rudimentary. However, that didn’t stop us from paying money to see it when we found out Friday 13 III was going to use this artifice, we leaned into the hype.

There were some great moments in the movie, including this one where poor Rick gets his skull crushed by Jason. It may seem bolder now than it did then, but it was one of the highlights of the film.

Scanners (1981)

Talk about movie noise, perhaps this is the most memorable of all horror movie head traumas. When SCANNERS was released in 1981, it was actually the cover Fangoria magazine which broke down this effect is a show for everyone.

The issue, although hidden in the 18 and over section of bookstores, brought out the Cronenberg classic that ends with the image of a headless torso emitting smoke and viscera.

That image alone got the audience interested in this film and they were not disappointed when they finally got to see the film and this famous scene.

Planet Terror (2007)

This jump scare comes out of nowhere and it was a little emotional because the character was pretty cool.

of Robert Rodriguez The terror of the planet it has some great special effects, but since it’s an homage to the schlocky grindhouse films of the 70s, the viewer is never sure if the director intended some of them to resemble the low-budget feel of the period.

That anxiety was triggered even more unexpectedly and realistic the death of Abby (Naveen Andrews) in the film.

Hereditary (2018)

Ari Aster’s masterpiece is about head trauma. So it would be remiss not to include the centerpiece and most memorable plot twist, that of Charlie being decapitated by a telephone pole.

The scene is so unexpected and tragic that it was all anyone could talk about after the release. To avoid spoilers, when people were discussing the movie, they referred to it as “that scene,” and if you knew, knew.

The Thing (2011)

This poor movie never gets the love it deserves, mostly because people didn’t know if it was a remake, a reboot, a requel? But it is by itself as a scary entry into The thing universe with some great special effects, both practical and digital.

If you’re a die-hard fan of the original, you can appreciate what director Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. was trying to accomplish here, which was to try to capture the anxious tension of the original, but also give fans what they really came for: gore!

The Deadly Friend (1986)

Raise your hand if you miss Wes Craven. Move over M3GAN, there was a killer “robot” before your circuits were built. Her name was Sam, and although she was born human (revived via a microchip), her abilities are just as murderous and rated R.

He reprises his role as the villain in the pirate adventure film Gooniesdistinctive actress Anne Ramsey was cast as a serious villain in Deadly friend. It was a bit jarring to see her death scene in the last film after her comedic performance in the first.

Warning PG-13 M3GANthere was an R-rated version of you in 1986.

Jigsaw (2017)

There is so much body horror in Saw franchise, it’s hard to pick just one. As far as horror movie head trauma goes, this one makes the list because of its uniqueness and effect.

Detective Halloran (Callum Keith Rennie) receives the recap of the evil plan from Logan (Matt Passmore) just before his head is split open by lasers.