{"id":2106712,"date":"2025-10-21T21:36:27","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T21:36:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2106712"},"modified":"2025-10-21T21:36:27","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T21:36:27","slug":"death-becomes-her-raises-a-terrifying-question-that-still-haunts-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/death-becomes-her-raises-a-terrifying-question-that-still-haunts-me\/","title":{"rendered":"DEATH BECOMES HER Raises a Terrifying Question That Still Haunts Me"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Last year, I included 1992\u2019s <em>Death Becomes Her<\/em> on our list of <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nerdist.com\/article\/the-funniest-horror-comedy-films-ever\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:funniest horror-comedies ever;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">funniest horror-comedies ever<\/a>. It was an obvious and correct inclusion. Just as it seemed too obvious and correct to omit it from our list of <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nerdist.com\/article\/13-scariest-horror-comedy-films\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:scariest horror-comedies ever;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">scariest horror-comedies ever<\/a>. But maybe I should have, because something about that movie has haunted me for more than 30 years. Robert Zemeckis\u2019 film raises a terrifying question, one I\u2019ve never stopped thinking about because it\u2019s unanswerable. And that\u2019s what really makes it scary, because no one can tell me what would happen to Madeline and Helen if they tried escaping their eternal nightmare by having themselves cremated in <em>Death Becomes Her<\/em>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Universal Pictures<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>Death Becomes Her<\/em> works as a truly great horror-comedy because while it\u2019s incredibly funny and creative, it is anchored by a truly scary premise. Two competitive vanity monsters, each terrified of growing old, turn to a dark sorceress. She can help them overcome \u201cnatural law\u201d with a magical elixir. It \u201cstops the aging process dead in its tracks and forces it into retreat,\u201d ensuring those who drink it won\u2019t age \u201ceven one day older again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">It\u2019s only after they take that cursed potion when the warning comes. They\u2019re told \u201ctake care of yourself\u201d because \u201cyou and your body are going to be together a long time.\u201d Not just a long time. Forever.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Isabella Rossellini as a dark sorceress in Death Becomes Her\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"541\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/72LJ9Wxx2.GR7Oij8tkKkg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MTtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/nerdist_761\/40bd3e0f04b60d2b80803301fd70c6f8\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Universal Pictures<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Madeline and Helen\u2019s hatred for one another results in the destruction of their bodies. Their violence leaves them twisted, broken beings caught between life and death. The movie ends with a reminder of their dark fate, as the foes forced to become eternal allies attend the funeral of Ernest, who refused to drink the ageless elixir. They will never get what he did, the gift of a good death. They will never be free of pain and worry. Madeline and Helen are damned to live forever fully conscious of the very monstrosities they feared.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">It\u2019s both genuinely chilling and funny, the perfect ending for a black horror-comedy. But from the first time I saw it as a kid, I\u2019ve obsessed over a possibility. I\u2019ve wondered if there was anyway for the two of them to escape their own damnation. The only possible freedom would be freedom of consciousness. That\u2019s what causes their suffering, not any kind of physical pain. So while they might never know the quiet peace of death, what if they could know the quiet peace of not knowing anything? What if they burned their bodies so that no one could ever piece them\u2014specifically their brains\u2014back together?<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Goldie Hawn and Meryl Srteep in black funeral clothes in Death Becomes Her\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"541\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/fmwGVbaIBSPH9ZwLCHFdOQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MTtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/nerdist_761\/f4cacc36fd417c7fe658c4c108f4b5bc\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Universal Pictures<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Cremation seems like a possible solution. Maybe their only escape. The problem is obvious, though: <em>what if it\u2019s not?<\/em> What if cremating themselves doesn\u2019t change their consciousness? What if it merely dooms them be conscious dirt, thinking specks unable to even choose how to spend their own nightmare? The only thing worse than eternal life as a sentient undead Frankenstein-esque amalgamation of malformations is an eternal life as a sentient collection of ash.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">With, literally, forever to thin about how they could rid themselves of their own self-imposed curse, Madeline and Helen surely considered cremation at some point. They also surely dismissed it for all the reasons I listed. They could never try it because they would never know for certain it wouldn\u2019t be even worse than their current nightmare existence.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Goldie Hawn and Meryl Streep in Death Becomes Her\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"541\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/rjCmKUqdGQx0FLTP.SL1IA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MTtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/nerdist_761\/54a9a2255a5bdff90cf8aeba904214f4\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Universal Pictures<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>Death Becomes Her<\/em> deserves its spot as one of the funniest horror-comedies ever made. But after three decades thinking about the horrific fate of its two \u201chers\u201d it\u2019s clear it\u2019s also one of the scariest, too.<\/p>\n<p><em>Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. Obviously he thinks way too much, and way too deeply, about Death Becomes Her. You can follow him on\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/burgermike.bsky.social\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Bluesky at\u00a0@burgermike;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Bluesky at\u00a0@burgermike<\/a>. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Last year, I included 1992\u2019s Death Becomes Her on our list of funniest horror-comedies ever. It was an obvious and correct inclusion. Just as it seemed too obvious and correct to omit it from our list of scariest horror-comedies ever. But maybe I should have, because something about that movie has haunted me for more [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2106713,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[360138,351010,380539,398732,320410],"class_list":["post-2106712","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-death-becomes-her","tag-helen","tag-horror-comedy","tag-madeline","tag-universal-pictures"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/DEATH-BECOMES-HER-Raises-a-Terrifying-Question-That-Still-Haunts.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2106712","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2106712"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2106712\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2106714,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2106712\/revisions\/2106714"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2106713"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2106712"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2106712"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2106712"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}