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I could give some sort of preamble here, an introductory paragraph of sorts. Doors reference aside, I think the headline is as much truth in advertising as you’ll ever find. What is this? It’s a list of movie characters who were lit on fire. It all begins with a spark:
Harvey Dent, The Dark Knight
I suppose this also includes Rachel Dawes- both were taken down via explosion. But Harvey’s trial by fire is the one that we witnessed.
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The Scarecrow, The Wizard of Oz
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Fortunately for that brainless buffoon, the Scarecrow had his friends around to put out the fire.
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Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, Star Wars: A New Hope
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Probably the grisliest thing I saw on a movie screen before I turned seven years old came from the Star Wars universe. Thanks for the nightmares, George Lucas. I suppose Owen deserved it a bit for crapping all over Luke’s dreams.
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Hitler, Goebbels, and a whole bunch of other Nazis, Inglourious Basterds
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What a really awesome way to end things, too- using cinema to destroy the Nazis.
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Helen Lyle and Candyman/Daniel Robitaille, Candyman
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With all of those bees and honey, I bet Cabrini Green smelled like a honey baked ham.
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Joan of Arc, The Passion of Joan of Arc
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It doesn’t end well for the French heroine. I picked the 1928 version because it’s one of my all-time favorites but any film about Joan of Arc would qualify.
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Denethor, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
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For the record, I had to look the character’s name up. I just remembered something about “oil and wood” and corrupt royalty trying to burn his own son, and ultimately burning himself.
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Witch, The Seventh Seal
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I don’t know why but I sort of found this character’s role- and burning- to be funny.
Witch: I’m gonna burn. Wanna see the devil? He’s all over my face.
Antonius Block: No. No he’s not, dumbass.
Witch: OH NOES!
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Ace Rothstein, Casino
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Leave it to a lucky guy named ‘Ace’ to survive getting blown up and finding himself on fire.
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Frankenstein’s Monster, Young Frankenstein
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And he was lit on fire by Gene Hackman, no less. Fire bad, indeed.
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Anakin Skywalker, Star Wars: Episode III- Revenge of the Sith
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Admit it- after 7 or 8 hours of hearing Anakin Skywalker whine, this was the most satisfying clip of the prequels. Search your feelings. You know it to be true. Hell, I pull for all of Hayden Christensen’s characters to get lit on fire at this point just out of spite.
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Big Daddy, Kick-Ass
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Even though the movie is named “Kick-Ass” and the movie did, that image… does not kick-ass. Sorry, it’s the best I can do. Better yet, go see the real deal, because I was sort of kind of floored by how good it was.
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Kenny McCormick, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut
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Does everyone remember how it happened? It rhymes with “he lit his own tart on tire”.
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The Wicker Man, The Wicker Man (1973)
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Is there someone inside that thing? I’m not saying. You have to watch to find out.
I thought for sure you would have included all the Nazis in Raiders of the Lost Arc. Not only did they burn, but their faces melted! Pretty cool effects for 20 years ago.
That was a big omission.
The cop in Reservoir Dogs ALMOST got lit on fire…Second on the whiny Anapkin Crapwalker getting torched, but even after he got smoked, he was still whining. Pretty sure there was a really big joint in Cheech and Chong that got lit on fire too.
I wish I was clever enough to say I purposely left our Reservoir Dogs because he didn’t quite get lit on fire… but I just spaced on it.
I first thought of countless stuntmen burning in backgrounds of movies, but couldn’t think of many lead characters being engulfed in flames. Thanks for helping me with this list!
IMDB Plot Keywords come to the rescue yet again.
Let’s not forget all of the nameless, faceless suits that Charlie set ablaze in Firestarter. And why were they all wearing sunglasses at night?
Dongtactuar, you beat me by 30 seconds.
*Dongtacular. Sorry ’bout that, man.
Oh yeah! Great call. There’s also a zombie in every zombie movie ever made who gets torched.
I was going to say, “don’t forget the Denethor,” but you were way ahead of me. Freddy Krueger is another big one, albeit off-screen in the original title I believe. Eric, the antagonist of “Billy Madison” might be a silly one to include.
I saw Billy Madison on the plot keywords list (IMDB) but couldn’t think of when it happened (more a function of how long it’s been since I’ve seen that movie than any distaste for it).
One more I just remembered, and I’m surprised I forgot about it because of what happened. When My oldest boy was about 5 we took him to see Mrs Doubtfire. And, of course there is the scene wher Robin William’s boobs catch on fire. I think he put them out with a couple of pot lids. Well, my son was so freaked out by the fact that he caught on fire that we had to leave the movie. I probably just blocked it out of my memory as parenting mistake 1237!
Ha… good story. Poor kid.