What's the scariest jump scare in horror history?

What’s your all-time favorite jump scare from a horror movie?
I’m talking about those moments that actually catch you off guard when you least expect it. 😲

For me, it’s probably that one scene near the start of The Grudge (the American remake). Kayako corners Yoko and just yanks her up into the attic in the blink of an eye. It happens so fast. 😁

The weirdest part is that I actually saw it coming—it was totally predictable—but it still managed to rattle me... 🙏

I can't quite recall if there were more of them, but I'm stuck thinking about that one guy shaking his head in Jacob's Ladder... you know, when the main character is walking through the apartment and this dude is just flailing around in some corner. It was just... way too fast! And honestly, I wasn't expecting that at all.

Triangle, right when that guy with the gun pops up behind her for the first time!
Everyone I've watched jump like a startled mouse.

I can’t stop thinking about that one scene from Antichrist; I don't quite remember the exact sequence of events leading up to it, but there's this image of a woman lying in a bathtub when suddenly, just for a split second, this little girl appears right in front of her with a noose around her neck and a bag over her head.
🙈

As for this new one, The Last Exorcism, the part that really sticks with me is when the guy is wandering through the house in total darkness, searching for the kid, and then suddenly, through the window, you see her standing outside in her nightgown—she's twisted in this unnatural way with her arms held out like a crucifix—and then she just bolts out of sight. 😁

It’s not your typical jump scare, but I still can’t shake that moment in Child's Play when the woman realizes there aren't even any batteries in that damn doll—yet it keeps talking away perfectly fine... I was just a kid back then, and let's just say I didn't sleep much that night.

exorcist:so the old lady starts telling some story about her kid by the stairs, and then out of nowhere, the little girl just starts crawling backward on all fours like some kind of freak...😲😱

So, I was just thinking back to this—it’s still pretty vivid in my mind—there's this girl in the new remake of The Amityville Horror, and those few scenes where she actually shows up... Honestly, the whole movie sticks with me because of those little jump scares. You know, like when a chair suddenly starts rocking on its own, or doors slamming shut out of nowhere, and then that girl...

That creepy zombie lady in [REC]... when she suddenly just bolts toward the cameraman and the main girl? Man, that scene is burned into my brain forever.

William Hall93 said:What’s your all-time favorite jump scare from a horror movie?
I'm talking about those moments that actually catch you off guard when you least expect them. 😲

For me, it might be that scene near the start of the American remake of The Grudge. Kayako ambushes Yoko and drags her up into the attic in what feels like a split second. 😁

The funny thing is, I saw it coming. It was predictable, yet it still managed to rattle me. 🙏

..same movie, different scene. That part where the woman is sitting on the bus and a reflection appears in the window. Again, the music tells you it's coming, but just as you stop expecting it... 😱😱😱😱

Jose Thompson said:That zombie woman in [REC] when she suddenly starts sprinting at the cameraman and the lead girl. That scene stuck with me.

Yeah, that scene freaked me out too.😁

Sarah Bennett12 said:I can't stop thinking about those scenes from Antichrist. I honestly can't even remember how the plot actually unfolded, but there's this one part where the woman is just lying in the tub and suddenly the kid pops up right in front of her with a noose around his neck and a bag over his head. It was haunting.

But for me, nothing tops that disgusting scene with the masturbation and them burning the underwear against the guy's junk.😱 Talk about a feeling you just can't shake.🤣

man, when that hand flies out of the grave in Carrie...

it was peak horror TV back in the day—like, ten years ago? I watched every single episode every Thursday and honestly, it still jumpscares me every time... totally wild...

Thomas Garcia71 said:I can't recall if there were more, but I'm stuck on that guy shaking his head in Jacob's Ladder, you know, when the lead walks through the apartment and this dude is just thrashing in some corner. Like, seriously... way too fast! Definitely wasn't expecting that.

👍 Pure insanity.

The Grudge, where some kid hangs off the edge of the bed and starts let out those eerie meows😲 do I really need to admit that I didn't even make it to the end of that movie?
And there’s this other one—I saw it when I was just a little kid—and I can still vividly picture the scene where this old lady dressed in black flies right through the window into the room, looking like some kind of witch. Is that actually The Woman in Black, or am I just mixing up my movies? Honestly, seeing that one single scene was enough to do the trick for me.
I guess I've just always been terrified of ghost stories; jump scares don't really get under my skin as much as the paranormal stuff does.

Raymond Palmer8 said:Carrie, when that hand suddenly lunges out of the grave...

It doesn't matter if you saw it during the golden age of horror on TV decades ago. I used to watch those peak episodes every single week, and every single time, it still got me... unnervingly so...

Exactly 😱 and every time I'd think, okay, here comes the hand, and then—just a second later—bam, jump scare straight to the ceiling.

brrrrrrrrrr

casualpanther12 said:that scene where he’s masturbating and burning himself with a lighter was way grosser... 😱 definitely an unforgettable kind of visceral 🤣

For me, it was that part with the talking fox. 😲

I was just sitting there thinking about that one scene with the clown... you know the one. It’s funny how certain images just stick in your brain, even when you aren't trying to think about them. I remember being a kid back in Ohio, watching movies late at night when my parents were already asleep, and that specific tension—that feeling that something isn't quite right—just hits differently when you're alone in the dark. There’s just something about a clown that feels inherently off, right? It's that uncanny valley stuff where they look almost human, but the painted-on smile just makes everything feel much more sinister. Anyway, I can't stop dwelling on it today. Poltergeist. 😲

Jose Thompson said:That zombie woman in [Rec] suddenly sprinting toward the cameraman and the lead actress. That specific moment really stuck with me.

Agreed. 😱

That first moment in *The Descent* where you actually get a clear, full view of the creature... man, I was absolutely terrified. I’m not even kidding—I nearly lost it right there in my living room.

Joshua Ramirez2 said:That part in The Descent where you first get a clear look at the "monster"... I'm not gonna lie, I nearly lost it.

There are actually a few more of them in Descent 😁