It's a surefire way to shock an audience, whether you want to get a laugh out of them or horrify them with all the potential for random tragedies in life. It's also, apparently, a really cheap way to dispatch a character as evidenced by just how often movies and TV shows have used the "surprise hit by a bus" trick. Don't believe me? Check out this super cut, which collects a whole lot of examples of the trope.
It's amazing how quickly this super cut goes from being jarring to strangely mesmerizing, and how you can tell when these surprise deaths are intended to get a laugh or are supposed to be tragic, simply based on the way it's made. As Pajiba, which first posted the video, points out, this is one of those super cuts that will change the way you see scenes like this in movies forever-- though it's also the point that these moments will shock you, no matter how jaded a viewer you think you are.
My personal favorite moment in this super cut is Regina George getting clobbered by the bus, especially since she comes to prom in full traction and winds up getting her own little piece of the prom queen crowd anyway. Any favorite moments of yours make this super cut? Do you think you'll be prepared next time you see someone step out by themselves into a street making a grand pronouncement-- only to be blown away into eternity?
