Movies

Head Trauma: 8 Great Scenes of Gore Above The Shoulders

Published

3 years ago

February 16, 2023

The headline photo of this article 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 uncomfortable glasses screamed (then laughed) watching that scene in the theater. It was pretty cool.

As times have changed so too are the ways filmmakers create special effects. Since the scenes in the list below involve the head, you couldn’t put the actor in danger just to get the shot. That means practical effects engineers have to come up with something to pull off the gag.

SPOILERS AHEAD:

Final Destination 2

Driving behind logging trucks became an instant trigger after the release of Final Destination 2. The massive highway pile-up 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-side windshield and ultimately through his head.

Friday the 13th Part 3

Although the gimmick looked cheap (as mentioned above), there was a lot of work that went into 3D movies from the 80s. Filmmakers had to invent ways to make it work even if that included ruining the effect because of exposed fishing wire or other visible gadgetry.

Let’s face it, the tech was rudimentary. However, that didn’t stop us from paying money to see it, and when we learned that Friday the 13th III was going to use this contrivance, we leaned into the hype.

There were a few great moments in the movie, including this one where poor Rick got his skull crushed by Jason. It may look cheesier now than it did then, but it was one of the highlights of the movie.

Scanners (1981)

Talk about movie buzz, perhaps this is the most memorable of all the horror movie head trauma. When Scanners was released in 1981 it was actually the cover of Fangoria magazine that spoiled this effects showstopper for everyone.

The issue, although hidden in the 18 and over section of bookstores, gave away the classic Cronenberg ending with the image of a headless torso emitting smoke and viscera.

That image alone got the public interested in this movie and they weren’t 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 bit emotional because the character was pretty cool.

Robert Rodriguez’s Planet Terror has some great special effects, but since it is an homage to schlocky grindhouse movies of the 70s the viewer is never sure if the director meant some of them to resemble the low-budget feel of that period.

That anxiety was triggered even further by the unexpected and realistic death of Abby (Naveen Andrews) in the film.

Hereditary (2018)

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

The scene is so unexpected and tragic, it was all anyone could talk about following its release. To avoid spoilers, when people discussed the movie, they would refer to it as “that scene,” and if you knew, you 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 stands on its own as a fearsome entry into The Thing universe with some great special effects, both practical and digital.

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

Deadly Friend (1986)

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

Coming off her role as the slapstick villain in the pirate adventure film The Goonies, distinctive actress Anne Ramsey was cast as a serious villain in Deadly Friend. It was a little disturbing to see her death scene in the latter film after her comedic performance in the former.

Watch out PG-13 M3GAN, there was an R-rated version of you back in 1986.

Jigsaw (2017)

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

Detective Halloran (Callum Keith Rennie) gets the evil plan re-cap from Logan (Matt Passmore) just before his head gets split open by lasers.

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Related Topics:Deadly Friend Final Destination 2 Friday the 13th Part 3 Jigsaw Wes Craven

Movies

5 Horror & Thriller Films Premiering at Cannes 2026

Published

2 weeks ago

April 14, 2026

Kirsten Saylor

The Cannes Film Festival is widely considered the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held annually in Cannes since its founding in 1946, the invitation-only event showcases new films from across the globe, spanning every genre from auteur-driven dramas to boundary-pushing horror. Taking place at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, Cannes remains one of the “Big Three” European festivals alongside Venice Film Festival and Berlin International Film Festival, as well as part of the global “Big Five,” which also includes Toronto International Film Festival and Sundance Film Festival.

The 79th annual Cannes Film Festival runs from May 12-23, 2026, with Park Chan-wook (director of Oldboy (2003), The Handmaiden (2016), and No Other Choice (2025)) serving as jury president. French-Malian actress Eye Haїdara will host the opening and closing ceremonies. At the same time, honorary Palme d’Or awards will be presented to Peter Jackson (director of the Lord of the Rings trilogy) and Barbra Streisand. The festival opens with The Electric Kiss, directed by Pierre Salvadori.

But now let’s get to the really good stuff.

Among the lineup this year are several genre entries that should have horror and thriller fans paying very close attention for their theater releases which will be later in the year. Here are five films I’m especially excited about, all of which are premiering at Cannes 2026.

Hope (Korean: 호프)

Directed by Na Hong-jin (The Wailing), Hope looks like one of the most intriguing genre entries in competition for the Palme d’Or.

Set in a remote village near the Korean Demilitiarized Zone (DMZ), the film’s premise appears, at first, to be a contained crisis: a tiger sighting that throws the community into worried chaos. But as the situation escalates, something far more sinister begins to emerge, forcing residents to confront a terrifying unknown.

With a stacked international cast including Hwang Jung-min (Veteran, New World, I, the Executioner), Zo In-sung (A Frozen Flower, The King, It’s Okay, That’s Love), Jung Ho-yeon (Squid Game, Disclaimer),Taylor Russell (Bones and All, Waves), Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina, The Danish Girl, The Man from U.N.C.L.E.), and Michael Fassbender (Shame, Prometheus, X-Men: First Class), this one feels like it could be a major crossover hit.

Her Private Hell

From Nicholas Winding Refn (The Neon Demon) comes a surreal, neon-drenched nightmare that feels perfectly at home within his filmography.

A mysterious mist engulfs a futuristic city, unleashing a deadly and elusive force. At the center is a young woman searching for her father, whose path collides with an American soldier on a desperate mission of his own: rescue his daughter from Hell.

Starring Sophie Thatcher (Companion, Heretic, Prospect), Charles Melton (May December, Warfare, Riverdale), Havana Rose Liu (Bottoms, No Exit, Bleu de Chanel), Diego Calva (Babylon, The Night Manager, On Swift Horses — seriously, I’m so excited to see him in new work!) and more, this out-of-competition premiere could end up being one of the most talked about, and hopefully one of my personal favorites.

Photo by Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images – © 2025 Stephane Cardinale – Corbis

Karma

Directed by Guillaume Canet (Tell No One), Karma is a French psychological thriller that leans into moral ambiguity.

The story follows Jeanne, a woman attempting to rebuild her life in Spain while hiding a troubled past. When her young godson disappears, suspicion quickly falls on her, forcing her to flee to a religious community she once escaped. As her partner searches for the truth, the narrative spirals into a tense mystery.

Led by Marion Cotillard (La Vie En Rose, Inception, Rust and Bone), who always delivers an outstanding performance, Karma appears to be a slow-burn kind of thriller that will really keep audiences captivated.

Colony (Korean: 군체)

Zombie maestro Yeon Sang-ho (Train to Busan) returns with Colony, a claustrophobic kind of outbreak thriller premiering in the midnight section at Cannes.

Set inside a sealed biotech facility, the film follows survivors trapped during a rapidly mutating viral outbreak. As the infected evolve in unpredictable ways, tensions inside the quarantine zone rise just as quickly as the body count.

This zombie film stars Jun Ji-hyun (Assassination) and Koo Kyo-hwan (Peninsula), and paired Yeon Sang-ho, I’m hoping we get a really great zombie thriller to add to the arsenal.

Photo by Ryan Plummer/Ryan Plummer – © 2026

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma

Yes, the title alone already earns a spot on this list.

Written and directed by Jane Schoenbrun (I Saw the TV Glow), this meta-slasher follows a queer filmmaker hired to direct a reboot of a long-running horror franchise. Her fixation on the film’s reclusive “final girl” actress leads both women into an increasingly surreal and psychosexual spiral.

Starring Hannah Einbinder (Hacks, Seekers of Infinite Love) and Gillian Anderson (The X-Files, The Fall, Hannibal), this Un Certain Regard entry sounds as though it might be one of the boldest, and strangest, films of the entire festival.

While Cannes isn’t traditionally known for its horror under any circumstances, this year’s lineup continues to show that bold, genre-bending storytelling absolutely has a place on the Croisette.

iHorror will keep you updated on these films’ theatrical and/or streaming releases!

Movies

Which Poster Did It Better?

Published

2 months ago

February 24, 2026

Timothy Rawles

We have a fun question for you: Who did it better?

Did you ever notice how similar the 1992 poster for Peter Jackson’s Dead Alive is to Wes Craven’s Scream that came out in 1996? They aren’t identical, but they could be considered spiritual sisters.

Not much is known about the Dead Alive poster. It appears to have its lead actress, Diana Peñalver, front and center with eyes wide open and mouth agape. It was a shocking image for a one-sheet at the time, but it was fitting for the film, which used over 300 liters of fake blood in the final scene.

Dead Alive was also controversial. In the UK and Australia, it was shown in its entire 104-minute run. But it had to be cut down to 94 minutes when it hit the German and American markets. Originally titled Braindead, it was renamed Dead Alive in those countries.

As for the Scream poster, we know it’s Drew Barrymore‘s face; she also has her mouth agape and her eyes wide open like Peñalver‘s.

In a classic on-theme misdirect, Barrymore appears to have a major role in Scream, given how prominent she is in the poster. In reality, she is only onscreen for 13 minutes.

Scream’s photo was taken by an unknown photographer. It doesn’t capture Dead Alive’s comedy element, but Scream wasn’t exactly a straight comedy. Its humor was more in the meta references.

Movies

‘Axes and Os’ Is Now Streaming — A Fresh Valentine Slasher With a Savage Creature Feature Twist

Published

2 months ago

February 13, 2026

Vivian Thorne

It’s happening.

Indie horror fans have a new killer obsession—Axes and Os, the wildly original Valentine-themed slasher that blends classic stalk-and-slash thrills with a monstrous creature-feature surprise. The film is now streaming and delivering blood, laughs, and a brutal new horror icon.

Love Hurts — Literally

Set during a chaotic Galentine’s getaway, Axes and Os follows four young women who escape to a quiet small town for a weekend of romance, friendship, and fun—only to find themselves hunted by the legendary Valentine’s Day Ax Killer, Luther Dremel.

Axes and Os

But this isn’t just another masked slasher story. When one of the girls undergoes a shocking transformation, the hunted becomes the hunter, and a brutal showdown erupts that turns the holiday of love into a full-on survival nightmare—a literal fight to the death.

A Cast Packed With Genre Favorites and Rising Stars

Axes and Os features horror icon Jamie Bernadette alongside rising star Cass Huckabay, who won two Best Actress awards during the film’s festival run. Madison M. Bowman and Sara Wimmer round out the ensemble, delivering both laughs and scares designed to appeal to a wide range of genre fans. Brandon Krum brings terrifying intensity as the relentless Axeman, Luther Dremel.

IMAGE: Jamie Bernadette as Abby in Axes and Os.

A Fresh Spin on Slasher Tradition

While Axes and Os pays tribute to classic slashers, it flips the formula with a creature-feature twist that sets it apart from typical holiday horror fare. Think traditional masked killer meets monstrous transformation—romance colliding with rage, friendship colliding with fear. The film blends humor, gore, and heart, striking a tone somewhere between Ready or Not, The Final Girls, and classic ’80s slashers—while still delivering modern indie edge.

IMAGE: Madison M. Bowman as Olivia, in Axes and Os.

A Festival Darling With 11 Award Wins

During its festival run, Axes and Os quickly became a standout on the indie horror circuit, bringing home 11 awards, including six Best Feature Film wins, three Best Director awards, and two Best Actress awards for Cass Huckabay. Notable wins include The Freak Show horror film festival, Spooky Empire Horror Film Festival, and the Nashville horror film festival.

IMAGE: LtoR. Producer Joe O’Connor, Actress Cass Huckabay, writer/director

The film’s mix of genre-bending horror, strong performances, and crowd-pleasing tone earned praise from festival juries and audiences alike, helping build early buzz ahead of its streaming release.

Why Horror Fans Should Care

Holiday slashers are having a moment again, but Axes and Os brings something rare: a true genre mashup with a female-driven cast, festival pedigree, and a killer premise that doesn’t play it safe.

With festival awards, strong early audience reactions, and a bold creature-driven finale, Axes and Os is poised to become a cult favorite for Valentine’s Day horror marathons.

Now Streaming

Axes and Os is now available to stream on Prime Video and Screamify

Love is in the air. So is the blood.

Four females on a Galentine’s weekend are hunted by legendary ax murderer LutherDremel, until one female turns out to be something otherworldly and battles the iconic axeman.

[This is a sponsored article]