Quotes / Removing the Head or Destroying the Brain

"You should have gone for the head."

— Thanos, Avengers: Infinity War

"If you kill the brain (Bang!)
then you kill the ghoul (Bang!)
and its motor functions!
Aim for the head."

— Creature Feature

Leon S. Kennedy: Those infected by this virus will attack other people — anyone, without exception. In all cases, the people bitten become infected themselves and go on to attack others. The only way to stop the spread of infection is to destroy the infectee's brains.
Angela Miller: Destroy their... brains?
Leon S. Kennedy: Shoot them in the head.

— Resident Evil: Degeneration

The Flash: How do we fight it, or them?
Mophir: Two ways. Pure light from Mophir's gem drives evil spirits back into Dark Heart.
The Flash: Great. What's the second way?
Mophir: Separate host head from body.

— Justice League

"How do you kill what's already dead?
Aim for the head!"

— IZA

"Aim for the head!"
"What? How do you know?"
"I have seen human horror films... at drive-in theaters!"

— Knock-Out and Starscream, Transformers: Prime

"Decapitation is effective, but then decapitation is effective against most things."

— Kenspeckle Grouse, Skulduggery Pleasant

"We talk about it today as if it is some feat of magic, like holy water or a silver bullet, but why wouldn’t destruction of the brain be the only way to annihilate these creatures? Isn’t it the only way to annihilate us as well? ...Isn’t that all we are? Just a brain kept alive by a complex and vulnerable machine we call the body? The brain cannot survive if just one part of the machine is destroyed or even deprived of such necessities as food or oxygen. That is the only measurable difference between us and “The Undead.” Their brains do not require a support system to survive, so it is necessary to attack the organ itself."

— Jurgen Warmbrunn, World War Z

"The solution to enemies who heal annoyingly fast is always, always decapitation. That's why swords will never go out of style."

— Atticus, Iron Druid Chronicles

At first, to be sure they did not rise again, the heads of the fallen were cut off and wrapped in their shirts so they could be buried together later. Unfortunately, that procedure had to be abandoned after all the severed heads started talking in unison, whispering from their bags that the men should give up, that they should just lie down and let the sweet release of death come to them. After that, the heads were all smashed with hammers and left behind as the armies plodded on.

—Zombieslayer

"If you have a gun, shoot 'em in the head. That's a sure way to kill 'em. If you don't, get yourself a club or a torch. Beat 'em or burn 'em."

—Sheriff Conan McClelland, Night of the Living Dead (1968)

"Mr. Morris, your bullets will not harm him. He must be beheaded. I suggest you use your big Bowie knife."

—Abraham van Helsing on Dracula, Bram Stoker's Dracula

It's not something you ever really expect to say, is it? "Removing the head or destroying the brain."

— Jeremy Thompson, Shaun of the Dead

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