The Guardian ranked the best severed hands in film history, but we all know who tops the list

By Andrew Paul | November 14, 2019 | 4:30pm

Aux Features Film

The Guardian ranked the best severed hands in film history, but we all know who tops the list

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Screenshot: Evil Dead II

This week sees the release of French animated film, I Lost My Body, which tells a surprisingly endearing tale of a shy, lovelorn carpenter’s apprentice pursuing his boss’s cute niece. Oh, and we almost forgot—there’s also a severed hand’s epic journey to reunite with its owner after it escapes a medical lab. Although promoting a film that sounds like it was co-written by someone like the author of Amélie (because it was, in fact, co-written by the author of Amélie) might seem a bit difficult at first, the macabre, creative folks at The Guardian have managed to find a way by releasing a comprehensive countdown of the best, uh, severed hands in cinematic history.

Of course, there are a few caveats to consider with such a list. After all, what kind of dismemberment are we talking about here? The list narrowed its scope down to the best reanimated/possessed/zombified appendages, which still leaves room for quite a few entries. They include the five-digit wonders featured in Idle Hands, The Addams Family, and a Peter Cushing/Christopher Lee outing called Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors, which is extremely on brand for a Hammer Films title. But, of course, we all know who reigns supreme in this gore-soaked thumb wrestling contest: The Guardian’s number one endorsement goes to none other than Bruce Campbell’s deadite-infected hand from Evil Dead II. Hail to the king, baby.