Top horror scene

Inspired by the thread about the best sci-fi scenes, I figured it was time to kick off a discussion on the greatest horror scenes ever. Doesn't have to be an exhaustive list—let's try to keep it tight, maybe just 3 to 5 picks. If you're down, let's avoid repeating the sci-fi horror stuff we've already talked about (like Alien or The Mist). Here are my personal favorites, and they aren't necessarily in any specific order:

1. Halloween — that iconic shot of Michael Myers driving his car, all set to that legendary soundtrack.

2. 2. nightmare in brijest — honestly, any scene where those kids are singing that creepy song about Freddy.

3. Orphan — the scene where little Orphan attacks the nanny... I can't even decide which part of that is my favorite.

4. 4. Friday the 13th — when Jason Voorhees gets his mask for the first time.

and for the end one of stupid — the absolute madness from Human Centipede where the guy creates his "masterpiece" and everything surrounding it. Honestly, I don't even want to think about how messed up that Film was.

Alright, I’ll throw my favorites into the ring too:

Raw (2016). I have to start here. Ella is honestly the first actress I’ve ever felt an instant connection to just by looking at her. Not even Scarlett Johansson managed to pull that off for me.

* That scene where Justine bites Alex's finger—actually, the whole sequence from the forest part all the way to that hospital scene.
* The last scene where Justine wakes up next to her dead boyfriend, and then Alex just sitting there on the floor in complete shock and lethargy.

House on Haunted Hill (1999). This was the only horror movie that absolutely terrified me as a kid. I remember sitting curled up for an hour after one specific scene, staring at the door, just waiting for my friends to come over.

* That scene I mentioned—when someone walks into a room being watched by CCTV, and there's this half-severed guy in a chair, while the monitor in the background shows a butcher with a cleaver.

Martyrs (2008)

* The last scene where the lead actress is skinless, just completely ready to face death.

American Movie (2010)

* That Newborn fuck scene.
* The part where that man goes to see the woman played by that actress; you can literally feel how turned on he is, and you're just waiting for the second he rapes her. That tension is peak.

Event Horizon (1997)

* The scene exploring the wreckage of the first expedition, specifically those images that flash into the frame for milliseconds. You can truly feel the agony they went through while dying. "This isn't ship ash..." absolute perfection.
* Every single scene where they show those horrific images for just a split second.

Alien (1979)

* The birth of xenomorph. Such a great scene.

The Thing (1982)

* The defibrillation scene. From start to finish!

Saw Film

* Literally every single trap scene.

Mother! (2017)

* The last scene, involving baby Jesus.

Suspiria (2018)

* Just like in Mother!, the final act. Blood everywhere, everything red... you can practically feel the blood through the screen.

Hereditary (2018)

* The head-ripping scene, when they peek through the moving car window. And then the behavior following that... just incredible.

Sorry for the long post.

darkangler11 said:1. Rosemary's Baby—that moment she finally sees the child. It might not be "scary" in a jump-scare way, but it’s easily the most unsettling scene I've ever seen. Plus, that soundtrack really cranks up the dread.

2. The Omen—honestly, hard to pick just one scene because the atmosphere is creepy from start to finish. Maybe that part where Damien is riding his bike down the hallway and knocks his mom over? Or the scene in the church when the nanny shows up to kill her. Then there's when Damien starts screaming while driving toward the church... or the zoo scene where the monkeys go wild. And again, all of it set to that Oscar-winning score.

3. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre—firstly, when they get stuck in that van out in the middle of nowhere and head to that House looking for help, only to find the slaughter family living there. Second, just the first appearance of Leatherface.

4. Psycho—as a kid, I was genuinely traumatized by that shower scene everyone knows, especially with that music playing.

5. The Exorcist—pretty much any scene involving the little girl when the demon takes over. That voice and those weird, distorted movements... chilling.

6. Carrie—when she gets drenched in pig's blood at the prom. That look on her face right before everything goes south... I haven't watched it in ages, so maybe it would seem cheesy today, but as a kid, it was terrifying.

There's plenty more where that came from—this is just my first pass.

For The Omen, I'd have to highlight the scene where the nanny throws herself (well, hangs herself) through the window.

1. The Exorcist 1973 - The priest and Pazuzu scene

To me, The Exorcist 1973 is the greatest horror Film ever made—it easily sits within my personal top 10 films of all time...

This specific scene (and honestly, the entire opening sequence) carries this atmosphere that feels almost tangible—like you can sense it hanging in the air. It’s incredible... a sort of mystery, an archaeological horror, I don't even know how else to describe it. Being an Archaeologist by trade, this scene hits especially hard for me...

It’s as if there’s something physical in the air while you're watching it; I truly can't find the right words to explain it.

2. The Omen 1976 - The cemetery scene in the US

I absolutely love this Film, and this particular scene is so deeply unsettling... even if you don't believe in Satan, you can almost "smell" the dread when they find that creature in the grave where they expected something else entirely. And that music accompanying it? Just haunting.

3. Storm of the Century 1999 - The Michael conversation with Legion.

I adore this story, mainly because I know Stephen King based it on the great mystery in history: the Roanoke Island disappearance from 400 years ago.

If you haven't heard about that story, look it up online—it'll give you chills.

This scene is particularly powerful for me—where Evil itself, in the form of Legion / Linoge, talks to a good man (not perfect, just a decent guy). Their dialogue is fascinating; you can see in Legion's eyes that he actually respects Michael more than all the hypocrites, liars, and thugs he lives with in that town who pretend to be righteous.

The whole mini-series kept me on edge from start to finish. There's this unique atmosphere that I just can't put into words.

That dialogue is just... brilliant...

Linoge asks him: "Do you not want to know the truth, or do you just not believe me?"

Michael: "I believe you, but all you see in them is evil. Nothing good."

Linoge: "Goodness is just a fairy tale and an illusion used so people can get through the day without screaming."

Michael: "I don't believe that!"

Linoge: "I know... A good man to the very end." (As he says this, you can see in his eyes that he genuinely respects Michael for being exactly who he is).

Christian Myers said:If I had to pick one standout moment from The Omen, it’s that scene where the nanny throws herself through the window...

Oh yeah, absolutely... I completely forgot about that. There’s that one moment where little Damien just looks at someone and instantly knows if they're an ally—like when he locks eyes with that Rottweiler in the woods and the dog stares right back. Those scenes always give me the chills, especially with that creepy music playing in the background...

Absolutely incredible Film, at least within the horror genre. I was on edge for 80% of the runtime... I could probably watch this 100 times and never get bored.

Ethan Martin said:2. The Omen 1976 — That cemetery scene in Italy...

I love this Film. This particular scene is especially unsettling... even if you don't believe in Satan, you can almost "smell" his presence here. Finding that creature in a grave when they were expecting something else entirely was deeply disturbing. And that music accompanying it... just haunting...

Uuuuuu, exactly! It’s an absolute nightmare of a Film. Honestly, I have no clue why it doesn't rank much higher on those top 20 horror Movies lists you find all over the internet. I think I’ve only ever seen one such list where The Omen actually made the top 10...

darkangler11 said:Oh yeah, absolutely—I totally forgot about that part. Like those moments where little Damien just looks at someone and instantly knows if they're on his side—like when he locks eyes with that Rottweiler in the woods. Those scenes give me actual chills, especially with that creepy score playing in the background.

It’s such an incredible Film, especially within the horror genre. Honestly, I was on edge for like 80% of it. I could probably watch it a hundred times and never get bored.

Uuuuu, yeah, exactly! It's just a damn good movie, plain and simple. I honestly don't get why it doesn't rank higher on all those top 20 horror Movies lists you find online. I think I've only seen one list where The Omen actually made the top 10.

Maybe it's because The Omen and The Exorcist deal with similar themes, and most people tend to pick The Exorcist over everything else. They probably think it's redundant to have ten movies with the same vibe on one list. Personally, though? I'd take The Omen over The Exorcist any day.

Christian Myers said:Maybe it's because The Omen and The Exorcist share similar themes, and most people usually pick The Exorcist when deciding between those two. They probably think it's redundant to have all 10 movies hitting the same tropes. Personally, though, I’d take The Omen over The Exorcist any day.

I wouldn't go that far. Even on these lists, you often see a top 10 consisting of films with similar themes.

https://www.thrillist.com/entertainm...or-movies-ever

In this one, The Omen sits at number 32.

And I honestly don't get this Rotten Tomatoes garbage. Is their criteria for these top lists just user ratings? Because there's no way to explain this absolute disaster of a list:

https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com...s-of-all-time/

The Omen is down at 137, while mediocre junk—or at best, just "okay" movies like A Quiet Place, The Invisible Man, The Lighthouse, and things like that—are sitting in the top 20. 🤦 And get this: Us (2019) is at number one. 🤦

darkangler11 said:Uuuuuu, absolutely! It’s just a damn good Film—seriously. Honestly, I have no idea why it doesn't rank higher on those various top horror lists you find all over the internet. From what I've seen, I think I've only come across one single list where The Omen actually made it into the top 10.

Maybe you stumbled upon my own list—I put that together a long, long time ago. Here, let me brag a little about the lists I've built over the last few years, haha:

TOP 55 HORROR MOVIES OF ALL TIME

Still, these are definitely my most popular ones—they've been getting some real traction, pulling in somewhere between 100k to 150k views each:

TOP 40 Adventure-Archaeology Movies of All Time

TOP 100 Sci-Fi Movies of All Time

TOP 20 horror Movies

🙂

Ethan Martin said:You might have come across my lists before; I put them together a long time ago. Just wanted to brag about some of my old rankings from a few years back, haha:

TOP 55 HORROR MOVIES OF ALL TIME

These lists always seem to get the most traction. They’ve been huge—each one pulling in somewhere between 100,000 and 150,000 views:

TOP 40 Adventure-Archaeology Movies of All Time

TOP 100 Sci-Fi Movies of All Time

TOP 20 horror Movies (2007-2017)

🙂

Your Top 55 horror list is solid. I agree with about 90% of it. Our Top 10 would look almost identical...👍

darkangler11 said:That top 55 horror list you put together is excellent—honestly, I’m on board with about 90% of those picks. If we were trying to narrow it down to a top 10, our lists would be almost identical.👍

👍

As you can see, The Omen isn't just sitting in my top 10—for me personally, it’s actually my number 2 horror Film of all time.

Honestly, The Exorcist and The Omen are my absolute top two horror films—I could probably watch them a hundred times over and they would never, ever get old.

darkangler11 said:That top 55 horror list you put together is excellent—I’d say I agree with about 90% of the picks. Honestly, if we were trying to narrow it down to a top 10, our lists would be almost identical.👍

Do you know which Film has that same bizarre, unsettling atmosphere? It’s not exactly a mainstream household name, but I have to tell you—it gave me the chills, and I mean serious, bone-deep chills.

The Mothman Prophecies (2002)...

If you haven't seen this yet... consider it a recommendation. Personally, I found it—well, how do I put this?—just strangely good. It’s one of those Films that actually gets under your skin—I definitely had a few chills running down my spine. Real, genuine shivers. 😁.

My absolute favorite horror sequence? That moment in Orphan where the woman plays that psychological game, almost like a dark queen maneuvering ghosts. As for the best horror ending—it has to be Martyrs (the 2008 original, just so nobody assumes I’m talking about some remake). It was executed perfectly; everything felt complete and chillingly closed-off...

One of the most terrifying scenes in the whole movie—The Conjuring—is definitely when that thing leaps out at the wardrobe...

Carol Doyle36 said:One of the most intense scenes in The Conjuring—that moment when "it" suddenly lunges at the wardrobe...

👍

Ethan Martin said:👍

Just wanted to jump back in on what I said before..
The Conjuring is way better than the sequel, hands down...

Carol Doyle36 said:Just wanted to follow up on my previous point..
I definitely prefer The Conjuring over its sequel...

I’m right there with you—hands down. 🙂

The thing is, I absolutely love The Conjuring; it captures that 1970s vibe so perfectly, it feels like it was actually filmed back then.

While The Conjuring 2 is a solid horror movie, it just lacks the soul and atmosphere of the first one. If you ask me, that’s the biggest differentiator🙂.

But hey, different strokes for different folks—for me, though, The Conjuring easily sits in my top 15 horror films of all time.

I must have watched it at least five or six times now.

Ethan Martin said:I'm totally with you on that. 🙂

Look, I absolutely love The Conjuring. It nailed that 70s vibe so perfectly, it's like they actually filmed it back then or something.

The Conjuring 2 is a decent horror flick, sure, but it just doesn't have that same soul and atmosphere as the first one. That’s my main gripe right there. 🙂.

But hey, whatever, different strokes for different folks. For me, The Conjuring is easily in my top 15 horror movies of all time.

I've probably sat through it at least five or six times now.

Facts.👍

Ethan Martin said:You know, there’s this one movie with this incredibly weird, unsettling atmosphere. It isn't exactly mainstream, but man, it gave me the creeps... and I mean seriously...

The Mothman Prophecies (2002)...

If you haven't seen it... highly recommended. For me personally... it's just... strangely good. Gave me chills... real skin-crawling chills😁.

I watched it right when it came out. Honestly, I wasn't that into it back then. But you've planted a seed... might give it another look.

The Exorcist - that "Spiderwalk" scene
Blow Out - Rex's death. Even though it’s not strictly a horror flick, that one moment absolutely creeps me out. It honestly puts most horror movies to shame.
REC - that final scene where everything goes pitch black.

That's all I've got for now...

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