In the history of cinema, filmmakers have done their best to bring all aspects of real life to the silver screen. Between life, love, family, and heartbreak, filmmakers have had a field day with the possibility. One hot topic that makes an appearance in most films is death. Death in cinema can be tragic. Whether it’s the tear-jerking Old Yeller death or the big shootout as seen in Scarface, deaths can be as dramatic as the filmmakers deem necessary.
While cinematic deaths can rouse all sorts of emotions, there are a number of ways to kill off characters. Some films take the direct approach, showing all the nitty-gritty details of a character’s death like Christian in Midsommar,while others simply show the character collapse naturally like Vito in The Godfather. Some films take a completely different approach and don’t show a character’s death on-screen, instead only showing the aftermath or nothing at all. Here are 10 off-screen deaths that were worse than actually seeing it.
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10 Se7en — Tracy Mills
New Line Cinema
David Fincher brought us one of the most twisted films in history, which revolves around detectives Mills (Brad Pitt) and Somerset (Morgan Freeman) hunting down a killer whose victims indulge in the seven deadly sins, hence the name Se7en. In one of the most horrifying twists of events, the killer John Doe instructs Mills and Somerset to drive to a desert location to which a box is delivered — which contains the head of Mills’ pregnant wife Tracy. While we don’t actually see John Doe murder Tracy, the way the news of her death is delivered is more horrific than actually seeing her be murdered and beheaded.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
9 Lupin & Tonks — Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Warner Bros.
One of the most beloved characters in the Harry Potter franchise is Professor Lupin. First introduced in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Lupin was immediately lovable as he saved Harry from the Dementors and taught him how to summon his Patronus. More than that, he fought off his demons as a werewolf and still managed to protect Harry and helped to save Hogwarts from Voldemort. In the final chapter of the Harry Potter franchise, The Deathly Hallows Part 2, a number of people sacrifice themselves to help save Hogwarts — and one such sacrifice is Professor Lupin, who died alongside his wife Tonks. We don’t see either of them die on-screen, but seeing their lifeless bodies side-by-side is somehow worse as their story comes to an abrupt end, leaving their child orphaned.
8 Mama Coco — Coco
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Coco is a Disney-Pixar animated film that revolves around Miguel Rivera, who, after stealing the guitar of a dead man, winds up finding himself in the afterlife, where he encounters his dead relatives and meets his great-great-grandfather Hector, who was mistakenly disowned by the family and is at risk of being forgotten forever. Thanks to Miguel and Mama Coco, Hector is reunited with his family, even after death. Mama Coco dies off-screen as we see her daughter place her picture on the ofrenda. While this touches our hearts, it’s even sweeter to see Coco reunited with her family in the land of the dead.
7 Jack Twist — Brokeback Mountain
Focus Features
In one of the sweetest love stories of all time, Brokeback Mountain showed audiences everywhere that love is love. Jack and Ennis meet when they take a job to herd sheep through the mountains, and the pair winds up falling in love. Despite the fact that they go their separate ways and live the lives expected of them, the love they share cannot be stifled, and they continue their affair for years. Sadly, Ennis later discovers that Jack die, and despite being told that it was an accident, it’s clear that Jack was murdered, presumably for being gay. While we only get to see flashes of what happened to Jack, his death still occurred off-screen. This only adds insult to injury as another loss to homophobia flies under the radar.
6 Agatha — The Grand Budapest Hotel
20th Century Fox
Wes Anderson’s award-winning film The Grand Budapest Hotel is truly a work of art. Between the stylized hotel setting and the unique characters, this film is arguably Anderson’s best work. Revolving around a bellhop named Zero, who ascends to become the owner of the hotel, The Grand Budapest Hotel is full of wild antics. One moment that shocked viewers was the death of Zero’s wife Agatha, who died of the flu along with their infant son. We only see Agatha how Zero remembers her and not how she was in the days before her death.
5 Adrian — Rocky Balboa
MGM
One of the most iconic film franchises of all-time is Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky series. Adrian and Rocky have one of the greatest love stories in cinematic history with Rocky’s iconic “Adrian!” There’s no doubt that everyone knows who Adrian is. In Rocky Balboa, Adrian is absent and had succumbed to cancer some time between the events of Rocky V and Rocky Balboa. While it was entirely possible for Stallone to kill Adrian on-screen, instead, seeing Rocky visit her grave is far more powerful as we see how the death affects Rocky.
4 Rooster Cogburn — True Grit
Paramount Pictures
The Coen Brothers made a name for themselves with several award-winning films. One such film is the remake of the classic western True Grit. Young Mattie Ross hires Rooster Cogburn to avenge the murder of her father. 25 years after their time together, Rooster invites Mattie to a Wild West show he is performing in. Upon her arrival at the show, she is informed that he died three days before her arrival. This off-screen death with only Mattie’s reaction allows us to see the bond between the pair and the devastation she felt at losing a man who helped her avenge her father.
3 Llewelyn Moss — No Country For Old Men
No Country For Old Men is one big metaphor for the inescapable nature of death. Llewelyn Moss stumbled upon $2 million of drug money and was on the run from a hitman hired to retrieve the money and the local sheriff. While Llewelyn’s death seems inevitable, we only hear shots ring out before witnessing him and a fellow motel occupant dead. Shortly after, we see Sheriff Ed and Llewelyn’s wife Carla Jean arrive to see Llewelyn’s dead body. Showing the reaction from Carla is more poignant than actually seeing the death take place on-screen.
2 Newt and Hicks — Alien 3
Brandywine Productions
In Alien 3, Rebecca “Newt” Jordan and Corporal Dwayne Hicks do not survive cryosleep. When the team’s ship crash-lands on a maximum security prison planet, the pods of Newt and Hicks catch fire upon entering the planet’s atmosphere. Only Ripley and Bishop manage to survive. While the pair perishes off-screen, seeing Ripley’s heartfelt tearful reaction to the loss is far more effective than showing the details of their deaths.
1 Rosie — Jojo Rabbit
Fox Searchlight Pictures
Jojo Rabbit revolves around a young German boy named Jojo, who discovers that his mother Rosie is hiding a Jewish girl named Else. Brainwashed Jojo, aided by his imaginary friend Adolf Hitler, must wrestle with his own nationalistic beliefs and his mother’s actions. Eventually, the Gestapo discover Rosie’s secret and her death is arguably one of the most gruesome on this list. Jojo discovers his mother’s dead body hung in the town square as an example. Not only did this harsh reality show the audience the realities of the Nazi regime, but this also showed Jojo what his people were capable of.
