Your scariest moments in horror films...and non-horror films!
Movie Parliament's Minister for Foreign Affairs Arnaud Trouve has constructed a list of the scariest scenes in horror films...and non-horror films. Check out his list, comments and the scenes below. Be sure to give us your thoughts and opinions in the Your Say section.
"The Exorcist 3" - Nurse Station Scene
I've not seen the film, but that scene is really scary: prepare to jump out of your seat. A good example of scene setting, and playing on the audience's expectations.
"Insidious" - Dancing Boy Scene
Congrats to you, migueltiongson, for spotting the dancing boy right there in the laundry, before we even see him dancing ! "Insidious" has been rightly name "scariest film of 2010" by Prime Minister's Michael Dalton. There are too many creepy parts in this film to mention them all: the smiling family, the red demon's first appearance,... even the song "Tiptoe through the tulips".
"The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" - Screamy Dinner
The whole film is one of the scariest I've ever seen, because it's realisitic enough to make you care for its characters. Who knows how many Leatherface really exist around the countryside. The screams of actress Marilyn Burns seem genuine, making it all the more horrifying
"Ring" - Sadako comes back
SPOILERS AHEAD. Just when you think it was all over..
"The Shining" - Weirdest scene
I find this moment to be the most frightening. You can't handle it: who are they ? What the F... ??
"The Blair Witch Project" - Ending
SPOILERS AHEAD. When your imagination fills the blanks...that's scarier !
"Psycho" - Ending
SPOILERS AHEAD. The dissolve between the last two shots, plus the surimpression of the mother's face. Extraordinarily well-thought. The shower scene is scary too, but more in a shocking and intense way.
"Les Diaboliques" - The Ghost
Suspense at its very best.
"Martyrs" - Did you see it?
SPOILERS AHEAD. Unforgettable face of Morjana Alaoui, in full martyrdom.
"REC" - Ending
SPOILERS AHEAD. Scariest scene I've ever experienced in a movie theater. The whole audience was terrified, some of them screaming ! The looks of this creature... The fact that it's practical SFX, and not VFX, is scarier !
"The Thing" - Chest defibrillation
Creepiest creature ever !
"Kairo" - The whole movie
Really, it's impossible to single out one moment. The whole thing is insanely creepy, incredibly depressing, but also inspiring and fascinating. I love how Japanese filmmakers scare us with small unusual things, like a woman moving eerily slowly.
Scariest scenes in non-horror films:
"I Stand Alone" - "You have 30 seconds to stop watching this film"
This is the moment just before the ending...an ending so powerful that it made me cried..full of love, and scary at the same time.
"Hidden" - Suicide scene
SPOILERS AHEAD. So uneventful. I screamed. An act of terrorism, so compelling within the film's plot.
"The Fall" - Falling Down
Starting at 0:39, this is a series of mesmerizing images by gifted director Tarsem Singh. There's something eery about the sound design in this sequence. Special mention to the "Thieves !" moment at 1:32.
"Irreversible" - Rape Scene
I can't watch, or even hear that scene again. I remember seeing it in the cinema and some people left.
"2001: A Space Odyssey" - The Trip
What's intensely scary are the freeze frames showing Bowman's face, as he is unable to assimilate everything he is watching. I think there's a tribute to that scene in Danny Boyle's "Sunshine": when they enter Icarus I, everytime a flashlight is pointed towards us, we see a still frame of the dead astronauts' faces. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2It-0H0IF3k
"Battle Royale" - The Beginning
That look on the girl's face...her smile...! (Last seconds of the clip, bad quality though, sorry).
"Paprika" - The Parade
SPOILERS AHEAD. When the world has gone berserk, what is your last hope ? Seeing those salarymen jumping out to their deaths with smiles on their face is downright creepy. This music is funny and scary at the same time.
"Pi" - Subway Scene
Great set-up, great sound design, great soundtrack, great direction, great acting, ... The first feature by Mr Darren Aronofsky.
"Requiem For a Dream" - Fridge scene
Who knew a fridge could be that scary ?
"Black Swan" - The Ballet
0:07. That look. Add a creepy sound design, and this is a movie-going unforgettable moment.
"Eyes Wide Shut" - Masked Ball
The creepy score by Jocelyn Pook includes a choir sung in reverse, making it all the more eery. What scares me the most are the close-ups of the masks, after Tom Cruise is revealed. Year after year, I keep coming back to this incredible film. http://www.youreyeswideshut.com
And a special tribute to David Lynch...
"Eraserhead" - In Heaven Everything Is Fine
One of Stanley Kubrick's favourite films, and the one he screened to his team before shooting "The Shining".
Watch the full film here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQ3gG0i_K9s&feature=endscreen&NR=1
Watch the full film here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQ3gG0i_K9s&feature=endscreen&NR=1
"Inland Empire" - Susan Running
Here is a comment by Youtube user pu171103: "You really have to watch the whole film to get the impact of how scary it is. Honestly I could probably show you all the things in this film that terrified me and in isolation and without context they aren't scary at all. Even in the film it's not a startling jump out at you kind of scary, it's a very deep difficult to describe feeling of terror." David Lynch is the master of true horror, in my mind. I had a hard time watch these images again. It's difficult to tell what's really scary: it's haunting, and deeply disturbing. Lynch uses transcendental meditation to create his movies. Laura Dern's performance is mind-blowing, and her distorded face is unforgettable.
INLAND EMPIRE also contains excerpts from a short called "Rabbits", here is the full link (11 minutes): you don't know if you should laugh or feel terrorized
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jSBVo59j9U&feature=related
INLAND EMPIRE also contains excerpts from a short called "Rabbits", here is the full link (11 minutes): you don't know if you should laugh or feel terrorized
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jSBVo59j9U&feature=related
"Mulholland Dr." - Silencio
The whole club scene is intense, mysterious... "No hay banda", "There is no orchestra".. and somehow we forget it. That single tracking shot at 2:23 is scary, in my mind !
"Mulholland Dr." - At Winkie's
I can barely watch the scene again. The first time I saw this scene, I felt chills and almost screamed. The whole build-up is intense and contributes to that final part, where you have to face your primal fear. This scene never left my mind.