Horror films can be incredibly heartbreaking. Some of the best horror movies incorporate tragic and heartbreaking scenes that make the movie much more powerful. When tragedies are incorporated into horror movies, it allows audiences to connect with the characters and story on a deeper level. Some of the most prolific industry creatives are experts at incorporating heartbreaking elements into their stories. Stephen King’s movie adaptation of Pet Sematary has a tragic scene that is incredibly brutal and shocking but sets the foundation for the rest of the movie.

Some of the greatest horror movies incorporate tragic scenes that either start the wild adventure for the rest of the movie or bring the ending to a heartbreaking close. Mourning and death scenes in movies will always tug at the audiences’ heartstrings. However, some horror movies take more simple approaches to tragic scenes and almost make them uncomfortable to watch, like Hereditary’s brutal beheading scene. Some horror movies have such tragedies in them, that audiences can forget they were supposed to be scared and not heartbroken.

10

The Mist (2017)

Directed by Frank Darabont

A Stephen King adaptation movie, The Mist, was released in 2007 and is a sci-fi horror movie starring Thomas Jane, Laurie Holden, and Marcia Gay Harden. When a storm damages a town, residents pick up supplies from a local grocery store and get stuck inside when the thick mist rolls through the town and dangerous monsters lurk inside the mist, killing the townsfolk caught in the mist. The Mist is an apocalyptic horror movie with terrifying aliens and plenty of grim moments.

The ending of The Mist is one of the most tragic and devastating movie ending scenes. This movie is filled with tragedy after tragedy, from the deaths of young kids to the overwhelming despair that they are all doomed. When faced with the unthinkable between dying by monstrous aliens or taking matters into their own hands, the characters take control of their own fate and kill themselves. Thomas Jane’s character, David immediately regrets his decision after killing his friends and his own son when help shows up to rescue them only moments after they died.

9

Hereditary (2018)

Directed by Ari Aster

A24’s horror movie Hereditary was an instant classic. Starring Toni Collette, Alex Wolff, Milly Shapiro, and Gabriel Byrne, Hereditary is about the death of the grandmother of a family and the terrifying, supernatural events that follow her death. Hereditary has resonated with audiences because it’s a terrifying movie about a seemingly normal family that experiences trauma and horrific events together.

Even though the emotional damage to this family starts at the beginning with the loss of the grandma, the most traumatic and horrifying death comes when the youngest member of the family, Charlie, is beheaded. While the beheading scene itself isn’t shown, the audience experiences the horrified expression of her older brother and the sounds of a headless Charlie in the backseat of the car. It’s one of the few disturbing horror movies that pushes boundaries with the horrific death of a child and uses that as a plot point for the downfall of an already struggling family.

8

Train to Busan (2016)

Directed by Yeon Sang-ho

Train to Busan is a Korean horror movie about a father and daughter trapped on a train when a zombie outbreak happens, and they must fight to survive. Released in 2016, Train to Busan has become a zombie movie favorite among horror fans. It’s a fast-paced movie that pulls at audiences’ emotions because of the relationship between characters, Seok-Woo, played by Gong Yoo, and his daughter, Su-an, played by Kim Su-an.

Even though Train to Busan follows the same formula as other great horror zombie movies with fast-turning, fast-moving zombies, it also stands out on its own for the tragic story. While their relationship is already strained, the father and daughter realize how much they need each other and, ultimately, they are going to lose each other when Seok-woo is bitten. From the daughter’s perspective, it’s the worst-case scenario, since she doesn’t know her mom’s fate either, making it a very tragic scene as she’s left in the hands of a woman she just met.

7

The Orphanage (2007)

Directed by J.A. Bayona

The Orphanage is a Spanish-language horror movie that was released in 2007. Starring Belén Rueda, playing Laura, it’s about Laura moving into an orphanage where she grew up, and she decides to convert it into a caretaking place for children with disabilities. Her son, Simon, soon disappears, and it sends Laura into a dark spiral. The Orphanage is a haunting ghost story filled with suspense and tragic scenes because of Laura’s despair and heartbreak from her son’s disappearance.

Similar to Train to Busan, the relationship between parent and child is the reason the movie stands out. The most tragic scene comes from Laura finding Simon’s body, and she takes her own life because of the pain. In death, she’s reunited with Simon and the orphans who died. The Orphanage embraces the “nothing greater than a mother’s love” expression and incorporates it into the heartbreaking story.

6

Mother! (2017)

Directed by Darren Aronofsky

Mother! is a horrifying psychological movie about a married couple whose home is overrun with uninvited guests and they bring chaos into their lives. Starring Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem, Mother! is a movie about humanity and incorporates Bible themes and references. Jennifer Lawrence represents Mother Earth, playing the role of Mother, and the chaotic people who enter her home are the destructive forces.

Although heavy on symbolism, Mother! is actually a simple story with a tragic ending. In the movie, Mother gives birth to a baby and Javier Bardem’s character, playing the role of Him, wants to take the baby and sacrifice it to the worshipers. Mother dozes off momentarily while holding the baby and when she wakes up, the baby is gone. Him sacrifices the baby to the crowd and it’s eaten. It’s a horrifying, tragic scene that’s hard to stomach. While the bigger meaning of the scene is meant to represent humanity’s destruction, it’s definitely not an easy watch.

5

The Descent Part 2 (2009)

Directed by Jon Harris

The Descent was released in 2005 and is a monster horror movie about a young woman named Sarah and her group of friends who explore an unknown cave. Released four years later, The Descent Part 2 follows Sarah’s journey as she survives the horrible monsters and wakes up in a hospital without any memory of the cave or what happened to her friends. The police are convinced Sarah was involved in the disappearance of her friends and force her to return to the cave, only for the horrific memories to come flooding back.

Sarah has lost her husband and child in a car crash and then loses all her friends to the cannibalistic monsters. After this ordeal, she discovers her friend who she thought was ᴅᴇᴀᴅ is alive inside the cave. But even after experiencing multiple tragedies, her friend ultimately dies in her arms. Sarah has fought for her life over and over again and realizes it’s too much to handle. She sacrifices herself by luring the monsters to her and allows Rios, the sheriff, to narrowly escape in a heartbreaking ending to her story.

4

Would You Rather (2013)

Directed by David Guy Levy

Would You Rather is a thrilling horror film, starring Brittany Snow. Released in 2012, Would You Rather is about a group of cash-strapped people who are tricked into playing a ᴅᴇᴀᴅly game where the winner takes home a large sum of money. Brittany Snow’s character, Iris, joins the ᴅᴇᴀᴅly game to help pay for her brother’s cancer treatment but discovers there will only be one winner who survives the game, as each round of the game is meant to kill someone.

Iris goes through hell in the movie to survive. She has to hurt other people and hurt herself to stay alive. While the entire movie is tragic as people start to die, including an elderly woman, the most tragic scene is the finale. When Iris returns home and discovers her brother has killed himself, Iris breaks down. At the moment, Iris is distraught, but as a viewer, it’s evident that the entire game and the murders of everyone were all for nothing. Would You Rather is a menacing horror movie with one of the most heartbreaking endings.

3

Doctor Sleep (2019)

Directed by Mike Flanagan

Another great Stephen King novel adaptation, Doctor Sleep, is a sequel to The Shining. The movie follows Dan Torrance, now an adult, who meets Abra, who also has the same supernatural gifts as him. They are being targeted by a group called the True Knot who hunt down people with “the shining” gift and kill them to keep themselves immortal. Released 39 years after The Shining, Doctor Sleep is filled with tragic scenes that push audiences’ comfort zones.

In one of the heartbreaking scenes, the True Knot stalks a young boy after his baseball game to take his “shining” gifts away from him. After they capture him, they hold him down and torture him. As a result, he releases his “shining” steam, and they absorb it for themselves. Unlike Hereditary where the child’s death takes place off-screen, Doctor Sleep uses the tragic scene and showcases everything. It’s a disturbing and brutal torture scene that’s hard to digest because of Jacob Tremblay’s incredible acting, which makes his death scene feel all too real.

2

Speak No Evil (2024)

Directed by James Watkins

Released in 2024, Speak No Evil is about a family who spends the weekend at an abnormal family’s home and discovers they are harboring some dark secrets. Starring James McAvoy and Aisling Franciosi as the offbeat couple and Mackenzie Davis and Scoot McNairy as the normal couple, they make the perfect set of couples because of their opposite behaviors. The odd couple’s secret comes to light that their son, Ant, played by Dan Hough isn’t really their son, and they’ve mutilated him by taking out his tongue.

When this discovery is revealed, the movie turns from horror to heartbreaking. It’s even more tragic when they plan to escape with Ant, and he’s tossed into the pond by his parents even though he can’t swim. Riddled with sad moments, Speak No Evil is able to blend the horrific moments with the most upsetting moments, making it an amazing horror movie.

1

The Strangers (2008)

Directed by Bryan Bertino

The first installment of the franchise, The Strangers, is an unsettling horror movie about a couple who are tormented by masked murderers in their quiet, secluded home. Starring Liv Tyler as Kristen and Scott Speedman as James, they return home from a night out and things are tense between the couple as Kristen has turned down James’ marriage proposal. As things grow tense between them, in the middle of the night, they receive multiple knocks at their door and soon realize they are being targeted for no apparent reason.

While the tragedy comes from the finale, the movie builds up to the heartbreaking ending. Although they are in the middle of a breakup, James and Kristen not only fight for their lives but fight for each other. They work together, but ultimately, they are outnumbered. In the end, James and Kristen realize there’s no escaping, and they are going to die at the hands of the crazed murderers. James looks at Kristen’s hand and realizes she’s wearing the ring she rejected from him earlier. It’s a sad ending to a brutal serial killer movie.