The Greatest Scary Moments

[Indiana]

Forget Jimmy Carr this time, let's compile what we consider to be the Greatest Scary Moments on film, television, radio, theatre or other media. No numerical run down, as that would be too difficult to do here, but let's just compile a list.

 

There will be SPOILERS so please be aware as you scroll through the replies.

 

Okay. Let's get on with this, starting with jump out of your seat scenes! Here are a few that stand the test of time (in my opinion).

 

EXORCIST III - The long shot down the hospital corridor where very little happens as the nurse goes back and forth checking rooms, then as she returns to her desk cue a white sheeted figure with a huge pair of shiny metallic shears and a screaming musical stinger as the camera rushes toward the moment. Still effective 23 years on.

 

CARRIE (1978) - The scene at Carrie White's grave as her hand shoots out of the ground.

 

FRIDAY THE 13th (1980) - Jason pops up out of Camp Crystal Lake to greet Alice!

 

HALLOWEEN (1978) - Two major ones here. The window suddenly smashed by falling guttering as Loomis and Brackett discuss Myers, and Bob's corpse swinging upside down from a doorframe as Laurie discovers her friend's bodies!

 

AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON (1981) - The dream sequence in the woods where David is laying in a hospital bed, suddenly opening his wolf eyes!

 

Over to you!

 

**edited for typos**

Edited November 10, 2013 by Indiana

[smcelhenny]

Agree with Exorcist 3, watched it earlier on in the year as the wife had never seen it and aside from ropey last act the film is very underrated and has some wonderful scenes of subtlety and creepiness. It's a wonderfull life, lol

 

A great jump scene which was prob one of my earliest jump scare memories was in Jaws with the corpse missing an eye in the water. A more recent (though its scary to think it's not far from 20 years old now) was the jump scene in Se7en with what they think is the corpse of the starved man suddenly jolting

[GoldenGreen]

The scene at the end from the original Friday 13th definitely got me on my first viewing many years ago.

 

From more recent films, the ending of Paranormal Activity.

 

 

 

 

[Matthewman]

Think you mentioned the 'great' scares in horror. The big two for me have to be the Carrie grave and the end scene of Friday the 13th. Another good scare from an under-rated horror is the ending 'bed/dream' scene from John Carpenters Prince of Darkness. Great ending.

 

The scenes I always remember from my childhood weren't necessarily from horror movies. I remember the opening Librarian Ghost from Ghostbusters scaring the be-jesus out of me and also the scene in Jaws 2 where Brody wades into the water to retrieve the log/wood and gets a wee crispy surprise lol.

 

I love the scene in Signs with the birthday footage. For me, that was a great scary moment.

[Indiana]

Ok let's try creepy scenes.

 

One that always gets me is in the original THE HAUNTING (1963), when Eleanor thinks that Theo is holding her hand too tight in the bedroom...but it isn't Theo.

 

The Shape's face appearing subtlety in the washroom window as Annie searches for a way out in HALLOWEEN (1978)

 

Obviously the girl crawling out of the television set in The Ring.

 

The opening credits of Armchair Thriller.

 

 

[smcelhenny]

The most recent one for me was The Orphanage, when the ghost children are playing the game with the mother getting closer and closer each time she opens her eyes and turns around. My wife was so freaked out by that scene I had to go to the bathroom with her.

 

 

Any time the woman in black appears in the tv movie of The Woman in Black, just so chilling.

 

The sound of the cats wailing in ghost watch.

 

If no one has seen the Spanish movie The Baby's room there is a wonderfully creepy scene where the father sees a figure standing at the end of the cot staring at his infant child yet he can only see him through the baby's monitor.

[GoldenGreen]

The Woman in Black very scary, freaked me out for a few days after I saw the play in London, only time I've been scared by a play. Movie was pretty scary as well.

[smcelhenny]

I only saw the play for the first time last year, I saw the tv movie when I was fairly young and has remained a favourite ever since, even though it ruined my Christmas as I was so creeped out by it when I first saw it. I was not disappointed by the play. It is great testament to the writers and two actors to create such a great atmosphere with such minimal resources. I was disappointed by the movie adaption with Daniel Radcliffe however. Had it been called anything different I most likely would have enjoyed it more but I felt they ignored the less is more approach and went for jump scare tactics instead. That's just my own opinion though as there are those who loved the new version.

[Indiana]

I didn't find The Woman in Black that scary as a film, I didn't really think it was all that good, and am surprised that the sequel is in the works!

 

Anyone remember the old safety warning ads that used to show on kids tv of all places. They were really eerie, especially this one- Dark and Lonely Water, voiced by Dr Loomis himself - Donald Pleasence. Can't believe they used to show this during Tiswas!

 

[GoldenGreen]

I didn't really have great expectations of the Woman in Black movie with Daniel Radcliffe, but I was actually pleasantly surprised that they had managed to capture some of the malevolence that came across from the stage play on the big screen. It's not actually the shock scares themselves that are scary, but I think it is more when you realise that the intentions of the Woman in Black may be not quite what you thought they were and little touches here or there where she appears that have the most impact.

 

It will be interesting to see what they do with the sequel, but as we know from the sequels thread, they have a challenge on their hands.