It’s finally October which means it time for some Horror top 10’s. I have been waiting to make top 10 lists for horror movies and the horror genre all year long and for the next 5 Sundays from today till Nov. 1st my top 10 lists will only consist of Horror. You’re welcome Halloween lovers. Now to start off this “Horror Month” this list will be about horror movie scenes. A great horror movie scene is only done right if you create some intense tension, have great cinematography work, good acting skills, lighting must be done right and is some cases the musical score plays a big role. Some great horror movie scenes are scary, some build up to a jump scare or foreshadow something that will happen later on in the film, other horror movie scenes puts you right into the action. For me a great horror movie scene must have me either on the edge of my seat waiting for the anticipation of either something crazy about to happen or a jump scare that you won’t see coming. For this list I will be listing some of my favorite horror movie scenes of all time and some ground rules will apply. Not only will only one scene per movie be in effect but I will only be including one scene per franchise, so don’t expect 10 scenes from Halloween or Friday the 13th. Also the films must be either straight horror or a sub genre of horror like Thriller or Sci-Fi Horror. Comment below your favorite horror movie scene and let’s countdown some of my favorite horror movie scenes of all time.
*Spoilers Ahead*
My Top 10 Favorite Horror Movie Scenes of All Time
10. Goodbye Su-An (Train to Busan) – Train to Busan is probably the best Zombie movie in the last ten years. This South Korean horror film plays with the zombie troupe in a whole new way. We have seen zombie films in the setting of towns, malls, schools, amusement parks and even in the apocalypse, but this one was in an environment where it is in closed capacity and can cause claustrophobia, inside a train. Now while a good handful of the film has the zombies outside the train, the main focus of the film is zombies inside the train. However for this scene I need to go into the ending of the film so spoiler warning ahead. At this point of the film Seok-woo, his daughter Su-An and a pregnant woman named Seong-kyeong are in the middle of a zombie chase until they get onto another train where they are attacked by a now turned zombie Yon-suk. This scene is beautifully shot and edited and the acting from everyone is perfect with the actress playing Su-An showing true emotions into her screaming and crying as in this scene her father is bitten by the zombie and she and Seong-kyeong know that he was bitten and will be turning into a zombie soon. Seok-woo sacrifices his life but before he does he gives his daughter one final goodbye and runs to the end of the train. We see a flashback of him and his daughter when she was first born and the white light in this part of the scene represents him going into the light and his eventual death. He is turning into the zombie but gets one last final moment to remember his greatest memory of having a baby girl. He then kills himself by falling off the train. This scene just makes it on this list because of the amazing acting and camera work/editing as this horror movie scene made me cry so hard when I first watched it that to this day as I tear up watching this scene during each viewing. It’s such a powerful scene and the film itself is so amazing. I defiantly recommend watching it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XG_iugtpAVY
9. David Turns into a Werewolf (An American Werewolf in London) – The Wolfman is a classic horror movie icon that has spawned many wolf movies based off the idea of a man becoming a werewolf. The John Landis film “An American Werewolf in London” plays with this idea and takes it up a notch and shows the full change of a man becoming a werewolf throughout an entire film. The scene where we finally get to see the transformation was at the time one of the best practical effects in cinema history. Now it still is pretty amazing today and it should be known that special make up effects creator Rick Baker is the real star of the film as his creature designs, make up and practical effects make this movie memorable and make this scene so legendary. David’s transformation into a werewolf is scary to say the least as it looks horrifying to watch this man become a monster as we see his hands and feet become larger and hair begins to grow on his body before he starts to get this snout of a wolf. The practical effects used in this scene are so amazing and for its time in 1981 it can be believable as CGI effects. I remember first watching this scene in a Watchmojo video and that’s what grabbed me into wanting to watch the film and seeing the full scene with the entire film I fell in love with the scene. It also helps that I am a big fan of practical effects and make up effects in horror movies more than CGI so this scene to me is a big reason why this film is amazing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10a5cflZzBg
8. The Sunken Place (Get Out) – Jordan Peele’s directorial debut film became a must watch film that many consider not only one of the best horror films of all time, but one of the best films of all time. The film uses racism in a whole new level and it also uses the use of horror in a new way as well as while the film is more of a thriller; it is still an uncomfortable horror film to watch for some people. The same can be said for this scene as while it feels very uncomfortable to watch as the acting, cinematography, dialogue and editing makes this scene uncomfortable but worth the watch. While I don’t want to give too much away from the scene, one thing I want to talk about is what the sunken place stands for. For most the sunken place could be about a place where we hide our feelings towards a certain subject or it could be a place where we hide our inner thoughts of something that has been bothering us. For Jordan Peele however he said in an IndieWire article: “The Sunken Place means we are marginalized. No matter how hard we scream, the system silences us”. He also said how the sunken place represents racism and how the system represents the sunken place and it also metaphors the suppressing and black people’s freedoms. In the end this scene has many representations that is different from everyone’s perspective and the scene in particular plays a big key role with the film’s theme. It’s an amazing scene for an amazing film that I recommend you check out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkzaeVBm4kY
7. Scream’s Opening Scene – This scene is so big that it needed two part videos. The opening scene of Wes Craven’s Scream is by far one of the best opening scenes of all time in horror movie and film history. Scream plays with the genre of horror in a new way with breaking the 4th wall and using the idea of horror movies surrounding its plot and main villain’s characteristics. The opening scene in Scream shows us who we think is the main star of the film Drew Barrymore making popcorn getting ready to watch a scary movie and from there we get a cluster fuck of brilliant storytelling, dialogue and of course a suspense lead up to the introduction to Ghostface. The scene would also be nothing without Drew Barrymore’s amazing performance helped bring her back into the spotlight but also help re-launch her successful career. The scene helps to build up the suspense and horror that is leading up throughout the film and let me tell you this movie has a lot of great scenes to pick from but none are as iconic as the opening scene. It’s one of horror’s most watched scenes and by far one of horror’s best scenes of all time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dt_rbljkbzQ – part 1
6. Here’s Johnny (The Shinning) – This scene is so iconic that it needs no introduction as we all know the scene, the axe going through the door, the scream and terror from Shelley Duvall and of course one of the most iconic lines ever in cinema, “Here’s Johnny”. This scene has been parodied by so many different types of media including The Simpsons, Family Guy, Seed of Chucky, Bryan Cranston’s Mountain Dew Commercial, Ellen, etc. The line became so iconic that the scene itself or in this case Jack Torrance’s face in the door has become a meme. Now the line is actually well known for more than just the film alone as it was the line said for introducing Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show. Now other than the most iconic line in horror movie/late night show history, we need to talk about the scene itself. The suspense in the scene is sky high as you can see the fear in Shelley Duvall when the axe comes through the door. It seems so real the performances from Shelley Duvall and Jack Nicholson as it seems like Jack has gone mad and is trying to kill Shelley. So the performances really made this scene so horrifying and iconic and I also need to spotlight the camera work and the score/background music as well as both played a big key role in making this scene so intense and horrific. Everyone knows how great this scene is and while I know it’s low on the list I also first saw the film a few years back for the first time so for me I knew of the scene and I knew how amazing it is and from the moment I saw the film for the first time I knew then and now I would love this scene so much and it scared the living hell out of me then and still creeps me out now. Thanks Jack for giving me nightmares. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDpipB4yehk
5. Chestburster (Alien) – From one iconic scene to another now we must talk about one of the greatest practical effects ever. This practical effect was so big and so phenomenal that Stanley Kubrick legit called Ridley Scott and asked him how he did it. Now if you never seen Alien before then I don’t blame you as it is a sci-fi horror movie that will scare the living piss out of you, but if you have seen this scene then you should know how horrifying the movie is. Seeing an alien life form come out of a human being’s chest is hard to watch with the blood/guts all over the body and the small alien looking horrifying at its size. Trust me as a horror fan this isn’t as scary as what it later becomes as its final form is…let’s just say scary. This scene has great editing; amazing practical effects and the acting is done very nicely. It’s a smooth scene that hits you hard when the chest burst happens. The scene like I said is iconic and has been parodied by so many different types of media. The scene is very uncomfortable to watch for some because of how graphic it could be but if you could stomach your lunch and have seen this scene then you know how phenomenal it really is. I love this scene because of the practical effect used in this movie and while we have seen the Alien franchise kind of have a similar scene in Alien Covenant, this scene is the true winner and without a doubt a perfect introduction to the baby Xenomorph. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdBu6VAESeI
4. Halloween Opening Scene – I feel like the last couple of entries were so iconic that I needed to have another iconic scene in this spot. Halloween is by far the most iconic horror movie of all time as it was one of the founding fathers of slashers. The story of Michael Myers and Laurie Strode has become so legendary that it spawned multiple sequels, a remake and a sequel to the original where every film that came after the original does not exist. I’m sure you are confused but I have a later list to explain it as this list is about the scenes and let’s go into detail on why this opening scene from Halloween is iconic. First of all I love the eerie music playing in the background, the dark colors and dark lighting used in the scene. They all mix well with each other but then there is the camera work that was carefully done to make it perfect. The camera work by far makes the scene looks suspenseful as we don’t know who this person was, we don’t know anyone in this scene until we hear the name “Michael”. Once we hear that name we know who our killer is but we don’t know what they look like. Once the killing is done and we get the big reveal it is a shock to see a child. Now everyone by now knows about this film but imagine first seeing it in 1978 when it first came out. Back then no one expected Michael Myers to be a child when the killings first happened, unless they saw the trailer. Look all I’m saying this scene is beautifully perfect and has amazing camera work and lighting and it is a great way to open up this classic slasher flick. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnWw060ygG8
3. Meathook (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) – While I do love me some practical effects in horror movies, there is then graphic representation in scenes that do a great job in showing the horror of a movie. And boy does this scene show the true horror of its movie. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of the most horrific films to date as it uses gore and true events to tell a horrifying story. Plus it also helps that a man holding a chainsaw and wearing actual skin on his face helps to tell the story as well. This scene in particular starts off like any other horror movie. The girl walks into a home where her boyfriend went into and she doesn’t think something bad will happen. She then realizes something is fucked up with the house and tries to leave but here comes the killer. This scene instead takes it to a new level and adds in a caged chicken and actual bones and show the horrifying nature of the people that live in the home. We are then introduced again to our killer Leatherface and he chases the young woman and grabs her and brings her to his killing room and places her on a meathook. Now if you have seen this film then you know how gorey and graphic the film is, but if this is your first time seeing this scene then well good luck. I love this scene because it shows the fear and tension being built from that fear. Once we see the young woman go onto that meathook we think she is done, oh no, let’s kill the unconscious boyfriend first with a chainsaw. While we don’t see exactly what Leatherface is doing we know it isn’t pretty and man do I love this scene. I love how graphic the scene is and while to some seeing a chicken and bones isn’t graphic, knowing what they actually represent makes it even more scary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gydxMh1L5ig
2. Hiya Georgie (IT) – While the original 1990 Stephen King’s IT had a phenomenal scene of Georgie meeting Pennywise, 2017’s remake does it a bit better. We were given a glimpse of this scene in trailers and then in theaters until the full scene was upon us in the film and boy did they nail it with this scene. While there are other intense and great scenes in this film like the Loser club taking on Pennywise the first time or the scene where they are all introduced to the clown on a projector, this one took my eyes and heart as I couldn’t believe what I just saw. Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise is probably one of the best performances ever in horror movie history as he literally showed that he can run circles around the legendary performance of Tim Curry. This scene shows what is yet to come from this dark entity they call IT. I love the way the lighting is in the sewer for Pennywise as instead of seeing his whole face we see a dark face but see his white chin, red lips and blue eyes, that’s it. Once we get closer into the sewer we do get to see the full make up but the dark shadows can still be seen. As horrifying as the movie is I can’t look away for one second as this scene keeps me engaged with the dialogue, takes control of my brain and makes me understand what is going to happen next and then when Georgie grabs for the boat and the eyes go from Blue to Yellow I then see that it’s about to happen and then BOOM, Pennywise becomes this monster and bites off Georgie’s arm. I love this scene because yes we know what is to happen next but this film adaptation of Stephen King’s novel is more graphic and this scene shows us how graphic this movie will be. That’s how you introduce us to the movie’s main villain and that is how you show the horror inside of a great horror movie. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRL0Prr2oc8
1. The Shower Scene (Psycho) – No horror movie scene can ever take the mantle of being the best horror movie scene. Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho not only influenced many slasher films, but gave birth to the most Iconic horror movie scene of all time. The shower scene in Psycho has been parodied in so many different films and television shows and it was even redone multiple times in a 1998 remake that flopped and in Bates Motel. The camera work is amazing, the background usage before the kill is amazing, the editing of the killing is by far beautiful and oh my god this scene is so fucking great. I saw this movie at age 16 and ever since I became a fan of Psycho and holy fuck this scene made me not want to take showers with curtains at a dumb age of 16. As a person who took many film classes in college I am pretty upset that I never, ever, ever did a lesson on Psycho. I find it to be bullshit that this scene was never a lesson in any of my classes. I mean the musical score when this mysterious person stabs Marion constantly is so fucking perfect as it brings in terror to the viewer and the screams from Marion brings the tension higher and higher and once the stabbings are done all we see is her body lifeless but able to reach her arm out and grab the shower curtain only to fall over and all we see is the blood flowing into the drain and then we get a beautiful transition from the drain to Marion’s eye as the camera zooms out and we see a lifeless Marion laying there. I don’t know about you but I find this scene to be the most perfect scene in the movie. Now while I do love the final scene or the reveal scene of Norman being the killer the whole time, the movie is 60 years old you should of saw it by now so no spoiler alert, this scene as a whole is so iconic and deserves to be number one on its own but it’s my number one because of how much it influenced me later on in life to fall in love with Bates Motel and center the character of Norman Bates to my character of BabyFace. The Shower scene is by far the most amazing horror movie scene that never needs an introduction as it is the most well known scene of all of cinema. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WtDmbr9xyY
Honorable Mentions:
Game Over (Saw) – This scene is still one of the greatest scenes not only in the Saw movies but the scene in general is one of the greatest twist scenes ever in film. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTGK6ChH494&t=2s
Don’t Stop Me Now (Shaun of the Dead) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4tVH7BPb-Q
Hip to Be Square (American Psycho) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ruw9fsh3PNY
Glen’s Death (Nightmare on Elm Street) – I could of picked multiple scenes from the Nightmare franchise but this one is pretty lit. The production team literally built a room backwards so in the scene the blood coming out of the bed is actually the ceiling of the room. It’s a pretty awesome illusion and a great effect for the film. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OqXqd_s0ho
You’ve Been Very Naughty (Childs Play 2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvFclgKfUQA
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