In 2004, television network Bravo aired a multi-episode special calledThe 100 Scariest Movie Moments. These kinds of countdown specials about all kinds of topics were very popular in that era and a lot of fun. The series came in five hour-long parts, and contained interviews with filmmakers and horror experts where they just talked about all of these infamous and scary movie moments. Ultimately, the top spot went tothe beginning ofJawswithAlienandThe Exorcisttaking second and third.
They did updates of this countdown in 2006 and 2009, adding in films likeThe Strangers,Hostel, andThe Descent, but that is now over 10 years ago and there have been many very scary movies to come out since then. If this countdown was remade now to include movies to come out from 2010-2021, here are a few that would absolutely make the list:
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The Babadook (2014)
The Babadookisa small Australian gemfrom 2014, directed by Jennifer Kent. It follows a single mother named Amelia who is still struggling with the loss of her husband. After she reads a mysterious book calledMister Babadookto her son before bed, she and her son begin to feel that the character in the book is haunting them.
This film really is very emotionally disturbing and, despite not being a massive commercial success at first,it’s broken the internet multiple timessince its release. It’s full of very poignant and scary moments, but one that sticks out is a moment where Amelia and her son Sam are lying in bed and she begins to feel scared that Mister Babadook is there. She hides under the covers, and the sounds of Mister Babadook are heard as it seems like he is approaching.
It’s a small moment, but a very tense and scary one, and definitely one that will stick with people who have watched this film.
A Quiet Place (2018)
John Krasinski’sA Quiet Placetook the world by storm in 2018,with its premise allowing for an extremely tense atmosphere. The film follows a family, in the apocalypse, where staying silent is imperative to survival.
Overall this film is very well done, very tense, and very scary, but one scene, in particular, is massively gut-wrenching. Krasinski’s real-life wife, Emily Blunt, also plays his pregnant wife in the film. At one point, she goes into labor and needs to suffer through her contractions silently. Something about this scene, having to be in labor and give birth silently with monsters around, just feels so much like such a real-life fear that it’s sodifficult and scary to watchand think about. It’s very effective, though maybe not for the squeamish, and one of the most striking moments of the movie.
Hereditary (2018)
People still talk aboutAri Aster’s feature film debutHereditaryand how effective and scary it is, it became an instant horror classic upon its release. The film follows a family who is dealing with a death in the family, and some sinister activities that come with that.
The film is absolutely full of scary moments, it’s basically just one long scary moment. It’s also a film best enjoyed spoiler-free, soSPOILERS AHEADfor anyone who has not seen it yet and wishes to.
The scariest moment inHereditaryby far is towards the beginning of the film, when the two children of the main family of the film are driving in a car.The older brother is driving fastbecause his little sister has had an allergic reaction and is asphyxiating. She sticks her head out of the window to get some air and through a horrible turn of events, they hit a pole and she is decapitated. The scene is upsetting, tense, frightening, and raw. It’s not easy to watch, but it’s very effective.
Get Out (2017)
Whendirector Jordan Peele’s feature filmdebutGet Outcame out, everyone was instantly obsessed with it. It’s about Chris, who is a Black man going home for the first time to meet his white girlfriend Rose’s family. When they get there, there’s clearly something off and potentially sinister going on.
It’s a scary and complex movie with a lot of metaphors packed in anda clear message about racismand the Black experience in America. One of the most frightening parts of the film is when Chris is being hypnotized by his girlfriend’s mother, and he is sent into a trance called “The Sunken Place.”
The scene is subtle, not as outwardly graphic and frightening as the other moments on this list, but the implications are horrible. In “The Sunken Place”, Chris is aware of everything happening but he can’t move and can’t speak. He’s frozen, and he’s also remembering traumatic events. It’s striking and scary to think about, and was also a big cultural moment in film for the world in general.
Us (2019)
Jordan Peele is such an effective horror filmmaker that he has two films on this list.Uswas released two years afterGet Out, and is a much more straightforward horror film. It follows a family who is on vacation and are terrorized by their doppelgängers.
The film is scary and just likeGet Out, jam-packed withmetaphors and social commentary. The scariest moment in the movie by far is when the doppelgängers first appear. They’re all basically scarier versions of the real family, and just meeting them is so tense and overall creepy. Lupita Nyong’o’s character Adelaide especially has a terrifying doppelgänger named Red, with very distinct mannerisms. The acting performances especially sell this one, but the concept as well is frightening.
Clearly, the latter part of the last 12 years had the most heavy hitterswhen it came to scary movie moments, and that’s likely in part due to the rise of horror rooted in real-life issues. There’s so much to do with those concepts and translating them in a literal way, is absolutely terrifying. Lists and special countdowns like this are always a great reminder that no matter how much content is already out in the world, more is always coming. No one knows when the next most terrifying movie moment will come out next, and that’s pretty exciting.
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