scary_pumpkin_5.jpgIt’s that time of the year, that time for kids dressing up in ghoulish outfits, throwing eggs at their neighbours, ghost stories… and rom-coms on TV??? Here in Ireland the local station can’t seem to afford horror movies the last week of October, so they end up screening Autumn in New York every (un)bloody year. But these are the times of BitTorrent, thank goodness.

In light of the upcoming pagan celebration, below are some of the scariest scenes from some of the best horror films around. Where possible, I’ve linked that scene to a Youtube vid that will probably be erased in seconds.

But first, let me explain my sense of what is scary. For me, the slasher and torture-porn films of late are not scary. This is because the horror derives from humans, and humans aren’t scary. Why? Because with the omnipresent press, especially from stations like Sky and Fox, it seems almost inevitable that atrocious human acts of violence and murder occur. As for films like Nightmare on Elm Street, they’re too focused on immediate shocks and jumps to ever have a lasting effect.

The horror that truly terrifies me is what I call sublime scary. I’m using philosopher Immanuel Kant’s understanding of the sublime, which is a reaction of being overwhelmed by something which overloads our cognitive powers, like the vastness of the ocean. It’s something that confounds the senses. Good horror movies are able to utilise this feeling through forces and creatures that act in unpredictable, unknown, and thus disturbing ways. Here are the ten best examples:

Alien- Dallas in the vents

alien.jpg It was a tossup between the motion-tracking scene in Aliens and this, but this scene wins out for the utter tension generated by not quite fully seeing the creature that terrorises a bunch of space-truckers. Creating a motion sensor, they attempt to trap the creature in the ship’s vents and then blast it into space. Captain Dallas offers up himself as bait, and the crew’s plan turns into a disaster when the creature turns out to be a little more crafty than imagined. The creature of these films is the ultimate example of sublime scariness- it’s inspired by insects from earth, yet vastly different from anything we have seen or imagined before- its strengths are unknown, but its acid blood makes killing it as concerning as facing it. Ash refers to it as the perfect being, an entity existing out of pure impulse- yet another intimidating characteristic for us law-governed animals. The genius of this film was keeping the Alien out of sight as much as possible- we barely get to grasp what this creature is. All we know is that if you see it, you’re gone, as Dallas realises when he tries to dash out of the vents and runs straight into the alien. This see-it-then-die ethos was quickly ditched after the first sequel and the films became very, very, unscary.

Pan’s Labyrinth- The Man With No Face

pan-labyrinthpale.jpg This recent Spanish film was a wonderful surprise, being both a moving war drama and a magical but creepy fantasy, exploring the connections between the imagination and morality. In one scene, protagonist Ofelia is guided through a magic door into an ominous room by some ally fairies. There she sees a seemingly immobile creature which lacks eyes, sitting at a dining table. As she passes him to get an ornate dagger, we see images of the wall of the creature devouring children, its eyes on its hands. She ventures on, but we’re screaming for her to get the hell out of there. Upon obtaining her dagger, she grabs a grape from the creature’s table, despite being warned not to. The creature awakens, grabbing its eyes and affixing them to its hands, as it creeps eerily after Ofelia, who runs to a door that no longer exists. The make-up and effects are astounding, and that creature will lurk in my nightmares for years.

The Terminator- Rise in the Flames

the_terminator_largefire_08.jpg More sci-fi and action than horror, nevertheless this film proposes the terrifying idea of facing an unstoppable machine that looks and acts like us humans. There’s something deeply disturbing about something seemingly human that is utterly inhumane. After several tense encounters between the terminator and Sarah Connor, the saviour of humanity’s future, and her protector, Kyle, they manage to blow up the truck being driven this assassin machine. Director James Cameron plays us well by having the couple embrace to the cue of an it’s-all-over score, only to have the metallic skeleton of the terminator rise from the flames, to pursue the weaponless heroes once more. The relentlessness of the machine is almost exhausting, if it wasn’t so damn scary.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers- The End

bodysnatchers.jpg My favourite of the body-snatcher films, this 1978 version ties in alien infection with the suspicion the US harboured for its own government.

SPOILER ALERT
Donald Sutherland’s journey of discovery, infiltrating the alien clones by pretending to lack any emotions, takes him to the main hive, where the alien eggs are being nurtured for further contamination. Sutherland makes a desperate attempt to scupper the plan, but he’s outnumbered a million to one. A long chase occurs, and Sutherland, exhausted, finds shelter, only for a torch to shine in his eyes. We cut to later, much later, and the film ends with Sutherland performing his daily routine, until he’s met by fellow infiltrator Veronica Cartright. She smiles at him, and the film ends in one of the most unnerving moments in cinema. Maybe it’s the surprise, maybe it’s the film ending on such a downbeat note, or maybe it’s that horrifying scream the clones emit, but no matter what, this ending will stay with you far longer than the flat conclusion of this year’s remake.

Lord of the Rings- Bilbo Sees the Ring

bilbofreakout.jpgNot an obvious contender for sublime scares, considering it’s a fantasy movie. But in the first film, The Fellowship of the Ring, the Hobbit who brings the One Ring back to civilisation becomes obsessed by it. But Bilbo remains a gentle soul, until the new bearer of the ring, Frodo, Bilbo’s cousin, meets him in the safe haven of Rivendell. Upon seeing the ring, Bilbo makes a lunge for it, his face distorting into something dark and horrifying for a split second, until Bilbo manages to recompose himself, and break down due to guilt. It’s an unexpected shock in a seemingly calm moment. Apparently, the effect was achieved by superimposing over actor Ian Holm’s face the image of a puppet- the scariest entity known to humanity, after the clown.

The Thing- Defibrillator

thing82-01.jpgJohn Carpenter’s greatest achievement was this 1980’s remake of a group of researchers, based in the Antarctic, who uncover a life-form that upon touch infects and mimics of the cells of the infectee. This alien is one of the best-imagined in cinema- it has no identity, no features, its physical form is just an amalgamation of whatever it infects. In one scene, a doctor attempts to resuscitate a convulsing work-mate. He applies a charged defibrillator to his chest, only for the chest to open up into a huge mouth and tear off the doctor’s hands. But the sublime scene is what happens next, as hero Kurt Russell burns the infected body, only to miss its head, which detaches from the charred corpse, spouts legs, and runs off. The Thing has some of the most brilliant art design and special effects in horror.

The Omen- Photos

omen.jpg The Devil is a prime example of a sublime figure, for his “powers” are never known to us, instead we must invest all our thoughts of what is wrong and evil into this icon. The Omen conveys this perfectly by never directly showing anything, but rather the atrocities that happen are caused by seemingly normal forces (the nanny committing suicide, the priest being skewered by a pole falling from a building). One of the best scenes in the film is when photographer Keith Jennings invites suspicious adoptive father of the demon child, Robert Thorn, to his dark room. He shows pictures of several dead characters taken days before they died, with marks on the photos perfectly outlining their deaths (a mark around the nanny’s neck, a line through the priest’s body). Thorn decides to investigate the situation, and Jennings offers assistance. Thorn wonders why, and Jennings shows him a self-portrait. A dark line cuts through his neck. The predictive forces of these pictures creates an eerie sense of destiny, fulfilled for Jennings in a truly horrific beheading.

The Exorcist- Dream Sequence

exorcist-regan-floating.jpg The Exorcist is a film that many have come to mock for its dated effects, but barring one scene (the pea-soup vomit), this remains a genuinely upsetting movie. Not just for the horrifying voice and twisting-neck scenes, but because the films leaves plenty of mysteries in its wake (the possessed Regan reacting to holy water even though it was tap water, the presence of the ornamental stone, etc). But one of the creepiest scenes occurs early in the film, as Father Carris has a premonitory dream about his mother, whom he feels about for placing her in a mental institute. The muted sounds of the dream immerse us in the dream, only to see a single frame of a demonic face jump at us- the face doesn’t factor in the film except for another split second during the exorcism session- its significance is never explained, it remains a disturbing mystery.

Mulholland Drive- Behind Winkie’s Diner

mulhollandtramp.jpg David Lynch is a director that can make very effective moments in cinema- he can disturb us with characters like Frank Booth in Blue Velvet, reduce us to tears with the beauty of The Elephant Man, and envelop us in weirdness in Twin Peaks, Lost Highway, etc. But he can also terrify us. In the multi-layered Mulholland Drive, the film diverts to a scene in a diner, where an uneasy man describes the disturbing dream he had of this diner, where he saw a tramp from behind. When describing the dream, he comes to realise that the dream is coming true, and he and his friend seem almost urged to walk behind the diner. The camera floats as the man’s POV as we glide towards the back, Angelo Badalamenti’s eerie score turning up the tension. Then from behind, a disgusting, crusty tramp glides from around the corner. The moment will cause you to jump, but what’s interesting is that the man dies instantly after seeing the tramp, his friend seeming not to notice. The scene is Lynch’s little nod to the power of dream, or fantasy, and its affect on reality.

Ringu- The TV

ringu011.jpg Without doubt, this is the single most unnerving scene in cinema. I watched Ringu on TV one night, aware of its reputation but unconvinced of its scariness. Admittedly, I was on edge through the film, mostly by the offbeat sound design and the face of those killed by the mysterious video tape, which ensures your death one week after watching it. The contents of the tape itself are disturbing and sublime in their powerful imagery and enigmatic significance. The film seems to come to an end, the heroine surviving her week, but is left unsure of how. We cut to her ex, who is at home, a week after seeing the tape himself. The TV turns on, the image of a well appears, and out crawls Sadako, the force behind these deaths. She crawls toward the screen, her movements broken and jerky, completely unnatural, if not supernatural. But the true scare is in seeing her disjointed body crawl through the TV screen and into the ex’s living room. It’s an ingenious device that causes so much fear in the viewer for it is implying that the sublime horror we see on TV has the ability to cross the boundary between fantasy, and invade our reality. For weeks afterwards I felt uneasy when passing by Asian girls.


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43 Comments so far »
  1.  

    Peter said

    October 11 2007 @ 11:54 am

    As I was reading these, I was mostly nodding, and, if not necessarily agreeing, at least thinking “Yeah I could see how you’d put that on a list like this.” Then I scrolled down to see the section about Mulholland Drive. Every hair on the back of my neck stood up. That scene scares me so much. Then I couldn’t help remembering a couple of choice “Bob” scenes in Twin Peaks that I’d put on my own personal list.

  2.  

    eoin said

    October 11 2007 @ 3:45 pm

    There’s a few momwnts like that in INLAND EMPIRE too. But yeah, that final scene in the Twin Peaks series freaked me out as a child. And there’s a scene towards the start of the 2nd series where Bob clambers over a couch.. it’s ingrained in my memory. I never wore a denim jacket again!

  3.  

    Peter said

    October 12 2007 @ 6:00 am

    Ha! Yeah, Bob freaked me out as a youngster, and I still get bugged out by him if I watch TP now.

    I haven’t seen Inland Empire yet, but it’s in my Netflix queue. Looking forward to it, even if the length of it seems a bit daunting.

  4.  

    eoin said

    October 12 2007 @ 6:10 am

    It’s a good film, but Lynch’s most difficult- and on the first watch it feels quite long just because you’re so lost about what’s going on.

    Just out of curiosity, what scenes would you consider scarier than the ones above?

  5.  

    Peter said

    October 12 2007 @ 9:01 am

    Well, not that I necessarily consider these scarier (because this is all fairly subjective and personal), but some I’d put on my list in addition to many of your choices:

    Jeepers Creepers. When the siblings finally realize they are not dealing with a human being, it’s fairly frightening, but the scene I find sublimely scary is when they think they’ve killed it and the seemingly dead form on the road begins to move, and suddenly a wing tears through the thing’s clothing. This discovery of just how unhuman the thing is… yeah

    Repulsion. Uh, pretty much the entire film. Ha! Seriously, though, I’ve only watched it twice so I’m having trouble pinpointing a specific scene, but perhaps when her imagined attacker makes his first appearance IN the apartment. Or perhaps the very final scene when it becomes evident how far into her mind we have fallen with her. The first time I watched this, as soon as it ended I felt so compelled to leave my apartment and be outdoors in wide open space. Damn.

    A Nightmare on Elm Street. Hear me out. I agree with you that the film does rely a lot on shocks, but for me the sublimely scary moment (and remember this is watching it before Freddy was a well known horror icon) is when Nancy’s mother reveals that this monster isn’t just a figment of dreams. It’s the discovery that the bogeyman is rooted in reality that’s truly terrifying for me as she pulls the razored glove out of the furnace to show her daugther.

    Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. One of my Bob moments.. The pivotal scene when Laura watches her father enter the home during the daytime, follows him in, and discovers Bob lurking in her bedroom. So. F*&#ing. Scary. I’m getting goosebumps just typing this.

    Vertigo. The scene in which Scottie first spots Judy. Talk about overwhelming the cognitive powers (for both Scottie and us).

    Kontroll. The dream sequence which finds Bulcsú going deep within the tunnels to make a certain discovery..

  6.  

    Hollywood said

    October 12 2007 @ 7:00 pm

    I haven’t really watched that many horror movies but yeah, I agree with some of these.

    I definitely agree with Mulholland Drive though I wasn’t that impressed with the Ring.

    But I also agree with Peter on Jeepers Creepers (the first one) when they came into that “thing’s” lair and saw all this body decapitated and stuck to the walls. uhhrrgg..still gives me the creeps.

    Exorcist too gave me nightmares as a kid..and yeah, I agree, its more on the unanswered questions and the mystery rather than the effects itself…

  7.  

    Paul said

    October 13 2007 @ 3:28 am

    Cool Article Eion i’m going to stumble it i’ve given up on digg even though i got a digg the other day on my digitalbattle site i prefer stumbleupon in ther long run i mean you submit to SU and and you get traffic no matter what but when i submit to digg it is nearly impossible to get on so i trying other place i also tried n4g they are good for games :)

  8.  

    eoin said

    October 13 2007 @ 3:40 am

    Thanks Paul, I Digged it the other day and sent it to IMDB in the hopes that they’ll post it on their articles section (fat chance)- will also post it on some forums and try to boost the debate

    Hollywood, are you referring to the Japanese Ring or the US remake? Because the latter isn’t very scary at all.

  9.  

    Peter said

    October 13 2007 @ 6:39 am

    Ooooh I thought of another one with plenty of these types of scary moments: Videodrome.

  10.  

    eoin said

    October 13 2007 @ 12:09 pm

    Hmmm, don’t know about Videodrome- if I were writing an article about the 10 most nauseating films, I’d have that as my Number 1 (Naked Lunch would probably be in there too)

  11.  

    Jerke Wadde said

    October 13 2007 @ 6:40 pm

    Ahead of all these, I’d put the coda at the end of Carrie, where Amy Irving goes to visit the site of Carrie’s death. Quite the shocker.

  12.  

    TYLER BROWN said

    October 14 2007 @ 5:25 am

    THIS IS ALL WRONG

    THATS ALL I HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THIS

    FOREST GUMP

  13.  

    Paul B said

    October 14 2007 @ 1:38 pm

    i stumbled it guys and we are getting heaps and heaps !!!!! :) :)

  14.  

    eoin said

    October 14 2007 @ 2:07 pm

    I’d rate Carrie along with the kind of films I criticised at the start of the article- really just a film designed for cheap shocks and gore. That ending is a surprise, but it has no lasting merit- it’s just there to provide one last jolt to keep audiences awake

  15.  

    eoin said

    October 14 2007 @ 2:46 pm

    PS Peter,

    Repulsion, yes, I couldn’t help but feel very uneasy when arms and body shapes emerge from the shadows, almost a moving extension of the. Brilliantly filmed. Alas, I didn’t include that scene in my list for I felt it was very evident that what we were seeing was the fantasies of a disturbed mind, as opposed to being a sublime force. Great scene, though.

  16.  

    Peter said

    October 14 2007 @ 3:54 pm

    True, it’s never really a secret that we’re witnessing fantasies, but for me the return back to reality at the end was so jarring, and the journey we take with her

    Yes, Videodrome is nauseating, and I guess the moments I’m thinking of in that film probably fall in the same category as Repulsion–we know we’re not witnessing reality. Though I will say Ringu is in debt at least a little bit to Videodrome.

  17.  

    Ben said

    October 16 2007 @ 10:09 am

    This was a superbly written article. You’re absolutely right that true horror derives from Kant’s ideal of the sublime. The best horrors are as creepy off-screen as on, because they leave the viewer with a sense that the world isn’t as neat and tidy as they’d thought. Those scenes stick with you afterward, nibbling at the back of your mind.

    I’d like to see more of your thoughts on horror.

  18.  

    Hollywood said

    October 16 2007 @ 5:57 pm

    I’m definitely referring to the US remake. It sucked big time.

  19.  

    Milander said

    October 18 2007 @ 6:52 am

    Well…. I’m suprised Jaws did not get a mention, the scene where he plucks the tooth from hole in the boats hulk and the body floats into view. Damn, that scene STILL makes me jump and I’ve seen it a hundred times and KNOW it is coming. I think you’ve lost the plot with Alien… the scene in the first film, where he leans over the egg and SLAM face hugger… first time I ever swore in front of my parents. What about John Carpenters ‘people under the stairs’ to many horror moments to comment on I guess.

    Scariest film of all time, one to leave your little children with scars for the rest of their life… I’d have to say it would be ‘The Thing’ a carpenter classic as mentioned in your list but NOT the head scene, rather the scene where they are trying to find out from 3 guys who is the thing and when they find out, the other 2 guys are screaming ‘cut me loose, cut me loose, get me away from it’ jeeeeez, freaks me out thinking about it.

    like the post btw

  20.  

    eoin said

    October 18 2007 @ 7:01 am

    Hi Milander, thanks for the post!

    I consciously excluded that scene in Jaws, for just like Carrie, it is a conscious attempt just to get jolts. Spielberg said himself that that he shot that scene AFTER the first scren test, as he felt audiences weren’t reacting enough.

    There are several examples in Alien of real scares, the facehugger scene definitely being one of the best- the journey into the unknown, slightly vaginal, corridors of the ship, the strange egg… all sublime stuff.

    And yes, that scene you mentioned in The Thing is another wonderful scene…. absolutly terrifying for the uninfected- it’s the most tense scene in the film, yes, but for me the head scene is a materpiece in art design and sheer unexpected surprise.

  21.  

    Milander said

    October 18 2007 @ 7:38 am

    Thank you for the reply Eoin, appreciated and agreed with though I did not know the ‘jolt effect’ speilberg was looking for was created after, thanks for the info. Yes, geiger did create a very sexual feel which (thank goodness) was carried over through the series, the womb/mother in Alien 4 was very freaky but not new. I’m sat here now raking my brain for another movie moment that really had me with my mouth open and reaching for a sick bag…. the only one hat comes to mind is ‘Pirhana’ the 80’s one with the very graphic (at the time) shot of a person being eaten inside out. That is more gore though rather than edge-of-seat terror. I guess it is a fine line between the two.

    My current favourite (just discovered) is ‘Saw’, I know, I know but the ending when the “dead” body gets up and was not dead still freaks me out. I recently watched it again knowing that the corpse was not a corpse and I was fascinated watching the characters reacting to it as if it was. A film on a cheap budget that delivers more than a film on a large budget. It proves to me that money does not equal quality. *runs into baesment to seek out St. Trinian films* ;)

  22.  

    Georgia said

    October 18 2007 @ 8:34 pm

    Movies don’t usually scare me. The more scary they’re supposed to be the more I find them absurd or just plain disgusting. However, the scene in Frailty where the little boy grabs the ax and starts hacking away made me jump about a foot off of the couch.

  23.  

    Bolo said

    October 18 2007 @ 11:43 pm

    Two of the most disturbing scenes stuck in my head forever come from what was overall a pretty darn mediocre movie-Exorcist 3. Since not too many people are likely to have this one on heavy rotation for DVD night, I’ll just mention that most of the action takes place in what seems to be sort of a combination asylum and senior care hospital. Favorite scene one: The camera stays in place looking down a long hallway at the back of the night nurse, who’s moving back and forth across the hall away from us doing bed checks or whatever. As she gets to the far end of the hall, she goes out of the shot on the left, then crosses back over to the right like we’ve watched her do over and over, except as soon as she crosses, a possessed elderly woman in a ghostly nightdress lunges out right behind her with a huge pair of surgical bonecutters held at neck height. She passes right out of the shot about half a foot from reaching the nurse. No violence is ever shown, but the timing on that damn scene was perfect, and it’s still my gold standard for judging movie scare scenes. There’s another good creepy scene in which another possessed elderly man is seen scuttling across the ceiling of the hospital in a very cockroach-like manner, looking down at all the unsuspecting people below. But if you can’t bring yourself to watch this film for those two moments, watch it for George C. Scott doing the most hysterical deadpan monologue to his buddy the priest about the live carp in his bathtub. On the rare occasions he got the opportunity to be funny, he really nailed it, and this was one of them.

  24.  

    ELBSeattle said

    October 19 2007 @ 2:33 am

    There are a few scenes that I can not think of at night when I’m alone in the house, or I will seriously freak.
    One is when Sarah Palmer (in Twin Peaks) suddenly remembered seeing Bob at the foot of the bed in Laura’s room. His evil grin is just about the freakiest thing I can think of.
    Another skin-crawl Lynch moment is when the Robert Blake character is talking to the Bill Pullman character at the party. No one does freaky better than Lynch.
    The Descent was, I think, damned well perfect as far as jump-out-of-your-seat scenes. Rather than relying on loud noises and sudden music to shock the audience, this movie creates very real sense of claustrophobia by going deep, deep, DEEP down into a cave, where there are very few places to turn when the flesh-eating monsters show up…
    Blood Simple was also one of those movies that made me shout and jump all over my couch.

  25.  

    geab-phil said

    October 19 2007 @ 10:59 am

    Japanese version – the grudge – really freaky & scary when you realized that you just can’t escape her…

  26.  

    Satch said

    October 19 2007 @ 1:58 pm

    I’m dissapointed that there arent any references to scenes in “The Wall”

    Like during the Comfortably numb sequence, where pink slowly turns into a corpse and then rips his eyes out.

  27.  

    Paul B said

    October 19 2007 @ 6:18 pm

    Guys this didn’t even get on digg and we received over 24000 people to it to date :)

  28.  

    Will said

    October 20 2007 @ 6:36 pm

    What the hell?
    Someone already mentioned “The Wall” and not a single scene in The Shining was?
    Where the hell was it in this list? That cliche scene in Pan’s Labyrinth made it, but where was the “All Work and No Play” scene? Or the tricycle scene?
    What about Hannibal’s escape in Silence of the Lambs? The night vision scene?
    This list SUCKS.

  29.  

    eoin said

    October 21 2007 @ 4:37 am

    Hi Will,

    The Shining is one of my all-time favourite horror movies. However, as per my definition at the start of this article, it is not sublime. Why? Because the horror is really the frustration of Jack Torrence- his madness is not sublime, it is psychological. The same goes for Silence of the Lambs, although I never once found that film scary.

  30.  

    afra said

    October 22 2007 @ 2:09 pm

    The sick sister in the pet cemetery of steven king, was the most terrifying to me ever. Here skinny body and laugh o my god. if you never seen it, do.

  31.  

    Down75 said

    October 25 2007 @ 12:32 pm

    I couldnt agree with you more Afra. Im a horror freak, absolutly love scary movies but will not to this day sit and watch the “sister scene” from Pet Cemetery. Something about the make-up and how she moves really gets to me.

  32.  

    phil said

    October 26 2007 @ 6:31 pm

    For me the creepiest scene of all time is in the Shining……After a nerve jarring ride around the hotel corridors we come across the freaky twin girls ….. Come and play with us for ever and ever and ever… then cut to quick flashes of their mutilated bodies truly disturbing ….Kubrick is a master

  33.  

    phil said

    October 26 2007 @ 6:41 pm

    I’m glad you have a David Lynch film in there,David is a master when it comes to increasing the creepiness and general atmosphere of unease with his use of sound. I think he uses frequencies in the sub bass range. There were scenes in Fire Walk with Me that rate as some of the most disturbing I have ever seen, even though the visuals were not actually that twisted.
    I understand you as well when you say there is a differnce between a creepy scene , a gross scene and a disturbing scene.
    What are your picks for the 10 most disturbing scenes?

  34.  

    Ishi said

    October 28 2007 @ 9:44 pm

    Stir of Echoes. While not a horror movie, and utterly eclipsed by The Sixth Sense, the scene with the static on the couch – where Kevin Bacon flips on the television, then looks to the right to see the ghost… I can’t help but just shudder, every time. There’s no music, no expectation… just *there*.

    Another is The Birds, to me – the complete lack of soundtrack again changes what you expect. The journey upstairs to the room where the birds have entered, the entire cliche’ of ‘don’t open that door’ turned on its head by the lack of ambient music (the hallmark of that movie)…

    Finally… Rear Window. Jimmy Stuart’s utter helplessness at watching the murder below, his amazing portrayal and the audience’s sense of surreal experience… I don’t know that there’s another movie moment quite like it.

  35.  

    sam said

    November 9 2007 @ 4:57 pm

    I don’t agree with most of them apart from say alien but I have one to add, is the film “the grudge” the original one from japan, what scared me was the black ghost being, I had nightmares after watching that for like 3weeks. Watch it and unless you are not scared easily then it will probably scare you

  36.  

    Wayne said

    December 11 2007 @ 7:39 pm

    The movie Phantasm should be in this list.

  37.  

    Eric said

    December 12 2007 @ 7:56 am

    Great mix of old and new scenes– I agree with Pan’s Labyrinth wholeheartedly, a new classic already! Here’s a list of Overlooked Scary Movies I did on my site: http://www.scene-stealers.com/top-10/top-10-overlooked-scary-movies/

  38.  

    Andres said

    March 13 2008 @ 4:53 am

    Mulholland drive has the scariest scene of movie history!
    It’s NOT the bizarre guy at the drive in…but the body in the motel…it’s terrible! scariest s@it ever! by far

  39.  

    Andreea rodina said

    March 16 2008 @ 2:14 am

    you dumass you think thats scary i dont think its scary and im 8 its a peace of shit mabey you shoud put pics that will scare a baby too cause these ones shur dident i wanted pics that would blow my head off i watnted 2 see fucking awsome ones but you just had to be a shit for brains and put on crapy pics like that

  40.  

    eoin o'faolain said

    March 16 2008 @ 1:46 pm

    What scares me more than anything else, Andreea, is your inability to punctuate and spell

  41.  

    Smokey said

    June 1 2008 @ 8:52 am

    Anyone seen ‘Stay Alive’? thats got some sublimey scary scenes in it…

  42.  

    Friday’s 13 | Online Movies Cafe said

    February 10 2009 @ 6:41 am

    [...] Screenhead’s “The 10 Most Sublimely Scary Scenes in Cinema“: As is the norm these days with most movie fansites, this one is heavily waited to more [...]

  43.  

    Woodie said

    October 22 2009 @ 9:58 am

    The scene in the Sentinel (1977) where the supermodel’s flashlight turns off and the creepy old man appears from behind the door and rapidly walks across the room and stands facing the corner. My left testicle has failed to re-descend since I first saw that scene.

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