---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I’VE never seen such a look of mortal…"
description: "\"“I’VE never seen such a look of mortal agony on a human face before. She screamed quite a bit before she died, and the last shriek was forever frozen o..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2da/robert-bloch-13489_death_i-ve-never-seen-such-a-look-of-mortal-ag_917885.jpg"
---

#  I’VE never seen such a look of mortal agony on a human…

![“I’VE never seen such a look of mortal agony on a human face before. She screamed quite a bit before she died, and the last shriek was forever frozen on her face.” quote by Robert Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2da/robert-bloch-13489_death_i-ve-never-seen-such-a-look-of-mortal-ag_917885.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2da/robert-bloch-13489_death_i-ve-never-seen-such-a-look-of-mortal-ag_917885.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2da/robert-bloch-13489_death_i-ve-never-seen-such-a-look-of-mortal-ag_917885.jpg)

> ““I’VE never seen such a look of mortal agony on a human face before. She screamed quite a bit before she died, and the last shriek was forever frozen on her face.””

[Robert Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bloch/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A vivid description of extreme suffering and terror, emphasizing the horror of a dying scream frozen in memory.

**In simple terms:** Intense horror of a dying scream.

Key Takeaway

Recognize the power of vivid imagery.

Themes

horror human suffering memory

Mood

disturbing intense

Type

descriptive dramatic

When to use this quote

- film analysis
- creative writing
- psychological study

Key Concepts

psychology trauma visual storytelling

Questions to Reflect On

- How does vivid horror affect empathy?
- What ethical limits exist in describing suffering?

A Different Perspective

The description may sensationalize pain, risking desensitization.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Shriek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shriek/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/)

## Related quotes

> [“Let’s call it a draw,” Molly said. “This is a family full of good-looking men, particularly their father.” Charley covered her ears. “Tell me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-force/let-s-call-it-a-draw-molly-said-this-is-a-family-full-of-good-looking/)

[Marie Force](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-force/)

> [It would take less than a second for you to die. But that's quite long enough to be in mortal agony, don't you think?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eoin-colfer/it-would-take-less-than-a-second-for-you-to-die-but-that-s-quite-long/)

[Eoin Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eoin-colfer/)

> [“A mother's voice is like no other. We recognize every lilt and whisper, every warble or shriek.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/a-mother-s-voice-is-like-no-other-we-recognize-every-lilt-and-whisper/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [“frightened people shriek the loudest and fire at random.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-scott/frightened-people-shriek-the-loudest-and-fire-at-random/)

[Paul Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-scott/)

> [Vamps who are dying, or think they are, give a piercing, eardrum-bursting shriek, like the love child of a screech owl and a mountain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-hunter/vamps-who-are-dying-or-think-they-are-give-a-piercing-eardrum/)

[Faith Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-hunter/)

> [“I turned to face Jen, who I could hear getting ready to rev up for a shriek, “If you squeee right now, I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-zolendz/i-turned-to-face-jen-who-i-could-hear-getting-ready-to-rev-up-for-a/)

[Christine Zolendz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-zolendz/)

> [Disney World?” Ari felt like his head was about to explode. “Disney World?” His gravelly voice rose into a harsh shriek. “They’re not on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/disney-world-ari-felt-like-his-head-was-about-to-explode-disney-world/)

[James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/)

> [“AM said it with the shriek of babies being ground beneath blue–hot rollers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-ellison/am-said-it-with-the-shriek-of-babies-being-ground-beneath-blue-hot/)

[Harlan Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-ellison/)

> [“Cuddles screamed. It wasn’t a braying noise, it was an ear-slapping shriek of pure donkey outrage, like someone got hold of a foghorn and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/cuddles-screamed-it-wasn-t-a-braying-noise-it-was-an-ear-slapping/)

[Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/)

> [“The King emerged from the library, paperwork in hand, eyebrows furrowed. "Well, what is it, what is it?" he said crossly. "Can you not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-dixon/the-king-emerged-from-the-library-paperwork-in-hand-eyebrows-furrowed/)

[Heather Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-dixon/)

> [“I shrieked like a little girl, which, if you think about it, makes total sense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinah-katt/i-shrieked-like-a-little-girl-which-if-you-think-about-it-makes-total/)

[Dinah Katt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinah-katt/)

> [First listen, my friend, and then you may shriek and bluster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristophanes/first-listen-my-friend-and-then-you-may-shriek-and-bluster/)

[Aristophanes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristophanes/)

> [“Rosalind exploded with a shriek worthy of a tea-kettle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-clifton/rosalind-exploded-with-a-shriek-worthy-of-a-tea-kettle/)

Emma Clifton

> [I wanted a line in a poem to be the hollow ney of the dervish orchestra whose plaintive wail is a call to God.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-michaels/i-wanted-a-line-in-a-poem-to-be-the-hollow-ney-of-the-dervish/)

[Anne Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-michaels/)

> [I shriek when I am climbing at my absolute limit, but never shriek in the warm-up or when trying the moves. No matter how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ondra/i-shriek-when-i-am-climbing-at-my-absolute-limit-but-never-shriek-in/)

[Adam Ondra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-ondra/)

## More by Robert Bloch

> [So much for modern science and its wonderful discoveries that just about everything can kill you. Life is only a bedtime story before a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bloch/so-much-for-modern-science-and-its-wonderful-discoveries-that-just/)

[Robert Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bloch/)

> [“She was the only one left, and she was real. To be the only one, and to know that you are real - that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bloch/she-was-the-only-one-left-and-she-was-real-to-be-the-only-one-and-to/)

[Robert Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bloch/)

> [“Murder was a terrible thing. Even if you’re not quite right in the head, you can realize that much. Mother must be suffering quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bloch/murder-was-a-terrible-thing-even-if-you-re-not-quite-right-in-the/)

[Robert Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bloch/)

> [Sure God created man before woman, but then again you always make a rough draft before creating the final masterpiece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bloch/sure-god-created-man-before-woman-but-then-again-you-always-make-a/)

[Robert Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bloch/)

> [“Norman Bates heard the noise and a shock went through him. It sounded as though somebody was tapping on the windowpane. He looked up,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bloch/norman-bates-heard-the-noise-and-a-shock-went-through-him-it-sounded/)

[Robert Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bloch/)

> [I haven't had this much fun since the rats ate my baby sister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bloch/i-haven-t-had-this-much-fun-since-the-rats-ate-my-baby-sister/)

[Robert Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bloch/)

> [“Looking back, looking back and trying to figure what made you that way, several things stand out in your mind. There may have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bloch/looking-back-looking-back-and-trying-to-figure-what-made-you-that-way/)

[Robert Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bloch/)

> [“Nobody would be quite as surprised as my wife, when I killed her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bloch/nobody-would-be-quite-as-surprised-as-my-wife-when-i-killed-her/)

[Robert Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bloch/)

> [“That was still my meat—the true-detective yarn. I picked it up and started to read it over, wondering for the ten thousandth time why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bloch/that-was-still-my-meat-the-true-detective-yarn-i-picked-it-up-and/)

[Robert Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bloch/)

> [I have the heart of a child. I keep it in a jar on my shelf.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bloch/i-have-the-heart-of-a-child-i-keep-it-in-a-jar-on-my-shelf/)

[Robert Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bloch/)

> [“She raised her face defiantly, and the sharp shadow line slashed across her neck. For a moment, it looked as though somebody had just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bloch/she-raised-her-face-defiantly-and-the-sharp-shadow-line-slashed/)

[Robert Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bloch/)

> [“Forget the past, let the dead bury the dead. Things were working out fine, and that was the only thing he had to remember.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bloch/forget-the-past-let-the-dead-bury-the-dead-things-were-working-out/)

[Robert Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bloch/)

> [Norman Bates heard the noise and a shock went through him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bloch/norman-bates-heard-the-noise-and-a-shock-went-through-him/)

[Robert Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bloch/)

> [“All at once she could hear the sullen patter of the rain and sense the sigh of the wind behind it. She remembered the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bloch/all-at-once-she-could-hear-the-sullen-patter-of-the-rain-and-sense/)

[Robert Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bloch/)

> [Horror is the removal of masks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bloch/horror-is-the-removal-of-masks/)

[Robert Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bloch/)

[Explore all 50 Robert Bloch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bloch/)

## More Death quotes

> [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/)

[Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/)

> [I do not want to live at the cost of the life even of a snake. I should let him bite me to death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-not-want-to-live-at-the-cost-of-the-life-even-of-a-snake-i/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [“It was beautiful. He thought he had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life; that, having seen it, he could die content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/it-was-beautiful-he-thought-he-had-never-seen-anything-so-beautiful/)

[Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/)

> [Retirement? You're talking about death, right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-altman/retirement-you-re-talking-about-death-right/)

[Robert Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-altman/)

> [With multiplayer, permanent death, and an ever-changing world to explore and conquer, 'A Valley Without Wind' might be the place you're looking for if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-manuel/with-multiplayer-permanent-death-and-an-ever-changing-world-to/)

[Rob Manuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-manuel/)

> [“What did you see?” she asked gently. His brow furrowed, as if he could not understand the question. Then his eyes turned to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-anthony-torino/what-did-you-see-she-asked-gently-his-brow-furrowed-as-if-he-could/)

J. Anthony Torino

> [Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/those-whose-life-is-long-still-strive-for-gain-and-for-all-mortals/)

[Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/)

> [“I practice Dying--every night-- But have not learned to, still-- Though Talented--by Mortal bones-- For such a common Skill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-powers/i-practice-dying-every-night-but-have-not-learned-to-still-though/)

Alan W. Powers

> [“You must understand the pain and grief of losing someone is nothing more than a function of survival.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-cooper/you-must-understand-the-pain-and-grief-of-losing-someone-is-nothing/)

[Steven Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-cooper/)

> [I am not a depressive person at all, but I reflect a lot on my life, and life in general, from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-am-not-a-depressive-person-at-all-but-i-reflect-a-lot-on-my-life/)

[Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/)

> [“Death is a reality that calls the rest of life and all of our assorted strivings into sharp relief.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/death-is-a-reality-that-calls-the-rest-of-life-and-all-of-our/)

[Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/)

> [I love life. I love life to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuelle-riva/i-love-life-i-love-life-to-death/)

[Emmanuelle Riva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuelle-riva/)

> [I think when you’re dying you start looking for important things in the corners. You can’t let anything that seems even semi-important pass, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/i-think-when-you-re-dying-you-start-looking-for-important-things-in/)

[Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/)

[Browse all 39,127 Death quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“I’VE never seen such a look of mortal agony on a human face before. She screamed quite a bit before she died, and the last shriek was forever frozen on her face.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Robert Bloch"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bloch/i-ve-never-seen-such-a-look-of-mortal-agony-on-a-human-face-before/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Death"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bloch/i-ve-never-seen-such-a-look-of-mortal-agony-on-a-human-face-before/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2da/robert-bloch-13489_death_i-ve-never-seen-such-a-look-of-mortal-ag_917885.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2da/robert-bloch-13489_death_i-ve-never-seen-such-a-look-of-mortal-ag_917885.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2da/robert-bloch-13489_death_i-ve-never-seen-such-a-look-of-mortal-ag_917885.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I’VE never seen such a look of mortal agony on a human face before. She screamed quite a bit before she…” — Robert Bloch",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Robert Bloch",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bloch/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“I’VE never seen such a look...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bloch/i-ve-never-seen-such-a-look-of-mortal-agony-on-a-human-face-before/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bloch/i-ve-never-seen-such-a-look-of-mortal-agony-on-a-human-face-before/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
