They can chill your bones, tickle your funny bones, and they’re made of bones—skeletons have been terrorizing the screen since before the turn of the century. Film wizards such as Tim Burton, Guillermo Del Toro, and Ray Harryhausen have all put their spooky stamp on these ever-endearing piles of walking osseous matter.
Do we love walking skeletons just because they look cool? Or because we’ve all fought them with a cutlass in our daydreams? Or maybe we know that under our skin we’re all just a bunch of skeletons, and they’re the one movie monster that we actually get to be. Whatever the reason, it’s time for some skeletal socializing.
For this list we’ll focus on skeletons in live-action films and TV (no offense to Jack Skellington and Smitty WerbenJagerManJensen). Some entries in the list are labeled in their respective films and series as “zombies”, but more or less count as skeletons.
In the words of one famous skeleton/zombie, let us sally forth.
1. Deadites – Army of Darkness
As the feeble humans prepare a medieval castle’s defenses, the undead Army of Darkness marches to the gates for an all-out skeleton assault. They’re looking for the Necronomicon, and ready to cut out any human “gizzard” they come across to get it.
Here, the skeletal spectacle gets awesomely cheesy: Deadites play the bagpipes, don Viking and Roman armor, and get splintered to pieces by the greatest tech of the 20th century. Director Sam Raimi doesn’t take them too seriously, and that’s just the way we like it.
What makes these guys stand apart from many other movie skeletons is their twisted sense of humanity. They speak, insult each other, and scream at their comrades to “get the hell out of here!” when all hope is lost. If you’ve lost count (as I have) of how many times you’ve seen the movie, it’s due in no small part to the evil Three Stooge-antics of the film’s undead.
2. Skeleton Warriors – Jason and the Argonauts
The deceptive King Aeëtes prays to the goddess Hecate to stop Jason and his men from escaping. In response, seven skeleton warriors, the “children of the Hydra’s teeth”, arise from the ground to start whupping the blinking-hell out of some pompous Argonauts.
The scowls on these monster’s faces says it all. Hefting their swords and charging with a screaming wail, these guys showed audiences in 1963 just what movie magic and some stop-motion action figures were capable of. The blend of live-action and animation makes the sequence more fun to watch than most advanced effects today.
Though Ray Harryhausen had created a skeleton fight sequence five years earlier in The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, it’s this one that has been stamped on the collective consciousness of the monster-loving community. A skeleton holding his bloody sword after stabbing one of Jason’s men makes for one of the most satisfying skeleton images in all of cinema.
3. Pirate Skeletons – Pirates of the Caribbean
Captain Barbossa and his crew of miscreants have been cursed to haunt the sea as skeletons. Their fleshless form is revealed when they step into the moonlight, and it’s going to take some Aztec gold, a kidnapping or two, and a whole lot of spilled blood to lift the curse.
You can’t get much better “live-action” skeletons than when you ride the Pirates ride at Disneyland. The movie’s skeletons come pretty darn close though. They might be regarded as “kid friendly” skeletons, but when you think about they’re pretty terrifying. No matter how deep you bury a cutlass into them, they’ll just pull it out and start swinging at you with it.
Also, instead of being relegated to just one scene of bone-jangling terror a la Jason and the Argonauts, the skeletons in this movie take center stage. The main villain, Barbossa, shows his ghastly form several times over, and for once, so does the hero. He “just couldn’t resist, mate.”
4. Crypt Zombies – The Haunted Mansion
Entering the mansion’s mausoleum to retrieve a key, realtor Jim Evers and his daughter accidentally disturb the rotting inhabitants of the Louisiana bayou. Among the 999 happy haunts, these skeletons are here to remind you that there’s room for a thousand.
They truly pulled the plug out of our nightmares with these creatures. The skeletons crawl out of coffins, slink up from the floors, and hiss their way through holes in the walls. If you’re looking to hear a chorus of “Grim Grinning Ghosts”, you’d best look elsewhere.
As debatable as the movie itself is, there’s no debate that it boasts some of the most effective skeletons ever put on the screen. This is largely due to the fact that, unlike the CGI of Pirates or the stop-motion wizardry of Jason, the undead here are entirely practical costumes and makeup. Thanks to makeup artist Rick Baker, they’re the best part of the film.
5. Charon – Clash of the Titans
Perseus and his crew are looking to cross the River Styx and it’s certainly no summer swimming hole. For a safe passage, their best bet is embarking with Charon, the ferryman of Hades. He’s okay with humans, as long as they’ve got the proper coinage.
Charon sets himself apart by being that one introverted skeleton that’s not out to cut your throat. The men give him his space as he rows them through the mist, the only sound he makes being the oar he dips into the river.
Though he’s on-screen for barely a minute, Charon is as memorable as any of the other monsters featured in the film. Even Perseus can’t even help but give one more glance backward at him after disembarking the ghostly boat. This skeleton never speaks, but by holding his bony palm outward before you think of stepping foot on his vessel, we all know exactly what he wants.
6. Ghost Rider – Ghost Rider
After inadvertently making a deal with the Devil, Johnny Blaze is cursed to become the Spirit of Vengeance, Ghost Rider. Fortunately, he chooses to use his power for good, chain-smacking demons and giving the Devil a taste of his own flaming medicine.
This leather-clad skullman spends his free time scaling skyscrapers with a blazing motorcycle. That might be enough for us to like him, but as a Dudley-Do-Right from Hell, we also see him thwarting robberies, beating up thugs, and ultimately saving the day.
We have here one of the most powerful skeletons in cinema, though he’s trapped in an ultimately mediocre movie. Even if the CGI sometimes misses the mark, a snarky skeleton who tells bad guys he’s all out of mercy is a movie presence to be reckoned with.
7. Skeleton Warrior – The 7th Voyage of Sinbad
Sinbad refuses to hand over a magic lamp after the magician Sokurah demands it from him. Utterly ticked off, Sokurah uses his sorcery to bring a skeleton warrior to life. The skeleton is anything but gutless, grabbing a sword and shield off the wall and instantly engaging in a duel.
Though he doesn’t have a brain, this guy still has one thing on his mind: eradicate Sinbad. He’s a fairly good fighter too, deftly dodging and parrying and even using his shield to full advantage when he finds himself disarmed. Too bad he decided to take the stairs.
Many people are less familiar with this blade-toting skeleton than they are with the skeletons from Jason and the Argonauts. The fight is a bit more focused, since here we have a one-on-one duel instead of a horde of angry skulls. The audience response was so enthusiastic in 1958 that it resulted in the Jason scene being created five years later.
8. Death – The Hogfather
Father Christmas (the Hogfather) has gone missing, so Death, being the warm-hearted chap he is, steps in as a substitute. Though he’s a bit out of place, he’ll do his best to deliver yuletide goodies to all the boys and girls of Discworld.
Tall, dark, and horrendous, Death hauls around his massive scythe just as Father Christmas would a sack of toys. He’s not here to scare you though, as he dons a fake beard to ask children what they want for Hogswatch (Christmas) and show that while life isn’t fair, he sure as heck is.
As far as skeletons go, we wouldn’t mind if this one came down our chimney for Christmas. In fact he’s what we all hope Death actually is—a wise sage who drops truth bombs like a boss. If the real Death has a kindly skull face like this, he’s welcome to usher me into the next eternity.
9. Knights Templar – Tombs of the Blind Dead
A group of unlucky Knights Templar come back as the undead at night, making live-luncheon out of tourists who use the area surrounding their tombs as an overnight campground.
Anyone unfortunate enough to find themselves backed against a stone wall or enjoying a leisurely trip onboard a passing train is subject to a hellish end. Their PTSD from the Crusades seems to have manifested itself in the worst way possible as they haunt their place of supposed rest.
These skeletons are so ruthless that their grim indifference to people’s screams of horror is pretty unnerving. Though you rarely get a glimpse of their skeletal faces behind their dark robes, the lack of anything resembling human mercy is so apparent, it would make Mr. Blonde from Reservoir Dogs pee his pants.
10. Skeleton Secretaries – Beetlejuice
The main office of the afterlife is a bureau full of overworked ghouls who look like they could use a break. In their midst the administrative skeletons pick through their paperwork the same way any living office worker would—with an eyeless stare that still manages to look busy.
They’re on screen for about five seconds, but that’s all it took to sear these 9-eternity workers into our brains. Their emotionless dedication to their tasks is perhaps disturbingly reminiscent of ourselves or someone we know when at work, giving them a scary edge over the skeletons that rely on blood and terror to elicit a scare from their audience.
In a movie filled with stylized monsters, Tim Burton made the great decision of not “Burtonizing” the skeletons. He keeps them looking how any normal workaday person would on a typical day in the hereafter, making a five-second clip more memorable than all 120 minutes of most movies today.
11. Ghost Skeleton – House on Haunted Hill
*SPOILERS*
As Annabelle Loren seeks to confirm her and her lover’s plot to kill her husband has succeeded, a skeleton rises from a vat of acid in the basement. Purporting to be the remains of her husband, it shows one way a spouse can demonstrate their displeasure at being cheated on.
Though we find out a moment later its really just a puppet being manipulated by Annabelle’s husband, the image of a walking skeleton putting its arm on a woman’s shoulder in a calmly murderous attitude is priceless. He may be on wires, but he walks with a purpose.
That said, it is pretty disappointing when we find out it’s just a trick. As much I wish the remains were real, a talking skull with the voice of Vincent Price is worth the price of admission any day.
12. Bloody Skeleton – Wishmaster
A djinn uses his magic to turn a Persian palace into a living nightmare. People run around screaming and mutating into all sorts of horrors, while one man’s bloody skeleton bursts out of his body and decides that he wants in on the fun around him.
In an all-too-brief appearance, this gory skeleton can’t decide fast enough who he should attack. He latches onto a guy who was probably his best friend just five minutes before, but who he now sees as a walking Shirazi salad.
For fans of visceral horror, you’ve found your totem skeleton. This guy has one of the most shocking introductions for a walking pile of bones you can find. Switching from “rising” practical effect, to CGI, to full-on puppet backpack, he chews through his short scene so fast you’ll be hoping for more. Perhaps a spin-off film called Return of the Bloody Skeleton?…
13. Vengeful Skeletons – Spy Kids 2
After Spy Kid Juni steals a gold medallion from a horde of treasure, some vengeful skeletons awaken to show him that breaking the seventh Commandment is a sure way to get yourself maimed.
Clenching swords between their teeth and scaling craggy cliff-faces, these skeletons show some great dexterity, even if some of their sword skills are a little wanting. Getting beat in a sword-fight with a little kid is nothing the remains of a Conquistador should be proud of.
Since its a kid’s movie, they’re made to be comical, screwing their heads back on and squabbling over the treasure like little kids over a toy. Thankfully though, they aren’t over the top cartoonish and we can even empathize with them a bit. Unlike their brethren from Jason and the Argonauts, these guys aren’t just on a murderous rampage—they just want their property back.
14. Wights – Game of Thrones
The White Walkers use their necromancy to bring corpses back to life, using them as their minions in a vicious mission to eradicate mankind and find some decent weather. The wights attack any warm-blooded individual they come across, including Bran Stark and his friends as they make their way beyond the Wall.
A wight is a specific undead creature within fantasy fiction, but their portrayal on Game of Thrones is certainly more skeletal. They burst from the ground in a hail of snow and couldn’t care less if you’re a major character or not. They hack away with axes and swords, and will still find time to gore you even if they’re headless.
We’ve seen skeleton warriors in other movies, but skeleton warriors in a frozen wasteland is enough of a change-up for me. Also, we get to see one of the great ironies of being brought back to life as a skeleton—being chewed to death by a dog.
15. Skeletor (Masters of the Universe)
Skeletor will stop at nothing to declare himself Master of the Universe. Capturing Castle Grayskull, acquiring the Cosmic Key, and screaming at the people of Eternia as a giant holographic projection, he’s ready to take on any muscle-bound pretty boy who dares stand in his way.
Frank Langella’s makeup here is bad, even by 80s movie standards, but that doesn’t stop Skeletor from being one of our favorite movie skeletons. He spouts biting vitriol as easily as he controls animated yellow electricity, and like an evil Walt Disney, forges an empire by surrounding himself with the best talent in the business.
His determination to be the best in Eternia is admirable. The guy loses his entire face from an acid spill and he still won’t back down. Though he’s eventually defeated, he even comes back for one-last after-credits “I’ll be back.” Well, Skeletor…we’re waiting.
Honorable Mentions
Big Ben – House
Brenda’s Skeleton – Scary Movie 2
Carnival Skeletons – Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children
