Movie scenes that scare the crap out of you.

Not necessarily a thread confined to horror movies, this is all about those scenes that get your heart rate up, induce bouts of nail-biting, and otherwise generally make you want to be somewhere else while the scene plays out.

The first scene that comes to mind whenever someone asks me about this sort of thing is from "Aliens," when

Spoiler:

Ripley and Newt are trapped in the Operations room with the two facehuggers. Mostly before the little buggers come out in force but after they make themselves known to their soon-to-be victims, and said victims are hiding under the bed and trying to find a way out of the room.

THAT is how to do suspense the right way.

A runner-up would be the bathtub scene in Ghostbusters II. Even though looking back on it shows the scene to be a little goofy, my 10-year-old mind was unable to grasp the tongue-in-cheek humour of it and was appropriately freaked out.

So let's hear about your favourite (or least favourite, as it were) ZOMG FREAKED OUT scenes in movies, either as a kid or that you've seen recently. Bonus points for unexpected or unlikely scenes in movies you wouldn't normally expect to have them.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

To date, there is one scene that really scares me every single time I watch it. It's from the movie Signs:

Spoiler:

The scene where Joaquin Phoenix is watching TV and that stupid alien shows up in a birthday party. The expresion of Phoenix, the background music and the way the video has been done is still sooo effective on me. It's so freakingly well done.

Thank God i didn't have the opportunity to watch the movie at the theaters.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Super Mario Bros

Spoiler:

Mario and Luigi have given Koopa the de-evolution beaming of a lifetime and he's been blasted into a bucket susspended. They pear in and suddenly ZOMG BIG GIANT DINOSAUR!

as a kid, that was a shock.

Who Framed Rodger Rabbit.
Two things, the killing of the shoe and

Spoiler:

the true idenity of judge doom, poping eyeballs and all

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

The ending to Friday the 13th where kid Jason jumps out of the lake and grabs the girl in the boat. The timing of it happening with the music is fucking perfect, still suprises me even though i've seen it 1000 times.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Conan-the-3rd

Who Framed Rodger Rabbit.

Spoiler:

the true idenity of judge doom, poping eyeballs and all

I agree with this. Even after watching it again recently after all these years (I got the DVD), I still had the shivers watching that.

In one of the many Grudge movies (theatrical and TV), there was a scene that really spooked me. It was at a TV studio when the victim was accosted by

Spoiler:

a wig. Yes, you read right.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Definitely that scene from Event Horizon...

Spoiler:

Where Sam Neill dreams that he had woken from his sleep/water tank and approaches his wife in a chair. He's looking at her face to face, then BAM a hand in on his shoulder, followed by his wife opening her eyeball-free eyes and says "Im waiting"....terrifying.

Or Fire in the Sky...

Spoiler:

The one scene where Travis is exploring the spaceship and eventually gets caught & operated upon by the aliens. The entire scene really got me as a kid, but especially the part where he loses control in zero gravity, ends up stopping in another pod, and suddenly realize that his hands are in a rotten body.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

I used to get pretty freaked out by the scene in Nightmare on Elm Street when

Spoiler:

Johnny Depp gets swallowed by his bed and all the blood pours up from the hole and spreads out on the ceiling. The music and the slow-motion during the scene is pretty god damn scary.

Also, the first time I saw the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the infamous dinner scene in the end was pretty unnerving.

And while it's not really scary, I cringe whenever I see a characters fingers or fingernails get torn off. Blood and gore doesn't bother me at all, but I just can't deal with that shit.

FELIPE NO

Harry Potter & The Prisoner Of Azkaban. Harry goes to Trelawney's classroom to return a crystal ball Hermione tossed out the door, when he sees something in it... Sirius Black's face whispering "Haaaarryyyy Potteeeeeeerr...."

And all of a sudden BAM! Trelawney grabs him by the shoulder from behind. Gets me every time.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Used to be the Ring, but I watched it so many times that I don't find that movie scary anymore.

The Grudge still has me going.

Spoiler:

When she's appearing in the dark corner or going down the stairs for the first time.

Movies which didn't terrify me, but had me covering my eyes and avoiding trying to listen to anything are the more gory thrillers. Turistas and Hostel had me doing that.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

The Event Horizon one is a good one. That movie has a fair amount of freaky scenes in it, but that one is up there in the top 3. Same for the scene

Spoiler:

Where Dr. Weir is in the maintenance ducts with the flickering lights. Sees the same thing, plus it has the added benefit of a sneaking-up-behind scene.

Also, I haven't seen Inland Empire yet, but this almost makes me not want to anymore:

Spoiler:

GODDAMN.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by goldsac

Definitely that scene from Event Horizon...

Spoiler:

Where Sam Neill dreams that he had woken from his sleep/water tank and approaches his wife in a chair. He's looking at her face to face, then BAM a hand in on his shoulder, followed by his wife opening her eyeball-free eyes and says "Im waiting"....terrifying.

As creepy as that was, I feel that...

Spoiler:

The gore-filled orgy scenes are far scarier. That one part where the original crew is killing and raping each other... nails though teeth, the captain holding his own eyes gasping a warning in Latin, that guy pulling his own guts out... all very creepy stuff. Also, if you have the special edition DVD, there's an extended version of Miller's visions of hell... some of that stuff is so graphic it's almost beautiful.

Also, major kudos to you for mentioning Event Horizon.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

It's not so much scary as it is fucking disturbing, but the scene from Eraserhead when

Spoiler:

the baby's head grows to HUEG proportions and teleports here and there within the room

has to be one of the more disturbing and fucked up scenes I've seen in a movie. Granted, I've not seen many movies, but that moment sticks in my mind. Vividly.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Seconded. Also, when

Spoiler:

Henry kills it and all that weird foamy stuff starts pouring out.

Many things about that movie creep me the fuck out. Also, the lady in the radiator.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by Malahk Angel

As creepy as that was, I feel that...

Spoiler:

The gore-filled orgy scenes are far scarier. That one part where the original crew is killing and raping each other... nails though teeth, the captain holding his own eyes gasping a warning in Latin, that guy pulling his own guts out... all very creepy stuff. Also, if you have the special edition DVD, there's an extended version of Miller's visions of hell... some of that stuff is so graphic it's almost beautiful.

Also, major kudos to you for mentioning Event Horizon.

Yes that scene you're talking about was very disturbing to see. I didn't like seeing that part at all.


I think another scene from a horror flick would be the part in the remake of House on Haunted Hill.

Spoiler:

The part with the girl from Mortal Kombat, taking her camera down to the basement of the house. She gets down there and in the camera is the doctor and his nurses performing a surgery on a guy who is awake and not wanting it, but when she looks at the room with her eyes, it's all empty. She then looks back at the camera, and then everyone in the camera....slowly brings their heads up and slowly looks at her in the camera. She backs up to turn around and head back, and at the end of the hallway she walked through, she sees a figure, somewhat moving erratic. She does another double take, and the figure runs right up to her insanely fast and starts shaking violently.

When I was a kid...FREAKED ME OUT. I couldn't sleep after that for a day or two. I look back at it now, and i'm not scared, but I liked the approach they look with it. Very creepy.

How ya doing, buddy?