14 Scariest Scenes in Horror Movies That Will Eff You Up for Life
by Jesse Schedeen
What good are horror movies if they don't leave you with a few sleepless nights? By all accounts, "Blair Witch" is poised to join the pantheon of eternally terrifying horror films when it hits theaters. To get you in the mood, here are 14 other iconic horror scenes that will mess you up for life.
The Shower Scene In 'Psycho' (1960)
This infamous scene turned a lot of heads in 1960, and not just because it had the audacity to show a woman in a bathroom. Ever the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock played on the vulnerability we all feel when we're in the shower. Who's to say there isn't actually a knife-wielding killer waiting on the other side of that curtain?
Regan Spins Her Head In 'The Exorcist' (1973)
Honestly, you could pluck nearly any scene at random from "The Exorcist" and it would probably qualify for this list. But for sheer, spine-chilling terror, it doesn't get much scarier than seeing young Regan's (Linda Blair) head spin 260 degrees while the room shakes and tears apart around her.
Ben Gardner's Boat In 'Jaws' (1975)
The alpha and omega of jump scares, it says a lot about "Jaws" that he film's scariest moment doesn't feature the shark itself. The lesson here: Never dive at night into shark-infested waters to check on a boat that something clearly tried to eat.
The Chestburster Scene In 'Alien' (1979)
Poor Kane. He thought he dodged a bullet when he survived being face-hugged by a creature from another world. Little did he know that his body had become an incubator for a vicious, little monster. This scene is terrifying because the eventual "chest burst" is so sudden and unexpected -- even the actors didn't know what was coming.
The Window Scene In 'Salem's Lot' (1979)
You'd think sleeping in a second-story bedroom would keep you safe from monsters at the window, right? Not when those monsters happen to be your friend-turned-vampire who floats upstairs and demands to be let in. Cue what is easily one of the creepiest vampire encounters in movie history.
Room 237 In 'The Shining' (1980)
If "The Shining" taught us anything, it's to never, ever go near Room 237. It was bad enough when we didn't know what young Danny Torrance (Danny Lloyd) found when he ventured inside. But when his father (Jack Nicholson) went to take a look, we were treated to the most disturbing scene set in a hotel bathroom since "Psycho."
The Face-Peeling Scene In 'Poltergeist' (1982)
To this day, we're still not sure how "Poltergeist" landed a PG rating. This disgusting bit of body horror is enough to traumatize anyone in the theater, much less younger viewers. Great makeup effects, though.
The Defibrillation Scene In 'The Thing' (1982)
This scene really has it all. First, it shocks viewers as a dead man's torso suddenly opens up and chomps off a doctor's hands. Then, it transitions into a truly terrifying transformation sequence as the titular thing manifests itself as a shrieking, Lovecraftian monstrosity.
Dissolving Stathis' Foot In 'The Fly' (1986)
There's a reason director David Cronenberg is considered the master of body horror. Take this revolting scene from his 1986 remake of "The Fly." There are worse ways to go than having a mutated Jeff Goldblum spew acid vomit on your leg. We can't think of any, but they're there.
Discovering the Sloth Victim In 'Se7en' (1995)
Like the Chestburster scene from "Alien," this scene works so well because neither the audience nor the actors know what's coming. We just assume that there's no way a body this mutilated and this motionless could possibly still be alive. The jump scare is bad enough, but somehow the thought of a person enduring this much suffering is even scarier.
That WTF Ending In 'The Blair Witch Project' (1999)
"The Blair Witch Project" is notable for doing a lot with very little. We never actually see the titular witch during the course of the film. Watching one character stare at a wall, silently waiting for the witch to murder his friend is scarier than any reveal could ever be.
Looking Under the Bed In 'The Sixth Sense' (1999)
"The Sixth Sense" is another film where many scenes could easily make this list. But we have to go with the scene where young Cole (Haley Joel Osment) visited the room of the late Kyra (Mischa Barton), only for her ghost to reach out and grab him from underneath her bed. She's lucky he didn't die of fright right there and join her in the afterlife.
The Diner Scene In 'Mulholland Drive' (2001)
David Lynch's"Mulholland Drive" isn't a horror film in the traditional sense of the word, but few films have so aptly capture the pure, abject terror of nightmares. Here, a man (Patrick Fischler) recounts having a dream about meeting a grotesque homeless man behind a dumpster, only to walk outside and relive his dream in the waking world.
The Bedroom Attack In 'Paranormal Activity' (2009)
The "Paranormal Activity" franchise wore out its welcome after a few years, but the original still haunts us. The film is at its scariest when the demonic entity terrorizes the couple in their bedroom, especially the scene where a sleeping Katie is suddenly dragged out of bed and down the hall by an invisible hand. We've learned to keep both feet under the covers.
