8 Movies With Unique Perspectives on Death

1. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

Miloš Forman's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is brimming with psychotic energy. However, let's face it: Part of that energy is actually pretty dark, if not plain morbid. By the end, there are themes of suicide as well as euthanasia. Plus, many of the characters are essentially caged inside themselves, with the psychiatric hospital outwardly representing their inner turmoil and suppression. Randle Patrick "R.P." McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) ultimately becomes a shell of his former self — both good and bad — and therefore already dead. Billy Bibbit (Brad Dourif) is destroyed by his inhibitions, as well as the outside world trying to control and manipulate his judgment. All does not end well.

Though she seems human enough, Nurse Mildred Ratched (Louise Fletcher) ends up feeling like the cessation of life personified, perhaps intentionally shriveling away any genuine happiness and bonds between the patients. Ultimately, they are just entities for her to exercise her will over. Even though she does not abuse her power beyond a certain point, she still manages to instill chaos through her constant pursuit of order, and the chaos ultimately leads to death. There's a reason this film won all 5 major Academy Awards.

2. House (1985)

While few (if any) would consider Steve Miner's House as incredible as Cuckoo's Nest, the movie nevertheless has some interesting perspectives on death. Writer Roger Cobb (William Katt) is surrounded by death and mystery. His aunt (Susan French) committed suicide, which wins him a new house. Also, his son (Erik and Mark Silver) has mysteriously disappeared. If that's not enough, Cobb is haunted by guilt feelings over the death of Big Ben (Richard Moll) during the Vietnam War. As he tries to write about those events in the war, the house starts turning on him, perhaps picking up on his negative psychic energies.

Along the way, the movie shifts from madcap, zany moods to more serious, contemplative feelings. It's a bit of a sloppy hodgepodge of emotions but ultimately creates a unique universe blending melancholy madness and shlock horror aplenty. In some ways, the Evil Dead movies do this as well, and arguably better. However, House has enough unique elements to set it apart from that franchise. If nothing else it has George Wendt, right? Plus, you have to love the freaky moments where Roger Cobb's wife (Kay Lenz) turns into a weird-ass blue monster (Peter Pitofsky). Who wouldn't end up shooting that thing?!

3. Flatliners (1990)

Joel Schumacher's Flatliners is a psychological drama with horror underpinnings, because it's all about death, baby! Five rogue medical students seek the ultimate answers (and the ultimate rush) of knowing what follows life. Is there an afterlife? Well, as one might guess, Flatliners proposes that there is one. However, it's probably not as pleasant as Heaven or clearcut as Hell. Each character regrets dying and resurrection, ultimately. Basically, the sins of one's past are supposedly primed and ready to haunt us when we cheat death. How does it work? Who knows?!

The point is, it's sort of fun (and harrowing at times) to watch. Granted, Julia Roberts's memory is more of a goody-two-shoes sort of thing, but the other characters have bigger skeletons in their closets. Want to see Kiefer Sutherland get beat up by a kid (Joshua Rudoy)? Flatliners has it! Want to see William Baldwin as a womanizer haunted by his former lays? Well, it's here. How about Kevin Bacon getting viciously sworn at by a kid (Kesha Reed)? Ding ding ding! Flatliners presents a look beyond life, without getting too deep about it, which might just as well be a strength as a weakness.

4. Bicentennial Man (1999)

A shockingly underrated film from Chris Columbus, Bicentennial Man stars Robin Williams as "Andrew," a learning robot who joins a family to perform tasks. However, the more Andrew learns, the more he appreciates what it is to be human. Yes, he surprisingly has the capacity for emotion, or some approximation thereof.

As the film progresses, Andrew does many things: He buys his freedom from the family and ultimately decides he'd prefer being human over being a machine. The end result is, of course, that he would ultimately die much quicker than if he remained more purely robotic. Oh well! Bicentennial Man also stars Sam Neill, Embeth Davidtz, Wendy Crewson, and Oliver Platt.

4. The Descent (2005)

In an article I wrote elsewhere, I debated the need for Neil Marshall's The Descent to feature monsters. While it is a good movie with or without those creatures, part of what makes it effective is that the main character, Sarah (Shauna Macdonald), is dealing with depression after the loss of her husband (Oliver Milburn) and daughter (Molly Kayll).

It inspires her female pals — especially Juno (Natalie Mendoza) — to arrange a cave adventure. However, along the way, it becomes questionable how close they are as a group. Also, they get stuck in the cave and pursued by humanoid cave creatures commonly called crawlers (sorry for all the "C" words, but alliteration sometimes works!). Basically, death is what brings these unfortunate ladies into that cave, and death is there to meet them.

5. Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth is a modern classic, marrying themes of dark fantasy, political intrigue and family drama to overarching themes of life, idealism, and death. There is a mythology of death and return, centered around the imagination of young Ofelia (Ivana Baquero). Unfortunately for Ofelia, her mother (Ariadna Gil) has married Captain Vidal (Sergi López), a cruel and sadistic fascist officer at war with nearby rebels.

Ofelia's unique mythology includes the Faun and the Pale Man (Doug Jones). both memorable, magical and unsettling characters. Of course, the political reality exposes the deadly nature so common to authority, which is contrasted with the rebels who have a noticeably more humanistic mindset. Quite simply, the politically motivated deaths end up seeming pointless compared to Ofelia's imagination. Pan's Labyrinth is a truly unique movie about fantasy, life, death, and sacrifice. While I wish the villain was somewhat less evil, the movie is well-deserving of its acclaim and won a fair amount of awards.

6. Moon (2009)

I have reviewed Duncan Jones' Moon elsewhere, so you can read that here. Suffice it to say, Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) dominates this film, which is a powerful drama about a man who meets a mysterious stranger while isolated in space. Is that stranger himself?

What's strange about Moon is that, despite the viewer wanting it to be far-fetched, it's surprisingly plausible. The film ultimately makes us look at how disposable a human life can be, and the pitfalls and perils of technological advancement. At the same time, it allows for a sense of wonder at what we can do. In that sense, Moon ends up as a pretty solid examination of the human condition, only on the moon. If you were up there, wouldn't you be doing some self-reflection of your own?

7. You Don't Know Jack (2010 TV Movie)

Al Pacino won Primetime Emmy, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild awards for his portrayal of Dr. Jack Kevorkian, whose practices of assisted suicide led him to the moniker of "Dr. Death." Does he deserve such a nickname? That all depends on who you ask, and what your opinion is. However, this film does remind us that not every case is so clear-cut.

While Kevorkian apparently always intervened with consent and even rejected many cases, the right course of action regarding life or death will always be debated. While one might side easily with Kevorkian, it could nevertheless seem unusual for one to be so attached to such a single cause, and it can seem morbid even if merciful. You Don't Know Jack also stars Danny Huston, Susan Sarandon, Brenda Vaccaro, and John Goodman.

8. Solace (2015)

Solace is an interesting movie, even if not masterfully done. The premise is that a psychic (Anthony Hopkins) is recruited by an FBI special agent (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) to track down a mercy serial killer (Colin Farrell). If that sounds outlandish, it's because it is. Nevertheless, Solace is reasonably entertaining and thought-provoking as its story involves plenty of engaging questions involving life and death.

Is a mercy killer as monstrous as a thrill killer? That question is more pertinent here than questions of psychic phenomena actually existing. That being said, any such movie should be taken with an obvious grain of salt. Also, you'll probably need to be in the mood for a movie that's on the somber side, as this one certainly is. So, if you are up for such a story, go ahead and check it out. Despite a low ranking among most critics, Solace isn't a terrible film, and perhaps deserved credit just for being slightly different.