Spooky Scary Movie Knives! 

If I’m honest, I’ve been kind of dreading this article. I’ve got a weak stomach for intense violence, and to get the pictures below, I had to watch a fair amount of it. I’m a little disturbed, but I went for a walk outside to see some birds and now have classic Disney songs playing, so I’ll be alright. Now I’m ready to talk about knives from scary movies! Fine, not all of them are "scary," but they all have knives in them. Below, I’ll put on my knife nerd hat and break down the knives used by these cinematic belligerents, what they’re supposed to be used for, and what makes them special! 

In This Article: 

• A Word About Violence 
• Psycho – Chef’s Knife 
• Scream – Buck 120 
• John Wick – Microtech Combat Troodon 
• The King’s Man – Trench Spike 
• The Hunger Games – Boker BoKri Throwing Knife 
• The Mummy – Schrade Manilla Balisong 
• Taken – Karambit Prop Knife 
• Jojo Rabbit – Hitler Youth Knife 
• Talladega Nights – Steak Knife 
• Rambo – Rambo Knife 
• Happy Halloween! 

A Word About Violence 

An underappreciated safety feature of society is that most people don’t use knives to hurt people. But as people watch movies, they see knives used more as weapons than anything else. Below, you’ll see a lot of knives depicted being used for despicable acts. Blade HQ is even more disgusted than you are by people being violent with knives, because in addition to hurting people, it gives us, normal people who love cutting tools, a bad name. 

Long story short, we do not support the violent use of knives, nor do we believe you should emulate any character you see below. Carry a knife to build the world, not tear it down. If you have qualms with someone, be an adult. Talk it out and leave your knife in your pocket.  

Now! Scary movie knives! 

Psycho – Chef’s Knife 

Few horror movies were as influential as Psycho, and few directors did more for the horror genre than Alfred Hitchcock. And the iconic shower scene, where the person we’ve thought to be the main character gets stabbed to death, shook moviegoers to the core when it first aired in theaters. Just about every horror movie that followed took notes from this classic film! 

The knife in question is a 12" Chef’s Knife. Don’t get me wrong, a chef’s knife can absolutely be used to hurt people, but that’s not its job. Chef’s knives like this one are made with wide blades, thin grinds, and razor-sharp edges to make preparing food easy. That edge is easily chipped by hard stuff like tile, metal, and bone, so the knife probably needed some sharpening after this scene… 

Scream – Buck 120 

Ghost Face is known for terrorizing his victims with his iconic knife. Whether it’s calling them to talk to them beforehand, trapping them in a locked garage, or ambushing, he strikes terror into the hearts of all. 

His knife of choice is the Buck 120. That knife was made to be a hunting knife for big game like moose and bears. It’s a great blade, however its design isn’t made for stabbing or slashing, rather for utility work. Like most knife-wielding folks on this list, I think Ghost Face could have chosen better. But something tells me he didn’t carefully consider his knife options before embarking on his poorly-chosen life path. 

John Wick – Microtech Combat Troodon 

He’s a man of focus, commitment, and sheer will. Not exactly the bogeyman, he’s the one you send to kill the bogeyman. Or he’s a (bleep)ing nobody, depending on who you ask. John Wick’s armory includes rifles, pistols, shotguns, fists, pencils, and of course, knives. When he goes to everyone’s dream salesman and requests "dessert," he’s offered "the finest cutlery, all freshly stoned." That cutlery is the Microtech Combat Troodon. 

And honestly, no notes from me. He’s a trained assassin with an unlimited weapons budget, and I don’t think he could have picked a superior blade for his purposes. Well done, sir. 

The King’s Man – Gauntlet Dagger 

On a fictional dark night during World War 1, German and British fighters agree to a melee fight in no-man’s-land. Even though this movie isn’t explicitly a "horror" movie, this scene is enough to haunt my dreams. Among the weapons drawn in this visceral scene is the gauntlet dagger. It takes the combination of a dagger blade and a pair of brass knuckles that made the trench knife great to its logical conclusion. It’s an armored steel gauntlet with dagger coming out the front. It’s pretty metal, you must admit. 

Even though this film is a work of historical fiction, it’s clear they did their homework. The gauntlet dagger was absolutely used by both sides during the war, and I can’t imagine how horrifying it must be to face one. Well done on the knife history. And for the fight scene, I have only one word – yikes. 

The Hunger Games – Boker BoKri Throwing Knife 

In a post-modern authoritarian state, where children are forced to use primitive weapons with a modern aesthetic to kill each other for the enjoyment of the wealthy, you know some cool knives are making the list. One character’s entire skillset revolves around throwing knives, and in her last scene before getting iced, she pins our hero to the ground with a Boker BoKri throwing knife. 

It’s kukri-style blade definitely looks menacing, and I appreciate the filmmaker’s commitment to the bit of her using throwing knives. But if I were in the Hunger Games, no matter how good I was at knife throwing, I’d be sure to bring along something with a more substantial handle for when the situation gets hairy. Holding on to just a bare steel handle is difficult if you’re sweaty, bloody, or otherwise wet, as you’re likely to become in the games. But all in all, not a bad pick! 

The Mummy – Schrade Manila Balisong 

Even though its CGI has aged like a fine milk, there is one scene from The Mummy that gives me the willies to this day: the scarab beetles. What looks like a beautiful gem on the wall of a tomb is actually a dormant beetle, which, when disturbed, will hatch from its shell, bite its way under your skin, and climbs up the inside of your body before feasting on your brain and killing you. Eew… But lucky for one character, a fearless Brenden Fraser busts out a Schrade Manila Balisong to cut the vile creature out of his body before it can do its dirty work. 

The Balisong used here has its origins in Filipino martial arts, while its conventional blade style makes it good for utility work as well. And what is cutting a beetle out of someone’s skin, if not a combination of tactical and utility cutting? This is clearly a great knife for the job. Also, fun fact, this is a Manila-style balisong, meaning its latch is on the safe handle. That’s something of a rarity, most balisongs either don’t have a latch at all, or are Batangas-style, with the latch on the bite handle. 

Taken – Karambit Prop Knife

After searching through Paris for his kidnapped daughter and dispatching quite a few bad guys along the way, only one man stands between our hero and his little girl. And that man has a Karambit, and knows how to use it. But he wasn’t prepared for Liam Neeson to don his plot armor and add him to the long list of Albanian human traffickers whose screams fill the hallways of hell. 

If I were the suit-clad bodyguard of a billionaire with many powerful enemies, I’d probably carry a karambit too. The one this guy carries is a prop knife (something tells me actors aren’t too excited by the notion of using real blades), but for close-quarters combat, grappling, and fights that go to the ground, a good Karambit is a welcome ally. Once again, the filmmakers chose well. 

Jojo Rabbit – Hitler Youth Knife 

Both in the movie and in real history, every kid who became a member of the Hitler Youth was issued a special knife. With its sizable blade and grippy handle with curved guard, it was both a useful tool for camping and cooking, as well as a capable weapon in trained hands. Millions of these knives were distributed, and sometimes, you’ll see one claimed as a war trophy pop up on the secondary market. 

Though a quality cutting tool, this knife is a black mark in history, a symbol of the innocence of youth destroyed by evil people in an evil time. It absolutely serves that purpose in the movie. Proudly, Blade HQ carries no knife like it. Its dated design and materials, as well as its haunting history, make it a knife we’re happy to leave in the history books and not on our shelves. 

Talladega Nights – Steak Knife 

Convinced he is paralyzed, Ricky Bobby gets in an argument with his friends who know he isn’t. To prove his belief, he stabs himself in the leg with a steak knife to show the pain doesn’t faze him. Then, after an admittedly impressive amount of time with a straight face, he bursts out in screams of pain and admits to himself that he’s not paralyzed. 

Now, a steak knife is meant to cut meat, plain and simple. And the biggest muscles (meat) in your body are in your legs. So, I suppose, it’s hard to pick a better knife to stab yourself in the leg than a steak knife. 

Or, you could just listen to your friends, and, well, not stab yourself in the leg. That’s probably the best call. 

Rambo – Rambo Knife 

A lot of movie characters are famous for their knives. But no action hero has had his name plastered over an entire class of knives quite like Rambo. A case could also be made for Crocodile Dundee. But unlike the friendly Auzzie, John Rambo is a veteran fighter of the Vietnam War. He uses his tactical brain, MacGyver-grade ingenuity, and giant knife to hunt those who think they’re hunting him. 

There have been many Rambo knives over the years, and all of them are one-off customs. But they’re each a brilliant combination of big cutting power, tactical capability, and survival utility. I do think they’re a bit big for what they’re needed for. Big knives weigh a ton and can be unwieldy in forest work. But by golly they look cool, so they ended up in the movies. If you like the Rambo knife, most of them have faithful reproductions! 

Happy Halloween! 

It’s pretty clear that knives are a big part of many scary movies, and some not-so-scary movies too. But one thing to remember is that they are an even bigger part of the real world, and they’re powerful tools! Get one for yourself and take the power into your own hands!