Top 10 Scary Movie Moments of All Time

Scariest Moments ever Captured in a Horror Film!

May 7, 2009 Paul Counelis

Horror as a film genre offers some of the more memorable imagery in all of film and other media. Here's some of the scariest scenes from some of the best horror films.

In the annals of horror film history, there have been countless memorable scenes of creepy delight. Here are some of the most celebrated and instantly indelible horror movie moments of them all!

The Scariest Movie Moments, 10 through 6

10) Kid hovers outside window in Tobe Hooper's Salem's Lot. The kid freakishly haunts just outside the window, scratching to come in. One of the most often quoted moments in horror history.

9) Samara Morgan climbs out of the TV in The Ring. If that moment from the US remake of Ringu doesn't creep you out at least a little, you have ice water in your blood. Such a perfect scene. Masterfully shot.

8) Dary and his sis are driving down the road and they see a big creepy creature in a trench coat dumping something resembling a body down a pipe in Jeepers Creepers. One very scary moment in a whole film of creepy imagery.

7) Regan walks down the steps spider style in The Exorcist. Brrr. Such a scary scene, there's even an action figure available for purchase.

6) Fred Krueger = not a nice guy. A scene from the original (and best) A Nightmare On Elm Street has Freddy chasing in the shadows with extra long arms, running strangely toward his would be victim with a weird lasciviousness.

The Scariest Movie Moments, 5 through 2

5) Norris transforms into...um...his head detaches and grows spider legs...OK, there's no telling WHAT that is, but it's hideous, and it's scary. Greg Nicotero works his special effects magic in horror master John Carpenter's The Thing.

4) The infamous "Nurse station scene" from Exorcist III. A perfectly executed shocking moment from what many horror fans consider to be one of the most underrated horror films ever made.

3) John Carpenter's 2nd appearance on the list. This was achieved with a simple light dimmer, and it's creepy as heck. Jamie Lee thinks she's gotten away, but Michael Myers appears behind her in the doorway, slowly, in the original (and best) Halloween.

2) Another very scary and memorable one from Exorcist III: lady climbs on the ceiling in the asylum. Shivers all around. This one might have you checking out the tops of rooms from the moment you see it.

The Scariest Movie Moment

1) OK...she comes...back...to get her ring. And it's scary. And she moves really slow, and her face is frozen, and she doesn't walk at all but hovers slowly, arms raised, and she fixes the gaze. It's crazy and it's from the Drop of Water segment of Mario Bava's brilliant and all too underrated Black Sabbath.

So it's not the be all end all of horror lists, but it's fun. The grand daddy of them all is Lon Chaney's unmasking in The Phantom of the Opera, the silent film from 1925. Audiences were DEFINITELY not ready for that jelly, and people literally ran screaming from the theater.

So...what's YOUR favorite scary movie moment?

The copyright of the article Top 10 Scary Movie Moments of All Time in Horror Films is owned by Paul Counelis. Permission to republish Top 10 Scary Movie Moments of All Time in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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May 7, 2009 7:19 AM

Dominic Messier :

Pennywise doing anything and everything, in Stephen King's IT. Tim Curry absolutely nails the role, and manages to imprint an indelible image that puts people off of clowns for years. Freaky.

May 7, 2009 9:27 AM

Guest :

Good catch on Pennywise. I've only ever seen IT once a long time ago and it definately made an impression. But what? No room for the original (and best) Sadako from Ringu? Also, I've just watched Rec for the first time and the Medeiros girl, I must admit, was petrifying.

May 7, 2009 10:41 AM

Paul Counelis :

Great call on IT! And the original Ringu definitely. Very creepy.

May 7, 2009 10:56 AM

Guest :

Michael Pantazi:

Sorry. Thought my name would automatically appear on the previous 'guest' comment. Guess not.

Oct 31, 2009 2:05 AM

Guest :

You should watch this Korean film, The title in english is "A TALE OF TWO SISTERS", the recently did a american remake called "THE UNINVITED". The Korean version is 200 times more creepy than the american, My favorite scene: The main character awakens in her dark room from a sound, she sees the top of someones head moving around on the floor at the foot of her bed, Its her dead mother who moves creepy and ends up standing over her on top of the bed.

Oct 31, 2009 2:08 AM

Guest :

Also in the Japanese version of "The Ring"(RINGU), when the girl crawls out of the TV it is way creepier, for one reason. Look at the girls eyes in the japanese version, it is super creepy. Anyone who reads this please check this out, just go to YOUTUBE, real qucik and check it out. You wont be dissapointed.

Oct 31, 2009 8:52 PM

Paul Counelis :

GREAT call on "A Tale of Two Sisters". Awesome film, much better than "The Uninvited".

I prefer "The Ring" to "Ringu", but man, she does look creepy crawling out of that TV, no doubt.

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