Top Scary Moments

Mature Content And Spoilers Warning 

After rewatching Channel 4's Top 100 Scary Moments circa 2003, I decided to compile my own. Being a self confessed horror addict, I've had my fair share of scares (try saying that fast five times), but I've had very few films make my blood run cold. 

So here are my top scary moments. I know for a fact I will kick myself after publishing this because I'm bound to have forgotten some. Now I don't claim these moments to be the scariest of all time, but simply moments that have gotten to me on some level or that I have enjoyed the eerie atmosphere of. 

Now, I'm going to stick to films for this list, because if I go into TV programs, it'll end up being infinite. So without further ado, here's my the list of my top scary moments, in no particular order:

Jurassic Park - The Kitchen

Jurassic Park is not a horror film, but there are some great scary moments. The story basically revolves around a park in which scientists have managed to clone dinosaurs and bring them back to life. All hell breaks lose a t-rex gets out, followed by plenty of other Jurassic friends.

The kitchen scene is, in my opinion, the best scene in Jurassic Park. It's incredibly tense, and, especially when you're a child, absolutely terrifying! The two young main characters are hiding in the park's large kitchen from two velociraptors who are in the kitchen with them, sniffing them out. There is no safe hiding place, and the children have to keep moving to stop from being found. 

You just can't help but put yourself in their position and I limit myself to watching it once a year so the scene still puts me on edge. It really is scary. 

Honourable mention: We first meet t-rex

Saw: The Reverse Bear Trap

Now this scene never scared me, in fact I actually really like it, but I think it's executed brilliantly and to the right viewer, it would be incredibly scary. I definitely think it's the most atmospheric trap in all of the Saw films, even if it's not the most creative. It sets the tone for what's to follow, and you know that whatever is going to follow this is not going to be fun to watch. 

Amanda, our first real victim, that we experience in real, time wakes in to find herself strapped to a chair with a nightmarish mental contraption hooked into her mouth and around her head. 'Hello Amanda' utters the immortal Tobin Bell, who's glorious voice needs to do audiobooks or some shit. He lays it all out for her, she's been a bad girl and needs to be punished. Drugs are bad. He then shows her a video of what the trap will do if she doesn't get it off in the time allocated, and it's not a head massage that's for sure. If she wasn't scared as shit before, she is now. 

The only way to retrieve the key is to chop open and dig through the organs of sedated cellmate, and get the damn thing off before the time runs out. It's edge of your seat stuff, but I think it stands out as one of the best saw traps because it's executed differently to the others. We have a softly spoken running commentary from Amanda as the scene pans out, paired with terrific camera work and use of speeding moments up. I miss when the Saw films were new. It was definitely scarier earlier in the series when the films were less famous and people knew less about what they involved. The first two were very good, but it starts to get silly and a little too brutal as they go on, but number one is definitely worth a watch. Even just for that scene. 

28 Days Later - The Church

Now this scene, don't ask me why, wormed it's way into my head and deeply routed itself in my subconscious the first time I watched this film. Most people probably wouldn't even point it out or remember it as a particularly stand out scare.

28 Days Later, as most of you know, is a zombie flick. Probably the best (scary) zombie flick ever made. Gritty, British, awesome, first film to feature zombies that will  fucking CHASE you. No clumsy, bumblers here. Awesome, scary film, starring Cillian Murphy who wakes up from a coma to find London empty and that people have been evacuated owing to 'rage' a virus which has spread like a wildfire and turned people into murderous, fast zombies. 

Our Irish hero, knowing he's well and truly bummed, pops over to the local church for what I presume is a little hope. There he encounters his zombies and the scene that makes Kat squirm. 

Cillian walks over to the balcony area of the church and we are greeted with masses and masses of bodies, piled high on the pews. It's a horrible sight, and definitely not something a wandering man in search of hope wants to see. 

Then one of them stands up. 

Blink and you'll miss it. Eyes blood red. Mouth dripping. Staring, wide eyed at Cillian. Unblinking. Then the camera pans across and there are others, all staring, soulless among the bodies.

That shits me up every time. 

Honorable mention: The zombies break into the army base. That whole scene is pretty much a thrill ride and scary to boot. 

The Thing - Reviving Norris 

The Thing is probably my favourite horror film of all time. It's just fantastic. I feel like the opening of the film is a little slow, but give it a chance and it will not disappoint. There is no CGI here folks and it looks 10x better than anything you'll see these days. And I'm not just saying this as a purist or as someone who appreciates nostalgic effects, it is genuinely fantastic. And incredibly scary!

It's a paranoia film that combines a creature feature with invasion of the body snatchers style horror. The film is based around the idea that anyone could be 'one of those things' and you're constantly wondering who is going to be revealed as one next.

This next scene doesn't scare me at all anymore, but as a child it was pant wettingly scary, and a real shock if you don't know it's coming. When Copper attempts to revive Norris with a defibrillator, and just as he's about to shock him back to life, it is revealed that Norris is in fact a 'thing', when his chest opens up, revealing giant teeth and tears Copper's arms from his body. Norris's head then falls off and proceeds to grow legs and run off. It all sounds very silly if you haven't seen it, but if you have, I'm sure you're with me on this. 

Honourable mention: The blood testing scene 

Misery - The Operation Was Called 'Hobbling' 

A scene that no longer scares me, but still makes me wince every time. And I think it deserves to be on the list. The first time you watch it, if you don't know it's coming, it's bound to get an audible 'holy shit' every time.

Misery is a film based on a Stephen King book, so as usual, it's about a writer in peril. Paul Sheldon suffers a car accident as a snow storm starts, out in the middle of nowhere, and is rescued by Annie Wilkes, his 'number one fan'. A nurse with a shady history, a bad temper and a number of amusing insults. YOU DIRTY BIRDY!

This scene is the scene people will talk about if they mention the film to you. Paul's broken legs begin to get better, and Annie doesn't want Paul leaving, so she performs an operation on him called 'hobbling' where she places a block of wood between his legs, and with a sledge hammer, she 'hobbles' Paul. Seeing his ankle actually bend around the block of wood will stay with you. It physically hurts to watch it. I also love the use of 'Moonlight Sonata' playing in the background. Great scene.

Final Destination 3 - The Bimbos Burn 

Call me a wimp for this one, but very little gets to me more than fire and deaths involving being burned, as you'll see later. 

Final Destination 3 the last of the Final Destination films that are actually worth watching, and probably my favourite. The protagonist, scream queen Mary Elizabeth Winestead (you may know her as Ramona Flowers), has a vision on a roller-coaster of the whole thing crashing and limbs flying off people, etc, and insists on getting off before it begins. Most of her friends follow suit. The same basic formula as the last two films. Now death is at their heels, he's pissed off and he's coming to get them for escaping his steely, cold fingers. 

This scene in particular was probably (definitely) only in the film to please male and lesbian viewers. The two bimbo characters, who are bad at acting, are taking a trip to the tanning parlour, like ya. If you've seen any of the films before, you know the gist. One, small, unfortunate thing will happen, that will set off a chain reaction, eventually leading to the next characters inevitabledeath. In this case, once the bimbos have waved their naked boobs and vaginas about a bit, bimbo 1's icey (that she wasn't supposed to take in with her, doh!) falls on the heat meter, which goes kasplooey and starts heating up the tanning beds to exciting new temperatures. 

Meanwhile, something else happens, as does something else, then a thingy of some description ends up falling on the tanning beds, locking them in and causing them to become fiery coffins of death. I can't cope with fire at the best of times, but seeing their bare skin bubble like melted cheese just makes me woozy. I can't deal with it. It makes me feel physically ill having to watch it. It's another scene I'll generally fast forward if I'm alone. I can take any of the final destination deaths, just not barbecued nipples. 

Silent Hill - Colin

Silent Hill is a film based on a game, as you may well know. The story revolves a woman who's child is having nightmares about a place called Silent Hill. She figures taking her there will resolve her of all her nightmares. Logical conclusion? Nope, but she does it anyway and ends up in a nightmarish limbo with hideous creature dwelling there, most of whom are previous inhabitants of Silent Hill. 

This scene freaked me out the first time I watched it and still makes me squirm a little now. Maybe it's my aversion to body horror, or maybe it's the slow reveal. Our protagonist finds herself in a bathroom when the 'darkness' comes. The evil that brings the monsters out. Our lady has just encountered the corpse of Colin. A pedophile janitor who's body is grossly contorted and strung up in the toilet.

When the darkness come's Colin's corpse comes to life. He's heard before you see him, and you know what's coming. He's slowly revealed, dragging his twisted body across the floor, making obscene gestures with it's tongue. It's just horrible and it creeped me the hell out the first time I watched it.

Honourable mention: Burning of the lady cop. Hideous scene, which played on my fear of fire. Not nice.

The Cell - Stargher Suspends Himself 

This scene has always been hard for me to stomach. Even in the watered down TV version (when I watched the extended version with my boyfriend, I was in for a rude shock). The film The Cell is a visceral thriller, and one of the most visually shocking, beautiful and horrifying films on the market. I happened across it many years ago and it's one of my favourite thrillers. 

Set in the future, when a special suit (never named, but presumably called The Cell) and what looks like a sci-fi flu-jab allows you to take a trip into someone else's mind. When paranoid-schizophrenic serial murderer, Carl Stargher falls into a coma, it's our heroines job to take a trip into his twisted mind to discover where his current victim is being held and slowly drowned to death. 

The surprising thing about this moment is it actually happens in the real world and not his mind. Stargher has his back pierced with around twelve sold metal hoops which he uses to suspend himself from chains attached to a hideous looking contraption, above his current, deceased victim, who he spends some time touching and caressing first. It is revealed later that his condition leads him to feeling comforted by the feeling of weightlessness, but the scene itself is horrifying. The image will stay in your head for the rest of the film. It's nothing short of 'real life Hellraiser'. I'll admit it, I generally fast forward that scene if I'm watching it alone. 

Honorable mention: Check out the gut extraction scene in one of the dream sequences too, if you have a strong, well, gut (larflarf). 

Eden Lake - Burning The Boy 

I once walked into my local film rental shop in Sandy Park, where they were selling off the old rental DVDs for very cheap. I approached the ample bellied man behind the counter and asked him for a film to buy that will shake me up. The only other person in the shop picked up a DVD from the used DVD racks and handed me this film. He said 'you won't watch it twice'. The ample bellied man agreed heartily. I bought the DVD and to this day I have never watched it twice. Well played, disturbing strangers, well played. 

The film isn't particularly well acted by the female protagonist, but the supporting cast is fantastic, and they make up for it. Michael Fassbender and that kid from Skins are particularly good. Set in the woods next to the beautiful, fictional Eden Lake. The film is pretty much about a wholesome couple being tortured and stalked by the characters from This is England. Chav destruction and it's pretty fucking scary. 

The whole film shook me up. I'll hold my hands up and admit to it. There are plenty of moments that will make you feel sick but this one was the kicker for me. This is the one that stopped me from ever wanting to watch it again. 

Naturally the chavs in this film are racist, and the kid from Skins calls to our female protagonist who has just escaped their clutches that if she doesn't return, he's going to set a small Indian boys head on fire. You'll have to watch the film if you want an explanation of how the kid gets there. Skins chav puts a tire over the small boys head, pours petrol on it, counts to ten, and fuck me, he sets this kids head on fire.

The Silence of the Lambs - Bill In The Dark

Lets face it, the whole damn film is pretty scary. It's an onslaught on your nerves. Lecter and Bill are both horrific creations and every performance in the film is stand out. I truly can't find a flaw.

The storyline is pretty complex to lay out, Clarice Starling is training for the FBI and is given the task of interviewing Hannibal Lecter, cannibalistic serial killer genius about Buffalo Bill; cross dressing, woman skinning serial killer extraordinaire. That's the basic premise. You should know the story. If you haven't seen it, why the hell not? It's a classic. Go. Watch. Now.  

There are plenty of scenes that I could put here. Truly there are, but I've picked this scene because it is the longest of the scary scenes and it manages to hold you through it's entire length. Clarice has discovered Bill's home and had poor Catherine hidden in well/hole/whatever. Then Bill cuts the lights. We watch through Bills night vision goggles as a terrified Jodie Foster, who acts the scene magnificently, scrambles and panics in the dark merely inches away. He could touch her if he wanted to, there are even moments when he teasingly reaches for her. He could kill her whenever he liked. Do whatever he liked to her. But he draws it out. The scene is long and emotionally draining. If you haven't seen it before, you'll be on the edge of your seat the whole way through.

Honourable mention - The scene where Lecture is served lamb chops, but eats the guards instead, then proceeds to string one up with his organs hanging out. 

Cabaret - Tomorrow Belongs To Me

This is not a moment from a horror film, but it is true horror and it is scary if you can appreciate it's context. The scene was even banned when the film was first released. 

Cabaret's storyline is pretty complex, but simply put, it is based around a Cabaret in Berlin during the rise of the Nazis. The story follows Sally Bowles and Brian Roberts through farce, heart ache musical numbers. But none of that is important to this scene. It's all very good, but generally unimportant to the point I'm making. I do highly recommend the film. If you can forgive a slow start, it's engaging, dark and wonderful, with great music and even better performances. Joel Grey won a Tony and an Oscar for his magnificent performance, he's incredible.

The scene starts with the angelic voice of a young, blonde boy rising through a beer garden where people are relaxing with their families and friends. The song speaks of the beauty of nature and it's very pleasant. After a short while, the camera pans down to reveal the young boy to be wearing a Nazi uniform. As the chorus kicks in, two more Nazi soldiers join in, and the song's lyrics become more indicative of the groups nature. Then one by one, more monsters emerge from the wood-works and other people relaxing in the garden stand and join in with the song. A marching drum joins with the music and the song eventually become an aggressive, pro-Nazi march.  

The scene haunting and it closes with one of our main characters saying 'do you still think you can control them'. It's truly horrific and the Nazi's almost seem like an infection in this scene, infecting and spreading to even small, rural beautiful areas of the country. It's just horrible and it almost brings me to tears every time. When watched with context in mind, it's terrifying. It's first audience will tell you that. Even if you don't find it frightening, I hope you find it powerful. I honestly believe it's one of the most powerful scenes in film history. 

Honorable mention:  The shock ending gets pretty close to this on the 'holyshitometre'

The Wicker Man - That Ending 

The Wicker Man is another of my favourite films and I just think it is piss you pants scary. There are moments that seem silly and there are moments that look incredibly silly, but the absolute solid acting puts it up there as one of the horror greats for me. And were not talking about that hideous remake, I'm talking Christopher Lee in a dress and long wig. That's how it's done. 

The whole film is terribly uncomfortable to watch, and Edward Woodward's acting is off the scale. He is just wonderful and his uneasiness carries over to the audience. There is another scene which I particularly like for his acting, which is not scary, but his performance really shines. Britt Eckland is performing an eerie dance and singing, nude, outside of his bedroom door. He can hear her and becomes aroused. But he is intensely religious and he feels guilty. You can see him fighting his desires to the point where his hands begin to shake, and you forget it's even an act. You completely believe in his character. 

This scene is the closing scene of the film, and my fear of fire only heightens the impact of this scene on me. Edward Woodward is dragged across a field buy the heard of pagans and he spots the enormous wicker man. He knows his fate and you absolutely feel every second of his fear. He's then simply put in the wicker man and burned alive. He sings 'The lord is my shepherd' as it burned. It's like... shit. They actually killed him. It's one of the most horrid endings to a film, and it's incredibly scary. I always find it hard to sleep for a while after watching it.  

So that's my top scary moments in no order! I hope they didn't disappoint. Remember, these are just moments that I have enjoyed or personally been shaken up by and I hope you enjoyed them!