We all know that horror scene. The one that leaves you in shock. That leaves you shaking and haunts your dreams for weeks after you leave the theater. But those scenes are often hard to find these days, with the amount of generic horror movies out there. So if you’re looking for those heart-racing kinds of horror scenes, The Lance has got you covered. Brace yourself as we unveil The Lance’s Top 10 scariest scenes in horror movie history. Spoilers Ahead. Proceed at your own risk.
The Blair Witch Project [1:11:47-1:14:30]
In an attempt to create a thrilling documentary on the horrifying folk tale, the Blair Witch, three film students wander into the Maryland wilderness alone. Before this scene, the audience could at least hope that the hesitant film student, Josh, was simply lost in the woods. However, their journey into this strange house completely ruins that hopeful assumption. So much of the terror caused by this movie comes from the fact we don’t actually see what happens to the rambunctious film-crew. We can only assume that something demonic led to their suspicious disappearance in the woods of Burkittsville, Mayland.
Carrie (1976) [1:14:00-1:18:00]
In this horrifying classic, we are given a front row seat to the appalling abuse 16-year-old Carrie experiences both at school and at home. In a terrifying turn of events, the audience is forced to watch in horror as Carrie has her once magical-prom night completely ripped from her. In a call-back to previous instances of bullying, her tormentors cruelly pour pig’s blood all over her, ruining what was supposed to be the greatest night of her life. Let’s just say Carrie doesn’t take this too kindly, creating a terrifying revenge scene. If blood makes you squeamish, this scene is not for you.
The Shining [49:30-51:10]
While on vacation at the Overlook Hotel, author and recovering alcoholic, Jack Torrence, goes insane under the influence of the hotel and its otherworldly inhabitants. This forces his seemingly psychic son Danny and wife Wendy to survive and escape. For some reason, twins are strangely terrifying in horror movies. Actually, children are also terrifying. And the combination of both twins and children is just nightmare fuel. The eeriness of the girls just calling to Danny, urging him to play with them is already scary enough, then combined with flashes of them all bloodied and sprawled across the hallway, you have a scene that leaves scars
The Thing [1:15:02 – 1:17:53]
An American research team within the Arctic find their project taken to a horrifying new level where they encounter an alien organism known as the “Thing,” an organism that can assimilate and imitate any of them. I don’t think describing this whole scene to you will capture the sheer fear it evokes. In a movie where any character can be an alien and no one is safe, this scene will take your fear, break it in two, and then crank it up to 1000 just through special effects so repulsive they could make you puke. Just the appearance of the alien will leave you shivering as you leave the theater.
Get Out [54:61-56:04]
While meeting the parents of your girlfriend is a necessary step in any relationship, Chris Washington finds out it can be a lot scarier than he could have imagined when he goes on a weekend getaway with the parents of his girlfriend Rose. In a movie full of already unnerving music, characters, and scenes, the scene of Andre’s breakdown definitely stands out among them. The bizarre set up of the scene, the sudden tone shift, and having Andre go from composed to guttural screaming for Chris to “GET OUT” are definite terrors of this scene, but the clincher is the audience having their fears confirmed and set into overdrive. This definitely cements this as one of the scenes that will haunt you even after you leave the theater. It also deserves praise for maintaining the scare factor on further rewatches.
IT (2017) [4:44-9:20]
In this remade classic, a horrifying clown terrorizes the children of Derry, Maine. While some horror movies take their time with exposition, IT‘s opening scene wastes no time. We watch in horror as a seven-year-old, adorably dressed youngster meets his demise in an intensely gruesome manner. This gory opening is enough to make even the most seasoned horror fans grimace. Possibly the scariest part of this scene is that we don’t get to actually see what happens to Georgie when he’s pulled into the sewers. We can only hope the psychotic clown made his death swift.
Nightmare on Elm Street [1:27:53-1:29:30]
In this horror classic, Nancy’s dreams are plagued by a terrifying monster, Freddy Krueger’s torture has started leaking from dreams into reality. In a horrifying twist, the audience is transfixed in terror as what was supposed to be the end of Nancy’s nightmare is revealed to be a ruse. This scene calls into question if anything in the film was real. Was it all a dream? Will Nancy ever be able to escape Freddy Krueger?
The Blob [25:50-27:13]
High school students Brian, Meg, and Paul must deal with an unworldly threat in their town in the form of the Blob, a gelatinous substance that melts anyone in its path.This scene is the stuff of nightmares, at least for some people. Others may think it’s cheesy, but it’s pretty horrific for its time. Imagine being a kid, going through the channels on cable (that is if you even know what cable is), and seeing this guy just melting. You’re scarred for life! This being the first kind of introduction the blob sets the movie’s tone, and lays the foundation of all the other deaths in the movie.
Us [6:15-8:35]
In this unnerving film, Adelaide Wilson returns back to her traumatic beach house with her family and is forced to survive when doppelgängers of her and her family show up at the house, bent on killing them. This scene is a masterclass on setting up suspense and delivering. In a movie about doppelgängers, having the opening sequence take place in a hall of mirrors is just asking for trouble. The scene, while providing a few cheap jump scares at first, truly gains momentum by having the last few take place in darkness in a hall of mirrors. We’re not exaggerating when we say you’ll think twice every time you look in a mirror after watching this scene.
Saw (2004) [1:35:20-1:38:54]
A photographer and an oncologist inexplicably wake up chained in a run-down bathroom, where they are forced to commit sadistic actions by a serial killer named Jigsaw to survive. The ending scene of Saw is possibly one of the scariest scenes of all time. Just having the reveal of the main chance of escape going down the drain at the beginning of the film and the Jigsaw Killer being there the whole time, is truly horror at its core. The ending scream continuing into the credits will leave you shaking in fear as they roll.
And there you have it—our top 10 scariest horror movie scenes. If you find yourself glancing over your shoulder tonight, don’t blame us. You clicked on this article, after all. Happy nightmares!