PopHorror Let's Get Scared
When you watch a horror movie it’s normal for you to cover your eyes, jump out of your seat, or even scream during the scary parts, right? However, have you ever cried watching a scary movie because there was a particular moment that was just downright depressing? As strange as it may sound to some people I have on several occasions and thought that I would put together a list of the ten horror movie moments that were so sad that they brought me to tears.
Note that there are spoilers ahead for most of the movies on my list so read on at your discretion as I don’t want to ruin any of these films for anyone who haven’t seen them.
10. Humongous (1982)
Yes, Humongous is a horror flick about a freaky monster running around tearing people apart, but there is just something about those opening credits that have always bummed me out. The whole reason that the monster exists in the first place is because he is the result of his mother being raped by some slimeball, and the opening credits show photos of her before and after she is sexually assaulted. We see her as a happy young girl with her beloved dogs before she is raped, and as the credits progress the photos get increasingly depressing as we see how the event impacted her.
She goes from smiling and being happy in general in the photos to sad and miserable, and the depressing music that is playing in the background during these credits will bring a tear to anyone’s eye. The last photo of her that appears when the title of the movie pops up on screen is particularly sad as we see her all alone sitting on a dock looking out at the ocean as she hugs one of her dogs, and there is just something about it that never ceases to make me feel incredibly depressed no matter how many times I see it.
9. Return of the Living Dead 3 (1993)
Return of the Living Dead 3 is a lot more serious than the previous installments of the series and is essentially a dark and depressing love story. It’s all about a young man who is madly in love with his girlfriend, and after she is killed in a motorcycle accident he decides to bring her back to life with the Trioxin 5 chemical (that is responsible for creating the zombies in the franchise) because he simply can’t live without her. Of course, this turns out to be a horrible idea as she becomes a flesh-eating zombie, and he soon realizes that he should have just let her go when he had the chance.
There are technically two moments in this movie that make me cry, the first being when the guy can’t deal with her anymore and willingly lets her be taken away by the soldiers that he’s trying to protect her from, and the final scene. The final moments of the film-which sees them both incinerate themselves after he is bitten by a zombie as well-has haunted me for years and is just incredibly bleak and depressing in general.
8. Mom (1990)
Mom is a lesser-known movie that I happened to catch late one night on HBO back in the day. It’s about a man whose mother is turned into a werewolf and the lengths he goes to in order to take care of her afterward. The whole movie is a giant metaphor for someone taking care of an elderly parent who is suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s (something I am currently dealing with myself and believe me, it’s not a lot of fun) and there are scenes in it that are just heartbreaking in my opinion. I’ve always thought that this movie was a hidden gem, and if you can make it through the last couple of minutes without shedding a tear you may just have a heart of stone.
7. Cujo (1983)
I am a HUGE animal person and have a soft spot in my heart for cats and dogs in particular (I always have to leave the room or turn the channel when they show those depressing ASPCA or Humane Society of America commercials on TV) so the opening scene of Cujo – which sees the title animal being bit by a bat and getting rabies-has always bothered me. I have always felt sorry for Cujo as he was a good dog at one point and can’t help what he becomes and watching him go from being a lovable pet to crazed killing machine always brings me to tears.
Hug your dogs a little tighter after you watch this movie, and make sure that you get them vaccinated against rabies, so you don’t have to deal with the devastating repercussions of them contracting this horrible virus like the characters in this movie do. Believe me that Cujo isn’t the only canine friend that appears on this list.
Here are 8 fascinating facts about Cujo!
6. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Yes, I know that this movie is supposed to be funny, and it is for the most part. However, what happens to Shaun’s mom and best friend is not humorous at all, and no matter how many times I watch this movie their overall fates make me extremely sad. I know that the final scene is played for laughs, but I personally find it more depressing than anything. I may be the only person in the world who thinks that these scenes are sad, but deep down I have a feeling that there are other viewers out there that felt the same way after seeing them.
5. Jaws (1975)
While I feel bad for what happens to poor old Chrissie Watkins and Alex Kintner (and especially his mom after she realizes what has happened to him), there is one death in the movie that always brings me to tears, and that would be Pipit the dog. One minute we see him and his owner playing with a stick on the beach and the next the poor pooch is just gone without a trace, leaving only his stick behind. While we don’t see the shark devour the dog (thankfully), it is heavily implied that this is what happened. I really feel for his owner who is looking for him after the fact, and while I like to think that Pipit in reality just went home where he lived a long happy life full of bones and belly rubs I know in my heart that he was most likely eaten by the title character off screen.
- Deadly Friend (1986)
Deadly Friend (our retro review) is without a doubt my favorite Wes Craven movie even though the rest of the world seems to hate it. I think it is scary, touching, and thanks to one scene toward the end, incredibly sad. The scene in question sees the reanimated Samantha starting to come to her senses after going on a bloody rampage only to get shot and die in Paul’s arms seconds later. I cried like a little girl with a skinned knee when I first saw this scene back in the day, and all these years later it still bothers me. I just feel so bad for Paul and Samantha both, and even though I had a feeling there wasn’t going to be a happy ending for the couple this one still stings when I think about what could have been for them. They both deserved much better.
3. Ginger Snaps (2000)
I was obsessed with Ginger Snaps when it first came out and still think it’s one of the best werewolf films ever made. It is just a great movie in general and has some wonderful characters that you legit care about. Caring about the two main characters comes back to bite you in the end though as Ginger’s sister Brigitte is forced to do the unthinkable in order to stop her. The scene with Brigitte lying on Ginger’s body as she dies and the depressing music plays in the background always gets to me, and every time I see it, I can’t help but break down into tears.
2. Bad Moon (1996)
I’ve always loved Bad Moon and thought that it was underrated. The werewolf looks tough, there is some cool gore, and I always thought that it was neat that Thor the dog was pretty much the main character in it. That scene where Thor is taken to the pound is very hard to watch though. I was sobbing the first time I saw it and it still bothers me with each viewing (even though things work out and there is a somewhat happy ending after everything is said and done).
And the Saddest Horror Movie Moment that made me Cry like a Baby takes place in…
1. The Fly 2 (1989)
I have only seen this movie once and vowed never to watch it again due to a certain scene afterward because it made me openly sob for almost 20 minutes. I don’t want to give it away (and honestly don’t want to write about what happens because just thinking about it makes me want to cry), but it involves something horrible happening to the main character’s dog at one point. This is without a doubt the most depressing scene I have ever seen in ANY movie, and if you love dogs as much as I do then do yourself a favor and don’t watch this movie because this scene is beyond heartbreaking and stays with you forever.
There are times now that I think about it, and it just ruins my entire day because this scene is that sad. Don’t check it out if you are a fan of dogs. Trust me. You have been warned.
Honorable Mentions
- King Kong (1976) – “Don’t let go! Don’t let go!” -sob.
- Carrie (1976) – Carrie is just a depressing character in general, but her reaction after the pig blood is dropped on her is heartbreaking.
- The Mist (2007) – Yep, that ending that bothers everyone that sees it.
- Train to Busan (2016) – The last several minutes will reduce anyone to tears no matter how tough you are.
- Pet Sematary (1989) – Poor Gage and Church.
There you have it gang, my list of the Saddest Horror Movie Moments that made me cry. Agree? Disagree? Let me know what you think in the comments!
