The Undead and other supernatural beings may also exhibit an ability to have a functioning head separate from their still-functioning body. This trope can be justified for robots, which may have a power source in their skull that keeps them going after it's been separated from their shoulders: they may not have their core processor in their head anyway. Sometimes the body will still be functional and capable of moving on its own, resulting in the head trying to tell it to pick it up and reattach it. The severed head generally possesses the ability to audibly speak despite their mouth no longer being connected to their lungs, and may or may not even be capable of independent movement, either by bouncing, rolling or levitating. in fiction, consciousness after decapitation can last much, much longer. While it's been said that, theoretically (it's understandably hard to confirm), consciousness may continue for a few seconds after decapitation, note It has been shown that random brain activity can continue for many minutes, ending in a flurry of activity reminiscent of a brain seizure.

Pooh-Bah, The Mikado ('The Criminal Cried')Ī beheading can be a messy and extremely painful thing to see, let alone experience.