To celebrate the release of Motel Hell on Blu-ray, we’ve compiled our Top 9 Chilling Chainsaw Kills. Of course this is in reference to the iconic chainsaw scene in the climax of the film. There was something simply unforgettable about Rory Calhoun wielding a ridiculously long chainsaw while wearing a pig head like a Halloween mask. Classic!
But before we get to our top horrific movie chainsaw kills, we have some honorable mentions to share with you. We’ve got to go way back to find some of the earliest on-screen chainsaw kills. We came up with Dark of the Sun (1968) and The Wizard of Gore (1970) for two of the first buzzsaw butcherings. We’ve also got to give recognition to the belovedly flawed chainsaw killing spree Pieces. Chainsaws were just one of the instruments of devastation in Tokyo Gore Police, but Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers was much more specific in its choice of weapons. And finally we give one last shout out to the frozen zombie romp Dead Snow.
And now, on to the Top 9 Chilling Chainsaw Kills.
American Psycho (2000)
Oh, Mr. Bateman, you do have a way with the ladies. But you’ve got to file it away in your memory bank that they don’t like being bitten that hard. American Psycho had some crazy scenes, but none nuttier than the flying chainsaw murder. Sure, the odds of dropping a chainsaw from three flights up and actually hitting a moving target with a hit direct enough to kill is probably pretty slim, but this was so cool that we’ll gladly suspend our disbelief and buy the fact that Patrick Bateman was one damn accurate chainsaw sniper. Big points for style on this one.
Hatchet II (2010)
As with everything creator Adam Green did with the Hatchet series, he took the chainsaw kill to a whole new level as well. It was not enough for Green to have Victor Crowley kill just one person at a time with a traditional chainsaw. Oh no. In Hatchet II Crowely de-crotches two victims at one time with a chainsaw long enough to cut through a Buick. Catch a glimpse of the devastation in the Hatchet II trailer.
Scarface (1987)
All great chainsaw kills don’t necessarily have to come in horror movies… although, as a rule, that’s normally how it goes. But the chainsaw murder in Brian De Palma’s legendary film Scarface was so intense and powerful you can almost mark it as the moment where Scarface took it to the next level. Not only does the scene have the bloody bathtub chainsaw kill and dismembering that Al Pacino’s character, Tony Montana, is forced to watch at gunpoint while awaiting his turn at the blade, there’s also a brutal gunshot to the head right in the middle of a crowded street in broad daylight. This was an incredible scene that set the tone for all the violence and debauchery that was yet to come in Scarface.
The Last House on the Left (1972)
No, it wasn’t much of a chainsaw they used in The Last House on the Left, quite a dinky little thing when compared to those used in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2 or the ridiculous giant in Hatchet II, but what this little chainsaw has going for it is legend. David Hess, who masterfully played the leader of the gang of bad guys, Krug, faced off with Dr. John Collingwood (played by Gaylord St. James) as the good doctor came at him with the aforementioned chainsaw. But in true 70’s/indie fashion, the little chainsaw was live! That’s right… no safety precautions, no gimmicked chainsaw. St. James was coming at Hess with a fully functioning, very deadly chainsaw as they slipped around on the floor. Although they surprisingly cut away from the actual chainsaw plunging into Krug’s chest, the effect was a complete home run and helped to cap off the gruesome finale of The Last House on the Left.
“Dexter” (2006-17)
“Close your eyes, Dexter. Don’t look.” The last words that Dexter Morgan’s mother would say to him before she was brutally murdered with a chainsaw in a shipment trailer, with Dexter left sitting in a pool of his mother’s blood until he was later found by the police. This particular chainsaw killing, of course, was the seed planted in Dexter’s head that would inspire him to kill scores of his own victims, trying to satiate his “dark passenger.” The murder of Dexter’s mother is indeed one of the more emotional ones you will see. And the massive amount of blood used in the scene creates an awesome effect. This moment was flashed back to on multiple occasions during the series run of “Dexter,” and each time you could feel his pain from the loss of his mother in such a horrific fashion.
The Chainsaw Sally Show (2010-12)
Chainsaw Sally is one entertaining girl. Created by the massively talented indie filmmaker JimmyO Burril and featuring his beautiful wife, April Monique Burril, as Chainsaw Sally, the project has been the subject of a feature film, two successful seasons as a web series, and now an upcoming animated series. The dialogue is wittily written by JimmyO, and April delivers it in a style only she can. Those of you who perhaps have not gotten to know Sally yet can do so with this great clip below, which served as a teaser for The Chainsaw Sally Show: Season 2 web series that was, to that point, the highlight of the Chainsaw Sally story. She’s funny, she’s sexy as hell, and she’s nuttier than squirrel shit. You can’t help but love Chainsaw Sally.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Part 2 (1986)
Sure, it might not have had the power or grit of the original film, but for pure chainsaw action, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Part 2 certainly brought its “A” game. Kudos must be given to Dennis Hopper’s up-the-butt chainsaw attack on The Cook, Drayton Sawyer, that took care of his hemorrhoids and led Drayton giving everyone the ol’ fuck-you-Charlie, but Chainsaw 2 had one even better right in the opening scene. Rowdy Texas high schoolers Buzz and Rick messed with the wrong creepy pickup truck, resulting in Leatherface removing the top half of Buzz’s head in an unforgettable Tom Savini F/X moment. Dog will hunt!
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
Although Leatherface didn’t actually get to do too much chainsaw slicing and dicing in the original film, we still, without a doubt, have to include the carving of Franklin Hardesty on this list. An angry, wheelchair-bound grouch, Franklin was the beast to his sister Sally’s beauty. Franklin fell victim to the Sawyer Clan in a gruesome manner (even though most of the visuals were cut away from, it’s still a very powerful scene as we witness Leatherface maniacally attacking Franklin). We’ve included an extended version of the clip here in tribute to the late Marilyn Burns, who played Sally, so you can watch her reaction as Franklin gets attacked as well as her nightmarish run through the woods while being chased by Leatherface. Rest in peace, Marilyn. The genre would not have been the same without you.
Evil Dead 2 (1987)/Army of Darkness (1997)/The Evil Dead (2017)
We have to include some love to the impressive chainsaw work in the Evil Dead remake and have included a clip below of the fantastic chainsaw kill in the movie’s finale. But as impressive as the modern version of Evil Dead violence was – and it was amazingly bloody, violent, twisted, and nasty – the originals brought something else to chainsaw violence: comedy. Bruce Campbell was doing Jim Carrey-like work before Jim Carrey did it mainstream. Campbell did more than just wield a chainsaw; he strapped the fucking thing right to his arm and, in a deviation from the norm, fought for the good guys. Groovy!