As I work on GODFATHER DEATH, M.D., I’ve been looking to the media to fill the creative well. There was a time when this project seemed so daunting to me–not because of the subject matter, but because I wondered if we’ve told too many stories about Death. At one point I thought, we’ve had the same skeletal, hooded, scythe-swinging Grim Reaper since the 14th century. It’s that trap we all fall into as writers: “Hasn’t this been done a million times before?”

Well, here’s the thing: There’s nothing brand new under the sun, and if you’re ever worried about telling a story that’s already been told, you need to remember that it’s never been told by YOU before. So, to kick off what will probably be an ongoing list, I’ve honed in on FIVE different depictions of Death in the media… a few movies, a comic book, and a novel! Let’s dive in:

Man, what wouldn’t I give to watch this movie for the first time again?

I associate the first movie with a deep sense of nostalgia. When it hit theaters, I was 12 going on 13. It was summer, and I was free. I was excited to start middle school. I think I saw the movie twice–once with my mom, and a second time with my father. It was the ultimate popcorn flick, and it later became one of my first DVDs as the VHS transitioned out of favor. A few years later, Kingdom Hearts II would also feature this movie as one of the worlds you could play in, complete with music and a sweet-ass Keyblade!

My fascination with this movie is threefold: Orlando Bloom’s handsomeness, the swashbuckling action, and the plight of the damned. I still remember the iconic line and how they featured it in the trailer:

“You’d best start believing in ghost stories, Miss Turner. You’re in one!”

Death features in the movie by showing us what would happen if he/she/they took a holiday. The crew on the Black Pearl can’t die, and I love how this movie explores that. They turn into skeletons in the moonlight… food doesn’t taste as pleasurable as it should… and then there’s the look on Captain Barbossa’s face before he’s allowed to take his “final” rest, when he tells Jack Sparrow, “I feel… cold…” (When I first watched the second movie, I remember gasping and cheering when Barbossa returned at the end. Today, I find that cheap. The first movie was perfect and should’ve been allowed to stand alone! *end rant*)

I associate pirates with reckless bravery–cannons blazing and swords swinging because they have no fear of Death. But this movie suggests that maybe there is something to fear in immortality… in Death abandoning the damned. A fascinating concept.

2. FINAL DESTINATION (2000)

Gather round, children. There was a time when I was cool. Or at least, I liked horror movies. No amount of blood could scare me away. I’d sneak into the R-rated ones with my friends, and we’d LAUGH in the face of horror. Muahaha.

I don’t have the same stomach anymore, and it’s rare for me to sit through a movie/show that’s deliberately intended to disturb the viewer. I do enjoy “elevated horror” if the conditions are right. If it’s, like, Jordan Peele making some deep commentary on society, and it’s 9AM and I have the rest of the daylight hours to scrub my mind, let’s do it! (Oh and I like SCREAM, because it’s basically just Scooby-Doo for grown-ups. You can’t change my mind. Others have tried.)

Final Destination, though… absolutely disgusting. Traumatic, even. I struggle with roller coasters, freeways, and elevators to some extent because of those movies. The concept, though, is brilliant: survivors of massive freak accidents band together to cheat death, only to find that it’s determined to hunt them down. I wish I had thought of that!

In these movies (at least the first three… I stopped being cool sometime before the 4th came out) they almost always refer to Death as some sentient being, almost like a god. But if it’s an actual force or sentient being, he’s never shown. All you see are the freak accidents (in vivid, disgusting detail) and the slightest whisper of something supernatural–a gust of wind or a shadow of a hook. But it ALWAYS has a sort of personality to it. It’s petty, vengeful, and calculated. The idea that it all follows a predictable design is a little bit terrifying.

3. THE SANDMAN by Neil Gaiman (1989-1996)

Now for something a little less awful: a comic book! (But let’s be real, this one gets a little bit gross as well.)

Oddly, though, the most beautiful and meditative scenes in Neil Gaiman’s comic series are the ones where Death is heavily featured. In this one, Death is actually personified, and she’s a cool goth chick. I think I remember reading an interview where Gaiman mentioned she was inspired by a woman he met at a diner…

Death is one of a handful of siblings, each personifying a different concept: Dream, Destiny, Delirium, Desire, Destruction, and Despair. To be fair, Death does have some heartbreaking scenes, but I would argue that out of all the Endless, she’s one of the most rational and level-headed. She’s not necessarily spooky. She doesn’t have any sort of Grim Reaper aura. She’s warm, compassionate, and pensive. I thought this was an interesting way to personify her…

(Then, there’s the character who refuses to die, and he checks in with Dream every century. Dream expects him to give up after he loses everyone he loves, but the guy just keeps on going. I love that guy.)

4. THEY BOTH DIE AT THE END by Adam Silvera

This book is almost like Final Destination lite… a YA novel that made me sob.

In this one, an app developer has figured out an algorithm that can predict the exact day you’re going to die. That morning, you get a phone call that tells you it’s your “death day.” The book follows two characters who received the call, then decide to spend their last day together.

Death isn’t personified in this one, but it’s heavily explored on every page. If today were going to be your last day, would you want to know? Can you do anything about it? How will you spend it and cherish your last meals, conversations, and everyday moments?

And no, it does not pull any punches at the end. But it IS very beautifully done. The prequel, THE FIRST TO DIE AT THE END, is equally wonderful and heartbreaking.

5. CLICK (2006)

I think about this movie ALL the time, and now that I’m looking it up, WHY does it have a 36% on Rotten Tomatoes?! This movie was great! Sean Astin is in it! Kate Beckinsale is in it! Even The Cranberries are in it!

It’s been a little while and it merits a rewatch soon, but it’s a true favorite for me. Maybe it’s nostalgia again, because I vividly remember NOT watching this one in the theater. My mom bought it for me on DVD before any of us had every seen it, and a bunch of us crowded around a small TV in her room and ate snacks while we watched it. I’m fairly certain it was also Christmas.

I had been expecting to laugh my ass off. To be fair, that happened, but I had no idea I was also going to cry hysterically. That’s not supposed to happen in Adam Sandler movies. They’re supposed to be stupid and good for a mindless day.

Adam Sandler is a workaholic who gets frustrated by life and too many remote control devices. So he buys a “universal remote” from some guy named Morty (Christopher Walken!) Things escalate quickly as he “remote controls his universe,” changing the tint, doing a picture-in-picture, and fast forwarding through meetings he doesn’t want to listen to.

But, like, what the hell? He forwards to his dad’s death? Then to the night when he’s about to die in front of The Cranberries? (When I explain it, it DOES sound like a 36% Rotten Tomatoes movie. But I swear it’s amazing.) And all along, the guy who sold him the remote was… THE ANGEL OF DEATH?!

I did not see that coming, ever. Death is a goofy, eccentric inventor who sells remote controls at Bed, Bath, and Beyond? And this remote control teaches Adam Sandler a lesson about life? IT’S SO DEEP. WATCH IT, Y’ALL.

In Conclusion:

There are some pretty fascinating depictions of Death in the media. Even when Death isn’t portrayed in a human form, there are all kinds of interesting ways creators have signed it a personality. These are just five of them, and Death isn’t even kind of the same in any two. So, will we ever run out of ideas to tell original stories about The End and what comes after? I really don’t think so. In fact, I can’t wait to explore more of them and add to this list!

What else do you have for me?