Every time I read about the greatest film scenes in cinematic history, I always notice how many of the lists totally ignore the horror genre. (Except for the bloody showdown at House of Blue Leaves in Kill Bill. Most lists usually note that gem.)
Tons of horror films are full of memorable fight scenes that are hardly ever recognized by anyone besides horror geeks like you and I. Some of my key choices on this list are obscure, some of them are well known, and some are even goofy as hell, but they all deserve a little recognition.
Although I know there are tons of choices to pick, here is my personal list of showdowns that will be forever embedded in my memory. *Spit Bullets below for your own suggestions.
2. Freddy vs. Jason-Freddy vs. Jason
After watching Freddy’s ginsu knife glove emerge from the dirt at the end of Jason Goes to Hell, horror fans around the world eagerly waited over ten years to see Freddy and Jason duke it out. Although the battle was very anti-climatic, (neither of them won and neither of them died) it was still amazing to see the two most popular villains in the slasher genre come face to face. It was most fanboys/girls dream come true.
3. Ripley Vs The Queen Alien-Aliens
It’s funny how I’ve never been a huge Alien fanatic, yet the series always ends up on my top ten. If I didn’t put this legendary showdown on the list, I would have a bunch of hate mail coming my way. Ripley defeating the Queen Alien with the famous yellow fork lift is a scene most horror fans know by memory, but it’s also one of the best fight scenes in cinematic history. (Even regular moviegoers can’t argue that one!)
*Note: The reason why Alien vs. Predator didn’t make the cut, is because I refuse to pay tribute to a PG-13 fight between popular movie villains from R rated franchises. (I hope AVP2 gets it right!)
4. Ash. His Own Hand-Evil Dead 2
Ash had many unforgettable battles in the Evil Dead trilogy. In the first installment, he fought his girlfriend’s head. In Army of Darkness, he fought mini-Ashes, but no fight is quite as impressive as when Ash ended up battling his own possessed hand. It made for a hilarious fight scene meshing slapstick with horror, and the scene is a fan favorite amongst Evil Dead fans.
1. John Nada vs. Frank-They Live
This pick shouldn’t be much of a surprise, considering the fact that it is one of the longest fight sequences ever shot on film. Last year when I had attended the Festival of Fear in Toronto, I had also found out from Roddy Piper that both him and Keith David did their own stunts for the scene. (Very impressive!) I love this fight scene, but I never understood why Frank just didn’t put on the glasses earlier. It would have saved them a whole lot of pain and bruises!
5. Laurie Strode vs. Michael Myers-H20
There are many classic showdowns in the Halloween series, but to me at least, none were as monumental and as powerful as seeing victim turned bad ass, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) fight her psychotic brother, Michael Myers in H20. Seeing a fed up Laurie with an axe confront her demons (or should I say demon?) made the fangirl inside me smile with glee.
6. The Warden’s severed penis vs. Zombie rat-Beyond Re-Animator
If you’re having a real bad day, all you simply need to do is get the Beyond Re-Animator DVD and fast forward until the end credits. There you will be able to witness a severed penis and a zombie rat fighting to the death, kung-fu style. (I’m sure there is a small group of you that have the DVD that are looking for it now as you read this!) If that doesn’t cheer up, then nothing will!
7. Father McGruder vs Zombies-Braindead
I had recently shown this very gory Rom Zom Com to my close friends, and they all agreed the scene where Father “ I kick ass for the lord” McGruder uses kung-fu to defeat the undead was by far the trippiest and funniest scene they have ever seen in their lives. (Yes, I was evil and made them watch this Peter Jackson cult classic for the first time WASTED!) The fight scene to me was genius, for it made you feel bad when the priest who had popped out of nowhere eventually gets defeated by the zombies at the end of the scene.
8. Zombie Vs Shark-Zombie
I was going to put down the infamous showdown between the three men and Bruce the shark in Jaws, but then I realized there was even a more notable “shark attack” fight scene I should mention. If you haven’t seen Fulci’s Zombi 2, please do if only to see a zombie battling a great white shark underwater. The zombie even manages to get a few bites in, before the shark gets fed up and ends up biting his hand off. It is definitely a scene you will never forget
9. The Girls Vs the Crawlers-The Descent
As a woman, watching the scene where Sarah and Juno briefly join forces to take out the crawlers at the end felt very empowering. I cheered for every blow, stab, and kill these girls managed to get against the flesh-eating creatures. I commend writer/director Neil Marshall for making a horror film with more than just ONE powerful woman in it.
10. Texas Ranger Lefty Enright vs Leatherface-The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
Seeking revenge for his nephew’s death, “Lefty”(Dennis Hopper) confronts Leatherface in a showdown in the family’s lair that is not to be missed. Dennis Hopper’s outrageous over acting is gold, and seeing him wield that chainsaw with a crazed look on his face that makes even Leatherface look sane, is priceless
