Isaac Night’s iconic Wednesday season 2 death scene was an homage to one of the greatest horror movies of all time. The evolution of the character, from Pugsley’s zombie “pet” Slurp, to the fully-formed (and vengeful) Isaac Night, was a core plot point of Wednesday season 2, and the character’s death remains one of the show’s most iconic scenes.

In the Wednesday season 2 finale episode, Night attempts his plan to save Tyler, by removing his Hyde (at Francoise’s request), at the expense of Pugsley’s life. After Wednesday intervenes, Night reveals Thing is actually his missing hand, and reattaches the appendage, before Thing shows loyalty to the Addams family, turning against Night and ripping out his clock heart, killing him.

In an interview with ScreenRant‘s Grant Hermanns, Owen Painter, who plays Night, talked about the iconic death sequence, and how fun it was to shoot. He mentioned how the scene embodied some great physical comedy, and in the same interview, confirmed that Sam Raimi’s iconic horror The Evil Dead was an influence on the scene. Check out Painter’s comments below:

Owen, I know I’m close to time, so I’ll come back to you, because I’d love to hear about that final scene involving Thing detaching himself from you and essentially killing you himself. What was it like filming that scene? Because the physicality of that, as well as the practical effects, were really just incredible to watch.

It was so fun. It was like the best time. I think we shot it for over a week or something. We just kept coming back to it and we’d have a new idea for a new angle that we think would be fun. At one point, I showed up and they’re like, “All right, now we’re putting the camera in your hand, so good luck.” [Laughs] They were messing with me, but you’re holding it and doing GoPro footage, basically. It was just the best time. We also choreographed and came up with a bunch of fun jokes that can go along with that. To me, it feels like such a fun tonal release to what Isaac spent this whole time doing. He’s so over serious in a way, and especially as it’s going upwards, there’s this real tragic quality to the story. I think we just wanted it to feel kind of soaring, this really joyous moment of physical comedy. At least I did.

What This Means For Wednesday Season 2’s Iconic Isaac Night Death

Wednesday is a show that has many influences, and it is not afraid to lean into those influences, but it has always enjoyed a unique quirkiness as well. Night’s death scene felt like the perfect combination of everything that makes Wednesday great; it was silly, humorous, over the top, fantastical, and more than a little morbid.

As Painter’s comments reveal, it was a scene the show had a lot of fun with, and the fact that The Evil Dead had a big impact on it is not a surprise, considering the iconic nature of the horror franchise. The fact that Thing turns against Night is a key part of what makes the scene so good, and cements Thing’s status as MVP for the season.

Our Take On Wednesday’s Horror Influences

Night’s death is unlikely to be the only scene in the show influenced by horror movies, but it’s fun to know that such an iconic movie influenced such a prominent scene. The impact of other horror classics, such as Prom Night and Carrie, are also felt, and it will be fun to see how this continues in Wednesday season 3.

There are bound to have been other horror movies that inspired elements of Wednesday during its run, and the show is definitely something of a love letter to the horror industry. Horror is such a creative and inspiring genre, and the success of a show like Wednesday shows how taking inspiration from other sources can be hugely effective.