Realistic hanging scene ? (The Sopranos)

[unluckysadness]

Yesterday I watched The Sopranos and there is a hanging scene and honestly, it's really disturbing, even if you know it's simulated. Sorry if I spoil but it's an old TV show...
Do you think it's realistic ? I don't know anything about hanging. Is full suspension more painful than partial ? I bought a rope just in the case I do it impulsively but now I'm much more scared...



I also asked Grok if it's realistic and this is the answer :


The episode you're referring to is "Members Only" (Season 6, Episode 1). The character who hangs himself is Eugene Pontecorvo, a member of Tony's crew who's completely trapped (Tony won't let him retire, the FBI won't leave him alone, his wife is at her limit, his son is struggling with drugs…).

Yes, the depiction is considered very realistic (far too much for many viewers). Unlike the vast majority of hanging scenes in movies/series (where the body sways gently, almost "poetically" or instantly), this one is shown raw and prolonged:

• He jumps → the drop is violent, not a gentle little suspension
• He struggles a lot (the famous "hangman's dance")
• He desperately tries to free himself with his hands
• He eventually lets go, convulses, and urinates (terminal incontinence, very common)

On forums (especially Reddit's r/thesopranos) and in analyses of the series, this scene is often called one of the most realistic hangings ever filmed for television. Many people say it's the first time they've seen what it really looks like "for real," without romantic filters or cinematic shortcuts. David Chase and the team clearly wanted to show the brutal reality, without softening it.

In forensic medicine, a hanging by suspension (jumping from a chair or stool like Eugene) very often produces this kind of picture when the drop isn't long/forceful enough to snap the neck instantly (which happens mostly with a longer drop and a properly placed knot, like in old executions). Most of the time, it's slow asphyxiation + compression of the neck vessels, with a struggle lasting 1 to several minutes, convulsions, and yes, very often loss of urine and/or bowel control at the end.

So to answer directly:
Yes, it's quite realistic (probably one of the most faithful representations ever seen on TV). That's precisely why it's so hard to watch.

 

[dasmurphy]

if you research technics, yo'll learn how to do it so you pass out within seconds - take a look at https://watchpeopledie.tv/h/suicide/post/196350/female-twitch-streamer-livestreams-her-hanging/ many sees that as a horror performance (due to the time spend) but if you look you will see a certain type of spasm quite early (arms and legss pointing backwards) often sign of the brain shutting down - so yes, it takes some time and can be quite violent to watch, but for most they simply are not there after the first few seconds - the rest is just biology (the body trying to survive)

 

[unluckysadness]

if you research technics, yo'll learn how to do it so you pass out within seconds - take a look at https://watchpeopledie.tv/h/suicide/post/196350/female-twitch-streamer-livestreams-her-hanging/ many sees that as a horror performance (due to the time spend) but if you look you will see a certain type of spasm quite early (arms and legss pointing backwards) often sign of the brain shutting down - so yes, it takes some time and can be quite violent to watch, but for most they simply are not there after the first few seconds - the rest is just biology (the body trying to survive)

Thanks but I cannot watch it because it's too disturbing for me. I could have a panic attack and I am mentally disturbed enough.

 

[mychois]

if you research technics, yo'll learn how to do it so you pass out within seconds - take a look at https://watchpeopledie.tv/h/suicide/post/196350/female-twitch-streamer-livestreams-her-hanging/ many sees that as a horror performance (due to the time spend) but if you look you will see a certain type of spasm quite early (arms and legss pointing backwards) often sign of the brain shutting down - so yes, it takes some time and can be quite violent to watch, but for most they simply are not there after the first few seconds - the rest is just biology (the body trying to survive)

I don't think so. It hurts a lot each time I come across this video, so much so that so far I haven't watched the full video.

There is a video about a prisoner hung by inmates, he didn't struggle: neither physically nor emotionally, that was a peaceful one.

 

[AreWeWinning]

Yesterday I watched The Sopranos and there is a hanging scene and honestly, it's really disturbing, even if you know it's simulated. Sorry if I spoil but it's an old TV show...
Do you think it's realistic ? I don't know anything about hanging. Is full suspension more painful than partial ? I bought a rope just in the case I do it impulsively but now I'm much more scared...



I also asked Grok if it's realistic and this is the answer :


The episode you're referring to is "Members Only" (Season 6, Episode 1). The character who hangs himself is Eugene Pontecorvo, a member of Tony's crew who's completely trapped (Tony won't let him retire, the FBI won't leave him alone, his wife is at her limit, his son is struggling with drugs…).

Yes, the depiction is considered very realistic (far too much for many viewers). Unlike the vast majority of hanging scenes in movies/series (where the body sways gently, almost "poetically" or instantly), this one is shown raw and prolonged:

• He jumps → the drop is violent, not a gentle little suspension
• He struggles a lot (the famous "hangman's dance")
• He desperately tries to free himself with his hands
• He eventually lets go, convulses, and urinates (terminal incontinence, very common)

On forums (especially Reddit's r/thesopranos) and in analyses of the series, this scene is often called one of the most realistic hangings ever filmed for television. Many people say it's the first time they've seen what it really looks like "for real," without romantic filters or cinematic shortcuts. David Chase and the team clearly wanted to show the brutal reality, without softening it.

In forensic medicine, a hanging by suspension (jumping from a chair or stool like Eugene) very often produces this kind of picture when the drop isn't long/forceful enough to snap the neck instantly (which happens mostly with a longer drop and a properly placed knot, like in old executions). Most of the time, it's slow asphyxiation + compression of the neck vessels, with a struggle lasting 1 to several minutes, convulsions, and yes, very often loss of urine and/or bowel control at the end.

So to answer directly:
Yes, it's quite realistic (probably one of the most faithful representations ever seen on TV). That's precisely why it's so hard to watch.

No, it's not realistic. What you see is called acting. Movies and TV shows are for entertainment, and not for learning about a method (or anything for that matter).

The person in the scene struggles for too long and seems to be fully aware of what's happening. In reality, this almost never happens. I haven't seen a single video of a real hanging where this happened. The person almost always passes out in about 10 seconds (with slight variations). There may be convulsions and involuntary body movements, but the person is already unconscious at that stage.

If someone holds onto the noose from the inside at the time they step off, it can delay losing consciousness (there is actually a video of a girl doing this). However, the actor in the scene you posted did not do that. He tried to grab the noose after he kicked his support over, but I believe that would be impossible. If a self-tightening noose were used, and someone's full body weight were pulling on the rope, they wouldn't be able to fit their fingers between the rope and their neck. So, even this is unrealistic.

Regarding the girl in the video I linked above, she makes multiple mistakes. First, she grabs the noose from the inside before she kicks her support away. If someone wants to commit suicide, there's no point in doing this, and it's a major mistake. Second, she didn't use a self-tightening noose – she just used a fixed loop.

Thanks but I cannot watch it because it's too disturbing for me. I could have a panic attack and I am mentally disturbed enough.

You're trying to learn about hanging by watching videos. However, you can't watch realistic hanging videos, because you're disturbed by them. So you watch unrealistic videos instead. You're just looking at things that confirm your already existing beliefs and ignoring stuff that doesn't. This is a common logical fallacy, called confirmation bias. You can't learn about hanging (or anything) by doing this.

You're also making the mistake of trusting AI. The stuff it tells you is plain wrong. It just repeats Reddit nonsense. It repeats the opinion of those who know nothing about hanging and have probably never considered suicide. It's also wrong about forensic medicine. Every forensic or medical textbook says it takes only a few seconds to pass out in full suspension hanging.

 

[OnMyLast Legs]

if you research technics, yo'll learn how to do it so you pass out within seconds - take a look at https://watchpeopledie.tv/h/suicide/post/196350/female-twitch-streamer-livestreams-her-hanging/ many sees that as a horror performance (due to the time spend) but if you look you will see a certain type of spasm quite early (arms and legss pointing backwards) often sign of the brain shutting down - so yes, it takes some time and can be quite violent to watch, but for most they simply are not there after the first few seconds - the rest is just biology (the body trying to survive)

I've watched several now and unconsciousness seems to be about instant. The FSH squeeze on the neck is so much. If it didn't cut off blood to the brain, how could partial ever work?

 

[ginko0]

Regarding the girl in the video I linked above, she makes multiple mistakes. First, she grabs the noose from the inside before she kicks her support away. If someone wants to commit suicide, there's no point in doing this, and it's a major mistake. Second, she didn't use a self-tightening noose – she just used a fixed loop.

I've seen members and resource threads recommending different nooses. Hangman's noose, slipknot, noose knot. They all seem alike though. Which one would you say is most effective?

 

[Forveleth]

I've seen members and resource threads recommending different nooses. Hangman's noose, slipknot, noose knot. They all seem alike though. Which one would you say is most effective?

The noose knot is what you want. It constricts the loop when the anchor side is under pressure so your weight tightens it when you fall. The slip knot is a mirror of noose knot where the loop tightens when the non-anchored bit of the rope is pulled (NOT what you want). The Hangman's noose is for "long drop" or "execution" hanging where the person falls and the rope breaks their neck. DO NOT use the Hangman's noose for partial or full suspension hanging.

 

[Liebestod]

I don't know much about hanging either but this video is really informative about the hangman's fracture and the variables of hanging. Though they don't go into detail about full suspension and partial.

 

[JesiBel]

There is only one way to learn about a method, and that is with real-life material (forensic photos, videos of attempts, medical/forensic research). There are even testimonials from users who have ctb successfully.

If you seek death, you must become familiar with it; then it no longer frightens or repulses you. Even when we're alive, we're disgusting with all the things we have inside our bodies.

Nothing you see in movies should be taken as reliable information. The same goes for AI. That's what this forum is for, with its search bar (it exists and it's very useful!); you'll find many threads where the topic is discussed seriously.

Perhaps, if you do not want to view graphic material, you can read about the: death mechanism in Hanging suicides (both PDFs are text only)

As for the pain, that's subjective; it will depend on each person. You'll only be conscious for a maximum of 15 seconds, and you'll feel the pressure of the ligature tightening around your neck due to your applied weight (full or partial). It's just a matter of doing the procedure correctly, and you will have a quick and certain death.

Something to clarify: the forum discusses Full or Partial Suspension. The Drop Hanging technique is only used in executions, and it has not always gone well, causing prisoners to suffer a traumatic death.
Both Partial and Full aim to stop the flow of oxygenated blood to the brain.

The acting is terrible, by the way; it looks like any cartoon character running around in place when they're in trouble, lol