Offscreen Killer |
The oft-used cliche where the victim collapses in a heap for no apparent reason, to reveal their killer behind them, clutching a weapon. This is almost always used in a scene where the victim is about to commit some atrocity, such as shooting the hero in the head. In this case, the sound of the atrocity will be closely matched by the offscreen kill, in the futile attempt to fool the audience into thinking they *actually killed the hero*. The killer in this cliche is statistically likely to be a hitherto mostly harmless woman, and she will usually be shaking with fear.
11 deaths in this category : Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Jadis - 17% Congo Charlie Travis - 50% Freddy vs. Jason Gibb - 58% Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Wu Han - 30% Panic Room Raoul - 62% Paycheck James Rethrick - 27% Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Barbossa - 73% Simpsons Movie, The Russ Cargill - 87% Thunderball Emilio Largo - 32% Fiona Volpe - 64% X-Men: The Last Stand Scott 'Cyclops' Summers - 40% |