Death Montage

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A montage of a character (or characters) being killed repeatedly. Can be played for drama with multiple characters who die for good, but often done with the same character dying repeatedly, only to be brought back to life for whatever reason (just to die again). The latter is more often than not played as Black Humor because of the impermanence of the deaths.

Not to be confused with the Really Dead Montage.

No real life examples, please; Real Life does not have montages.

As a Death Trope, Spoilers ahead may be unmarked. Beware.

Examples of Death Montage include:

Film

  • Occurs in Groundhog Day, when Phil chooses to kill himself pretty much just to see if it will stick. It won't.

Live-Action TV

  • In the Groundhog Day Loop episode of Supernatural, we are treated to a series of Dean's deaths in increasingly unlikely and frankly, hilarious ways.
  • Played for drama in an episode of House where recipients of someone's organs all died at approximately the same time and their deaths are played rapid-fire in the Cold Open.
  • A variation in Torchwood: Miracle Day when the immortal Captain Jack Harkness is tied up in a basement and killed over and over—except it's not just a montage; he really is being killed that many times per minute.
  • Happens in the alternate universe episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer "The Wish", where Oz stakes Willow, Angel gets staked by the Master's minions, Buffy stakes Xander, and then the Master kills Buffy. Then the wish is reversed and the audience suffers Mood Whiplash.

Western Animation