People die in movies all the time, but as in Jindabyne, there are times when the resulting corpse sticks around long enough to become a central, if slowly rotting, plot device. Herewith, 10 notable dead bodies in film.
Rope (1948)
Hitchcock liked using dead bodies as props (see also The Trouble with Harry). In this one, a man is strangled and stored in a chest around which a dinner party commences. The hosts, obviously not of the Martha Stewart school of entertaining, do so to prove the Nietzschean idea that murder is an art form.
Vacation (1983)
Consider the expired Aunt Edna propped atop the Griswold station wagon as a kind of figurehead - in the ships of yore sense of the word - announcing the crew's perseverance through all tragedy to reach their destination. In this case, Wally World.
Clue (1985)
Every murder mystery starts with a corpse, but this one based on the board game gained such a cult status it inspired "murder mystery" dinner parties, where instead of having civilized conversation, friends try to figure out who killed Mr. Boddy. The answer is: Hollywood did it with 1980s overcommercialization.
Stand by Me (1986)
Most people in movies run away from dead bodies, but these 12-year-old boys run off to find one. On the way, they learn about themselves, as well as the dangers of walking through leech-inhabited swamps.
River's Edge (1986)
In this cult classic revolving around a murdered teen found by the river, Keanu Reeves surprisingly outperforms the corpse.
Weekend at Bernie's (1989)
Richard and Larry must pretend that their boss, Mr. Lomax, isn't dead, dressing him up and playing with him like a doll. This one-joke premise is (apparently) so hilarious that a sequel was made and rumour has it that a third is being planned.
Ghost (1990)
For most of the film, Patrick Swayze plays a ghost - a category deserving of its own list - but early on there is a truly disturbing scene where the newly ghosted Sam looks upon his own stone-dead body in an alleyway. The disturbing part is the ridiculous face-contorting and lip tremors that one can only assume is Swayze's interpretation of the direction "act frightened."
Kissed (1993)
A Canadian film starring Molly Parker as a young woman whose very intimate relationship with a dead body in the morgue is more fulfilling than sex with her boyfriend. Director Lynne Stopkewich lets the necro-love scenes play out slowly so that audiences come to sympathize with the character's unique desire.
Alive (1993)
Since it is a true story, I'm going to try to write about this one in good taste. ... Oh, forget it.
Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
In a sequence ripped off from Vacation, the grandfather (Alan Arkin) dies and is dumped in the trunk while the adventure continues. Turns out it was worth a second go around, as the expired elder in this one achieves the ultimate triumph in the name of all dead bodies in film, winning the Oscar for best supporting actor.