Based on one of those stupid coffee break conversations I often have at work, here is a list of my favourite deaths ‘by toilet’ in movies and TV I have seen… you’re welcome…

Pulp Fiction (1994)
The non-linear storytelling of Tarantino’s cult classic Pulp Fiction is a joy to behold and for a die-hard Bruce Willis fan the way his character Butch dispatches a surprised Vincent Vega (John Travolta) after he’s taken time out on the loo is a thing of beautiful violent comedy timing.

I know strictly speaking Vega isn’t sitting on the toilet when he’s killed (funny how you misremember scenes even from your favourite films) but it’s close enough and deserves a listing here.

Jurassic Park (1993)
The first instalment of the recently resuscitated blockbuster movie franchise, was a groundbreaking special effects film mixing computer-generated dinosaurs the likes of which had never seen before with animatronic models and hand puppets. The result is a scary Westworld-inspired story of a theme park gone wrong with killer lizards instead of robot cowboys.

The death by toilet in this film is the classic demise of lawyer Donald Gennaro (Martin Ferrero) who for some reason thinks hiding on the toilet while a giant rampaging T-Rex is on the war path is a great idea. It’s almost cartoon-like in its execution but still left some people wondering quite how the film studio managed to wangle a PG rating.

Game of Thrones – Season 4 (2014)
In a scene lifted largely intact from the Song of Ice and Fire series of books by George R. R. Martin which featured in the final episode of Season 4 of the TV show, ‘The Children’, Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) buries the hatchet (well the crossbow bolt) with his awful father Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance) while he’s ‘making dirt’ in the garderobe.

I inserted ‘and TV’ into the topic so I could get away with including this. I like to think George R. R. Martin was inspired by Pulp Fiction in the way Tyrion catches pops with his pants down.

Zombieland (2009)
Jesse Eisenberg lays out the rules for surviving Zombieland which include cautious crapping, since “…when you’re at your most vulnerable somehow they could just smell it…”

Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Woody Harrison and Abigail Breslin reprise their roles in the sequel Zombieland: Double Tap in cinemas shortly.

Snakes on a Plane (2006)
At 30,000 feet, snakes aren’t the deadliest thing on this fan-serving plane, but tell that to the guy who gets bit on his dick in the WC.

This scene just about sums up the ‘level’ of this film, by the end of which (if you make it that far) you’ll be quoting Neville Flynn (Samuel L. Jackson): “I have had it with these motherfucking snakes on this motherfucking plane!”

Scream 2 (1997)
Death by toilet is a pretty well trodden path for the horror genre (see the links below for the reason why) and so I won’t list all the ones I have found here but rather include this representative death from the Wes Craven trope-fest sequel Scream 2.

There’s a kind of moral to the scene – don’t be trying to listen in on people in toilet cubicles!

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)
On a lighter note here’s what happens when writer and actor Mike Myers gets involved in exploring the trope in the first instalment of the Austin Powers trilogy. These comedy send ups of all things Bondesque explored many a toilet-related seam of comedy gold.

“Evacuation complete!”

The Boondock Saints (1999)
I have to admit I haven’t seen this movie about two Irish Catholic brothers who embark on a vigilante crusade against Boston’s criminal underworld, but I include it here as it’s a bit different from the others in that the khazi is the star of the scene.

If you enjoyed this post then here are some related links I found among my travels which detail more deaths by toilet and go on to explore the reasons why these scenes keep cropping up (personally I blame Elvis):

IRL
Toilet deaths often occur in real life. When a person goes for a dump the blood circulation through their body changes. If they have a weak heart the change in blood flow can cause the brain to lose oxygen and suffocate, and/or a heart attack can be induced from straining too much on the job at hand. It’s not a pretty way to go and, based on an incident in my neighbourhood, I include a reference to it in my new book Black Book which will be out next year. And if that’s not a good reason to buy it I don’t what is…

For some real examples, look no further than this link:

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