(Needless to day, here be a few spoilers.)
10. “Feeling chipper”, Fargo (1996)
OK, so this one has more to do with the disposal of Carl's (Steve Buschemi's) already dead body than his actual demise, but surely you'd agree that being chopped down by your disgruntled partner with an axe isn't nearly as interesting as having your carcass run through a wood chipper. This makes for probably the most hilariously macabre image in the Coen brothers' filmography.
9. “Paint job”, Goldfinger (1964)
Not content to simply have his target shot or strangled or smothered in her sleep, Auric Goldfinger lives up to his ridiculously contrived name by having Jill Masterson (Shirley Eaton) coated in gold paint to suffocate the pores in her skin. That's a mighty involved assassination plot. I give Goldfinger credit just for pulling it off. If she were a snorer that would've screwed his whole plan.
8. “Dawn to dust”, Nosferatu (1921)
Any old vampire can turn to dust in the rise of the sun, but Count Orlok (Max Shreck) sticks in my memory because he has the wherewithal to strike an awesome pose before dissolving into a pile of ashes. The blocking of this shot (and many others in the film) is no accident; Shreck was often shot in profile to accentuate his long nose and fingers, a product of the film's antisemitic undertones.
7. “Bullettime”, Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
Talk about hitting a fly with a hammer. Someone might have told the police that only two well-aimed bullets would have done the trick, but would that have cemented Bonnie and Clyde's (Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty's) legendary celebrity status quite as effectively? Probably not. This bullet-riddling finale also cements the film's legendary status as a pioneer of modern screen violence.
6. “Quint-essential death scene” , Jaws (1975)
Every angler prays for the day when the fish will jump right into their boat, but in the case of a 30-foot great white shark, I'm sure Quint (Robert Shaw) would make an exception. After a production plagued by technical malfunctions, the crew finally got that infamously temperamental mechanical shark (nicknamed Bruce after Spielberg's lawyer) to give our grizzled captain his grisly end.
5. “No capes!”, The Incredibles (2004)
This darkly funny mini-montage (probably as darkly funny as Pixar is willing to get) packs five cartoonish deaths into about 30 seconds, set to Edna Mode's (Brad Bird's) exasperated rant about why capes, though undeniably stylish in a vintage sorta way, are the most superfluous, impractical, and needlessly dangerous accessory a superhero could own.
4. “Upset stomach”, Alien (1979)
We were all surprised to see Kane (John Hurt) walk away unscathed after that spidery alien parasite latched itself to his face, but even more surprised to later see the baby alien burst forth from his chest in one of sci-fi's most terrifying scenes. Concept artist H.R. Giger always gets the credit for the fully grown alien, but it's Roger Dicken who deserves props for designing and fabricating the creature in these earlier life stages.
3. “Ark welder”, Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Poor old Maj. Toht (Ronald Lacey). His Coppertone was no match for the wrath of God. Of all the evil movie Nazis who have ever received their comeuppance, his might be the most gruesomely satisfying to watch. We have special makeup artist Chris Walas to thank for meticulously recreating Lacey's screaming face with layers of coloured gelatin that were then melted away by a heat gun.
2. “Where's my parade?”, The Naked Gun (1988)
The over-the-top slapstick flavour of the nasty fate of Vincent Ludwig (Ricardo Montoblan) is enough to have even his mourners, if any, rolling in the aisles. The real kicker is Ed's broken up reaction: “Oh, Frank, it's horrible! It's so horrible! My father went the same way.” So falling from a stadium roof and then being run over by a bus, steamroller, and marching band isn't such a unique way to go after all.
1. “What a world! What a world!”, The Wizard of Oz (1939)
While it's perhaps the most oft quoted death scene in American movie history, what always gets me about this classic moment is that it's actually kind of a cop out (and I love it)! When our heroes are cornered with no seeming means of escape, all of a sudden, just out of the blue, the Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton) gets splashed and POOF she's history. No set up, no explanation, just like that. I'm guessing she didn't shower much. But what also gets me is the irony that it was a bucket of water (and a quick-thinking crew member) that saved Margaret 
Hamilton's life when she was severely burned by the fireball that announces her dramatic exit from Munchkin Land. An honourable mention goes out to the Witch of the West's sister from the East, who gets her own pretty awesome (though unseen) death.
Hamilton's life when she was severely burned by the fireball that announces her dramatic exit from Munchkin Land. An honourable mention goes out to the Witch of the West's sister from the East, who gets her own pretty awesome (though unseen) death.