Fortunately, fictional movie families don’t need term life insurance. After all, barring sequels, they only exist for about an hour and a half to two hours, and even then, only in our imaginations and on the big screen. And even if you consider the unending sequels of, say, Friday the 13^th, movie characters’ lifespan is still less than 24 hours, total.

Still, we grow attached to our movie characters. And even though, in the movies at least, when a character dies, they generally richly deserved it, there are some movie deaths that just make you cringe and say, “I’m just glad that wasn’t me.” Here are some of our favorites:

• Carlo getting strangled in The Godfather. OK, it isn’t the most gruesome death, by far, in the movies, but the part we wouldn’t want to go through is the anticipation. This guy knew Michael Corleone was going to kill him for what he did to his sister. And yet, he really had no choice but to get in the car. Knowing he was going to die. Then, when Michael finally convinces him that he isn’t going to kill him, his goon in the back seat does the dirty deed, allowing Michael to keep his word, technically. A distinction that we’re pretty sure was lost on Carlo.

• Boba Fett’s death in Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi. He was there the whole time Jabba went on his rant about how Han Solo and Chewbacca were going to be slowly digested inside the giant sand critter over a period lasting 1,000 years. While we find it hard to believe they wouldn’t just die of thirst in a week or so, it’s still not a pleasant prospect. Can you imagine the sinking feeling when that thing’s tongue wraps around your leg and you know you’re going under? It’s hard to be sympathetic for the guy who turned in Han Solo, but still. 1,000 years is harsh.

• Eaten by giant ants. Can you imagine anything worse? If you’ve seen Indiana Jones IV, you have an idea of what it can look like, and it isn’t pretty. Unfortunately, this death could actually happen-kind of. No, there aren’t giant ants anywhere, but there are driver ants. Also called army ants, these vile buggers can kill a human being. Usually the victim dies of suffocation because the colonies, which can number over 20 million, get into all of the crevices while they’re in the process of rending flesh from your body. Fortunately, they’re slow, so outrunning them isn’t a problem.

We’ve all eventually have to go somehow. Hopefully for you, it won’t be anything like these deaths. But, however you die, make sure your term life insurance is paid up so your family will be taken care of. After all, I’m sure that was on Boba Fett’s mind for 1,000 years.

Photo via Sam Howzit