11 Most Painful Cruel Horrific Deaths and Execution Methods in History

It has not been an easy job to create a list of 11 most painful cruel horrific deaths and execution methods in history. We have accomplished it thanks to our strong will to finish the task and hard stomach. Not only did these cruel and horrific deaths happen to people frequently, but they were justified by the law in numerous societies despite their brutality.

However, there is a huge difference between accidental deaths and those caused by people. For example, we have found a story about a nuclear accident in Tokaimura in Japan where two workers suffered a high level of radiation. Being exposed to radiation, their bodies lost DNA from cells, so the cell reproduction was stopped. Their bodies could not make tissues, muscles, and skin, so they melted and turned into liquid. What is more terrifying is the fact that one of the workers survived six months in this condition, while the other one died three months after the accident. The only thing nurses and doctors could do was to use plaster in order to prevent their meat from falling off their bones.

We can say that nature and unfortunate fate are sometimes cruel to humans. However, horrific and brutal murders have been committed by people themselves throughout our history. If we take a look at some methods of execution around the world, we can conclude that people have mastered the art of humiliating, torturing, inflicting pain and causing horrible deaths to other people. How to explain the need to inflict so much pain on another human being which was clearly evident in one of the medieval execution methods practiced in France when a person’s hands and legs were tied to horses that pulled them in opposite directions until the person was split in half? Do not forget the fact that the pulling lasted for hours in front of a crowd of people. Yes, they loved performing these horrifying things in public, and those who wanted to see blood had to pay a ticket to get better seats. And this is just one among numerous cruel and horrifying execution methods, the worst of which have been very difficult to identify.

Being appalled by the most painful deaths caused by human factor, a modern man decides to ignore and not think about those execution methods that are left in the darkest corners of human history. He is happy to believe that we live in a society blessed with laws and legal systems which do not allow terrifying things. But, are we blessed indeed? There are 23 countries in the world, including the US, which still use the death penalty in their legal system. Even though the US performed only 20 executions in 2016, the official records prove that 1,032 people were killed all over the world in the same year. But if we could reach the hidden information about executions by China, South Korea, and Syria, the number would be significantly higher. Some of the methods used by these countries are still unknown, which makes it very difficult to define what are the worst execution methods in the world. On the other hand, knowing that someone can kill another human being and justify this act by law is terribly upsetting itself. There are many ways to die, but you sure as hell wouldn’t want to die in one of these Most Painful Worst Ways to Die. Even a lethal injection, commonly used in the US prisons, is not painless, although they claim that it is the most humane kind of death penalty in the world. Does anyone think about the executors in those prisoners? Are they mentally healthy, do they practice some kind of relaxation after executions and finally, are they murderers or not?

Let’s return to Hisashi Ouchi and Masato Shinohara, the two workers who died after the radiation in Japan. They suffered terrifying pain, but doctors could not help them, literally letting them die without relief. Doctors cannot give injections to stop a patient’s pain because mercy killing is forbidden by law in many countries. Why is killing a dying patient so wrong and torturing and killing people in prisons is not?

Before you make a conclusion, read our list which combines the deaths caused by people and those which happened in horrifying accidents. We used the information we found on different sites and blogs, like HistoryRunDown, AllThatIsInteresting, and Suggest, to name a few. However, in order to make our list even more accurate, we consulted Quora to see what are other people’s opinions. In the end, we ranked the most painful cruel horrific deaths and execution methods in history according to the number of mentioning on these sources.

11. Bamboo torture

Bamboo tree is very soft, and it grows very fast which is the reason why it was commonly used in executions in many countries in the past. According to the historical data, it was widely used on Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and Siam (Taiwan) in the 19th century, and during World War II in Japanese prisons. A person would be tied to a frame and placed over small bamboo trees. In only a couple of weeks, the trees would penetrate through the skin and grow inside the person’s body. The person was certainly alive during this horribly painful process. These gradual and slow impalements torn skin, tissue, and bones until the person finally dies.

10. The boat (Scaphism)

Milk and honey were used for torture and caused horrific deaths, so they aren’t just a symbol of a perfect life like many people think. As it was noted in ancient history, this type of torture was probably invented by Persians. A person who was previously fed with milk and honey would be left on a boat, tied. Those two delicious ingredients are causing diarrhea, and the person could not control it in the boat. After the first dehydration and exhaustion, the person was attacked by insects which ate their muscles and skin. This resulted in large open wounds, so the victim was finally eaten by vultures. The person died slowly, hungry and thirsty and in awful pain and horror.

9. Rat torture

Yes, we have all seen “Game of Thrones” and the episode with this type of torture presented. However, not many people know that rats were used for executions in the medieval era and perhaps in some Eastern countries during World War II or Vietnam War. This execution method number nine on our list of most painful cruel horrific deaths and execution methods in history was very simple. A cage with rats was put on a person’s stomach or chest, but the bottom of the cage was open.  Rats had nothing to eat except the person’s skin, muscles, and tissue. Finally, the person died in pain, bleeding heavily and utterly terrified. The higher level of torture involved putting a cage with rats on a person’s anus, so they had only one way to escape – through the person’s guts.

8. Catherine wheel

We do not know how this execution method got its name and who is Catherine. But, this was probably one of the most popular execution methods in medieval times, sometimes also used to get confessions from prisoners. No wonder it’s on our list of most painful cruel horrific deaths and execution methods in history. A person was tied on a cart-wheel with arms and legs outstretched. The wheel moved very slowly, and an executor systematically broke the person’s legs and arms with an iron bar. Usually, the person’s legs and arms were stretched over the wheel. In some countries like France, they killed prisoners after two or three hits of the bat, while in England they waited for the person to confess or die. This name is related to a lot of things today, like a type of fireworks or even a rock band, but its original purpose is terrifying.

7. Blood Eagle

The explanation of Blood Eagle, the number 7 on our list of most painful cruel horrific deaths and execution methods in history is not only horrific, but it is even painful to listen to it. A person’s back, in the area of the blades, was cut with ribs severed from the spine and pulled out, so the person looked like an eagle with wings. Even though there are no clear proofs in history that this execution method existed, there are many Vikings songs where this execution method is explained in detail. Some stories dating from that period say that this type of execution was only used for the members of the royal family because it implied quick death without sufficient suffering.

6. Crucifixion

We are continuing our list of most painful cruel horrific deaths and execution methods in history with not only a painful and cruel way of execution but also humiliating. It was usually performed in front of the public. It was used to deter people from committing new crimes. A person was tied (or nailed) to a cross and left for a few days in this condition to die slowly thirsty, hungry and in pain. There were many variations of this method, where a person was tied to a wheel, a tree or even impaled. The first written records of this execution method date back to ancient Greece, where the worst killers and criminals were executed in this way.

5. Ling Chi method (death by thousand cuts)

Thanks to its name, we can easily assume what this execution method number 5 on our list of most painful cruel horrific deaths and execution methods in history is like. This was a legitimate execution method in China almost up to the 20th century. A person was tied to a wooden frame and an executor gradually cut slices of meat from the person’s body. Firstly, the executor cut thick meat, but after that, he moved on ears, nose, face, arms, legs, and genitals. It was reported that victims suffered at least an hour before they died, or the executor cut off their head. A variation of this method, used mostly during the medieval era, was sawing. A person was tied upside down and the executors cut the body in half, starting from between the person’s legs. There is a logical explanation why the person was put in that position – blood is pumped to the head and the victim stays alive for a longer period of time

4. Flaying

Being flayed alive is surely one of the most painful cruel horrific deaths and execution methods in history. A person will feel terrible pain, depending on the amount of skin removed. According to doctors, when skin is removed, the body loses fluid, blood and temperature and is exposed to infections. However, a person can stay alive for hours or even days before death finally comes, so this is a slow and very painful death. It was used in almost every period of human history, from Assyrians, Greeks, the medieval times to Eastern countries wars. Aztecs in Mexico even used to peel a person’s skin after death, as a part of religious rituals. Flaying happens nowadays, too. There was a terrible accident in an amusement park in Seattle when due to a very strong wind a visitor’s hair wrapped around the wheel of a roller coaster which started moving. Carnie, the victim, died from scalping in front of his children.

3. Boiling

King Henry VIII loved to perform this execution method on poisoners, symbolically pointing to their deathly cooking. However, this was a legitimate execution method in Eastern Europe and Asia, where a tied and naked criminal or prisoner was put in a hot liquid. That liquid could be water, but also oil, iron or even wine. To ensure long-suffering, the temperature of the liquid was changed or the person was pulled out from the liquid and then put back again. Even though this was an execution method, there is a story about a waiter in New York who was pushed into a tank with hot water by his friend. He was being cooked for a few hours before he finally died, and nobody could help him or at least speed up his death. There is another story about David Allen Kirwan from La Canada, California, who jumped into a thermal spring in Yellowstone Park to save a dog. He died the following morning, blind, burned, and with no skin on his feet. Now, let’s see the top two entries on our list of most painful cruel horrific deaths and execution methods in history.

2. Brazen Bull

There is a story about a bronze worker in old Greece called Perillos who created this awful thing as an execution method for the worst criminals. It was a bull made of bronze, with a door for a person to come inside. Then executors lit a fire and boiled and seared the person inside. A Sicilian King Phalaris, who ordered this thing, was satisfied with the device, in particular with the sound the person inside created. Thanks to some special tubes and horns, cries and groans sounded like a bull’s roar. The legend says that after the bull was opened, the prisoner’s bones were shiny and white as diamonds, so Phalaris used to make a necklace from them. However, another legend says that Perillos died in this bull, where tyrant Phalaris closed him. And now, let’s see the number one on our list of most painful cruel horrific deaths and execution methods in history.

1. William Wallace

This is not just another name for an execution method, but it is the name of a historical figure. He was executed by a method that was popular in Scotland and England during the medieval era. King Henry III started using it in the 13th century, but its use continued up to the 19th century. A person was hanged first, then drawn and finally quartered. Only the lucky ones died during the first phase, while strong and tough people like William Wallace stayed alive almost to the end of this horrible execution. His death and surely the duration of the execution obliged us to declare it as the worst of these most painful cruel horrific deaths and execution methods in history.