Head twisted around

Head twisted around refers to a biological state wherein the head of a person or animal is twisted around in a way that the human body was not designed for. Perpetrating this act snaps the spinal column, which ruptures the connection between the spinal cord from the brain, resulting in immediate death. Except for owls. Those weird little puffy-headed birds can spin their head around 360 degrees without any problem.

Instances of a person's head being twisted around commonly pops up in films of the action or horror genre, though they can occur in nearly any other genre as well.

Although a person who has their head twisted around results in the death of the individual, there are specific circumstances where such physical trauma may not necessarily be fatal. Cartoon characters, for example, exist in a world where normal biological physics do not apply. As such, a character may have their head twisted around as a point of comedic effect, and return their head to its normal position without suffering any long-term ill effects.

The introduction of outside stimuli may allow for someone to survive having their head twisted around. One such instance is that of demonic possession. As anyone who has ever seen The Exorcist can tell you, twelve-year-old Regan MacNeil had herself a doozy of a day back in 1973 when she was possessed by the Babylonian demon king known as Pazuzu. As a point of showing off in front of those trying to save Regan, Pazuzu had Regan's head slowly turn completely around while sadistically smiling.

Appearances

 * Exorcist, The
 * Freddy vs. Jason
 * Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
 * Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives
 * Hatchet
 * Unborn, The