Regarding that "death by trombone"- are there any other horror films with exclusively unique kills?
Now this is going to be a fun one. However, I am going to have to exclude any and all kills from the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, due to the very nature of the films. I’m also going to have to disqualify most psychically-caused, animal-related, drug/alcohol-related, or toy-related kills as well (such things have been done to death. No pun intended).
The main criteria for judgement will be:
Whether it has been done before (if there is a precedent).
Whether it has been widely imitated since.
Sheer strangeness or humor.
So, in no particular order:
Jason X (2001):Â Face frozen in liquid nitrogen, and smashed on a counter top.
Dr. Giggles (1992):Â Suffocation by giant Band-aid.
Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988):Â Eaten by a shadow puppet.
Sleepwalkers (1992):Â Stabbed by an ear of corn.
Deadly Friend (1986):Â Decapitation by basketball.
The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971):Â Head crushed by mechanical frog mask.
Dial: Help (1988): Strangulation by telephone possessed by ghost operators. The phone of the film’s heroine later seduces her into taking a bath while wearing lingerie. I’m not kidding.
The Wicker Man (1973):Â Immolation inside a giant, wicker mannequin.
Gremlins (1984):Â Unscheduled stairlift launch.
The Toxic Avenger: Part II (1989):Â Death by thrown starfish.
Hausu (1977):Â Eaten by a piano.
Graduation Day (1981):Â Impalement by a sword attached to a thrown football.
Final Destination 3 (2006):Â Cooked alive inside a tanning bed.
Death Bed: The Bed that Eats (1977):Â Digested by a demonic water bed.
Grim Prairie Tales (1990):Â Swallowed whole by a carnivorous vagina.
There are many more out there, but to find/remember and list them all would take a lifetime, and this post is long enough as it is.