David Fincher’s Se7en is all about a series of horrifying murders, but, surprisingly, it only has one on-screen murder, and it wasn’t even committed by John Doe (Kevin Spacey). Back in 1995, David Fincher brought the crime thriller Se7en, written by Andrew Kevin Walker. Although it wasn’t the critics’ favorite during its release, Se7en became a sleeper hit and was a box-office success. As happens with many movies, time has been good for Se7en, and it’s now regarded as one of the best movies of the decade, of Fincher’s career, and has been praised for its tone, plot twist, and performances.

Se7en takes the audience to an unnamed crime-ridden city to follow Detective Lt. William Somerset (Morgan Freeman), who is one week away from retiring, and young detective David Mills (Brad Pitt), who has just moved to the city with his wife. Somerset and Mills team up to investigate a series of murders based on the seven deadly sins, which lead them to a disturbing serial killer simply referred to as John Doe. Each of the murders is carefully planned and very shocking, but, surprisingly, only one of them happens on-screen, and it wasn’t committed by John Doe.

John Doe’s Death Is Se7en’s Only On-Screen Murder

John Doe’s Death Was Part Of His Twisted Plans

Although Somerset and Mills’ investigation led them to John Doe, the latter managed to escape but turned himself in after the pride victim – a model Doe facially disfigured and killed herself, unable to live without her beauty – was found. Doe planned to plead insanity to avoid punishment unless Somerset and Mills escorted him to an undisclosed location, where the final two victims (envy and wrath) would be. On their way there, Doe shared he believed he was chosen by God to send a message about the ubiquity of and apathy toward sin, which is why he has no remorse.

The big twist at Se7en was that Doe represented envy, and as he envied Mills’ life with his wife, he implied that he killed Tracy, cut her head off, and kept it in the box that was just delivered to Mills on the spot. Doe then urged Mills to become wrath, teasing him about his wife’s death so he would kill him, which he did. John Doe’s death at the hands of Mills is the only on-screen murder in Se7en, and it’s also the least violent and cruel one.

Only 1 Of John Doe’s Victims In Se7en Was Alive When Found

John Doe Was Especially Cruel To One Of His Victims

Every one of John Doe’s murders was disturbing and cruel, yet creative as he found ways to make them represent each sin. The first victim found by Somerset and company was gluttony, and was an obese man who was forced to eat until his stomach burst. The second victim was greed, who was forced to cut one pound of flesh from his body. This scene led to the discovery of the sloth victim, who had the most horrifying and cruelest death in Se7en.

Doe left Allen restrained in a bed for an entire year, and arranged for the police to find him exactly a year after kidnapping him.

Doe targeted Theodore Allen, a drug dealer and pederast with a history of mental illness. Doe kidnapped him, strapped him to a bed, tortured him, and cut one of his hands. Doe left Allen restrained in a bed for an entire year, and arranged for the police to find him exactly a year after kidnapping him. Mills and Somerset found Allen emaciated and surrounded by car fresheners so the smell wouldn’t alert the neighbors.

Allen was kept alive all that time through an IV, but once he was taken to a hospital, he was declared brain-dead and the doctors found he had chewed off his own tongue. Doe forced Allen to live his sin in the cruelest way possible, and even though Allen wasn’t a good person before he was targeted by Doe, he went through extreme ways of torture and had a fate worse than death. Allen can’t be considered an on-screen death in Se7en, but he was definitely the most shocking crime.

Why John Doe’s Murders Happen Off-Screen In Se7en

Se7en Wasn’t As Violent As It Could Have Been

Se7en didn’t need to show how each of John Doe’s victims were killed to be shocking, disturbing, and violent. Keeping the murders off-screen was a lot more effective as it left them to the imagination of the audience, which can be a lot more disturbing than anything Fincher could have come up with. This also helped keep the suspense about whom the killer was and how he was going to be found by Somerset and Mills, as the audience didn’t have much to connect the clues to any character shown on screen.

Even though Doe’s death was also linked to a sin, it was the least cruel and disturbing in the whole movie.

Doe’s murders happening off-screen also add even more to the twist at the end of Se7en, with John Doe’s death becoming the only on-screen murder. Even though Doe’s death was also linked to a sin, it was the least cruel and disturbing in the whole movie, and he didn’t get the punishment he deserved for all the horrible things he did.