10 Most Terrifying Scenes in Horror Movie History, Ranked

Many things can cement a horror movie scene as truly great — a powerful scare, a shocking twist, or unique and creepy imagery being key features. Some of the most famous and beloved horror movies of all time have established themselves as pop culture touchstones on the strength of individual scenes, such as the horrifying first-act twist in Hereditary or the first-person opening of Halloween. As a result, discussions surrounding horror cinema often revolve around debating the best and scariest individual scenes, with some standing out as particularly resonant.

While any film can contain one great scare, the film’s overall quality elevates these moments from simply shocking to iconic and pivotal. From silent films to the modern mainstream, these are the greatest scenes in horror movie history, genre-defining moments that have stood the test of time. The ranking will take into account their filmmaking, acting, impact, and the overall quality of the films.

10 ‘The Exorcist’ (1973)

Regan’s head turns 360 degrees

Adapted for screen from William Peter Blatty‘s 1971 novel by the author himself, The Exorcist is a 1973 supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin. The film centers on a 12-year-old girl possessed by a demon. Then, in one of the film’s most chilling moments, Regan (Linda Blair) sits upright on the bed, and her head turns around 360 degrees (which was accomplished by the filmmakers with the use of a dummy replica) while she smiles menacingly and hurls curses at the priests conducting the exorcism.

The scene makes great use of sound design, accompanying Regan’s head spin with an agonizing clicking sound to evoke her bones cracking and low, animalistic growls, making the audience afraid both of and for her. That such disturbing actions are occurring to a child, portrayed initially as an innocent young girl, makes Regan’s demonic possession and the mutilation of her body all the more horrific in the eyes of audiences, especially in the early 1970s. The most notorious scene in one of the scariest films ever made, Regan’s head twist in The Exorcist is still effective today.

9 ‘Alien’ (1979)

The chest-burster scene

Directed by Ridley Scott, Alien is a 1979 sci-fi horror film. In its most pivotal scene, the film shows the crew of the spaceship Nostromo enjoying a meal together, which quickly turns into a bloodbath after Kane (John Hurt) is taken violently ill. After initially choking and being short of breath, Kane begins to convulse and lays down on the dining table before his chest gruesomely cracks open as a baby xenomorph bursts out from inside him.

The scene is so strong due to its immaculate tone, beginning with a lighthearted and jovial atmosphere that exemplifies the cast’s strong chemistry before becoming frantic and dire, catching the audience as off guard as the characters. While the special effects may appear dated to modern viewers, H. R. Giger‘s inventive and unique creature design, in tandem with John Hurt’s performance, ensures that the scene remains as resonant and frightening as ever. The scariest sequence in arguably the greatest sci-fi horror film ever made, Alien‘s chest-burster scene more than earned its place in pop culture.

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8 ‘Carrie’ (1976)

The prom scene

Based on Stephen King‘s 1974 novel, Carrie is a 1976 supernatural horror film directed by Brian De Palma. In the film’s climax, bullied high school girl Carrie (Sissy Spacek) is crowned prom queen and then doused in pig’s blood in a cruel prank. However, Carrie’s burgeoning telekinetic powers take effect at this moment as she seals the doors shut and unleashes mayhem and death upon those in attendance.

Making genius use of split-screen visuals and bold red and blue lighting, the scene is visually gorgeous and incredibly striking, with the image of Carrie covered in blood becoming one of the most potent in horror history. After watching Carrie be mistreated by so many people throughout the film, witnessing her final revenge is both cathartic and horrifying, with the prom scene marking the major turning point in her characterization. Violent, chaotic and impeccably acted, Carrie’s prom sequence is unforgettable.

7 ‘The Blair Witch Project’ (1999)

Heather’s monologue

The Blair Witch Project is a 1999 found-footage horror film written and directed by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez. At one point late in the film, Heather (Rei Hance) turns the camera on herself to deliver a heartfelt monologue about her fear and guilt about the ordeal she and her crew-mates have endured. Her terror is palpable as tears stream from her eyes, and her nose runs in a raw display of emotion as she explains that she and her friends are succumbing to the evil in the forest.

The scene was improvised by the actress, adding an element of immediacy and realism to the monologue as her emotions and expressions of feeling responsible for the tragedies feel shockingly genuine. The image of Heather’s eyes and nose in the scene was so immediately iconic that it even appears on many posters for the film, and the line “I’m scared to close my eyes… I’m scared to open them” is widely considered the most powerful in the film. A landmark achievement in found footage horror, Heather’s monologue in The Blair Witch Project is equal parts heartbreaking and terrifying.

6 ‘Audition’ (1999)

Asami’s apartment scene

Audition is a 1999 Japanese horror film directed by Takashi Miike and adapted from the 1997 Ryu Murakami novel of the same name. After an initially sweet and light-hearted first act, the film’s tone drastically darkens when widower Shigeharu (Roy Ishibashi) telephones his love interest Asami (Eihi Shiina). Asami is shown sitting hunched over on the floor of her apartment in an unnatural position next to a human-shaped sack. As the phone rings, Asami gives a sinister smile, and the bag rolls over frantically in a shocking jump-scare.

Audition’s status as one of the most acclaimed horror films of all time is largely the result of its masterful tonal shifts, of which the bag scene is a perfect example. Everything about Asami and her apartment appears so immediately twisted and wrong, from her bizarre posture to the lack of furnishings, that the audience may initially overlook the bag until it moves. The jumpscare is the cherry on top of an already discomforting scene, effectively capturing the film’s overall approach. A cautionary tale for anyone in the dating scene, Audition contains some iconic disturbing moments.

5 ‘Texas Chain Saw Massacre’ (1974)

The Sawyers’ dinner scene

Directed and co-written by Tobe Hooper, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a 1974 horror film. In the best scene, iconic final girl Sally (Marilyn Burns) has been kidnapped by the cannibal Sawyer family and is forced to endure a horrific dinner in which she is relentlessly tormented by her captors. As Sally screams in pure terror, the Sawyers plot to kill her, leading to Grandpa Sawyer (John Dugan) attempting to hit her with a hammer but failing due to his frailty, allowing Sally to escape.

Marilyn Burns’ frantic performance really captures her character’s fear in the scene, with her haunting screams and wide eyes heightening its disturbing atmosphere. The scene makes excellent use of sensory overwhelm—so much is happening at once that one can barely keep up, thus allowing the audience to feel as if they are experiencing psychological torture alongside Sally. Blending the disgusting, horrific, and pitch-black comedy, the dinner scene in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is unforgettable.

4 ‘Ring’ (1998)

Sadako emerges from the television

Ring is a 1998 Japanese supernatural horror film directed by Hideo Nakata and adapted from Koji Sukuzi‘s 1991 novel. After believing that the film’s supernatural curse is broken, university professor Ryūji (Hiroyuki Sanada) is attacked by the vengeful ghost Sadako (Rie Inō) in his home. On television, Sadako climbs out of the well in which she died and then climbs out of the screen, staggering over to Ryūji and staring at him with a disturbingly bloodshot eye before killing him.

This scene is incredibly impactful both in context and outside of it, providing unnerving imagery and subverting audience expectations. Sadako’s look is unforgettable and instantly iconic, with her white gown, long black hair concealing her face, and uncanny movements creating a powerful moment of horror iconography when she emerges from the television. Capturing the mood of late ’90s culture by playing on the anxieties about the transition from analog to digital media, the TV scene in Ring is horror at its most creative and horrifying.

3 ‘Nosferatu’ (1922)

The shadow scene

Nosferatu is a 1922 German silent horror film directed by F. W. Murnau and based on Bram Stoker‘s Dracula. The film’s creepiest imagery comes in a scene where Ellen (Greta Schröder) decides to sacrifice herself to kill the villainous vampire Count Orlok (Max Schreck) by allowing him to drink her blood. Shown through shadows that emphasize his bizarre posture and inhuman movements, Orlok ascends the stairs and enters Ellen’s room to feed on her.

Despite being over 100 years old, Nosferatu is still considered one of the best horror films ever made, being an especially notable example of the gothic horror subgenre. The image of Orlok creeping up into Ellen’s room remains incredibly unsettling and sinister, inspiring nightmares in viewers for generations. Max Schreck’s uncanny physicality in the role makes Orlok horrifying, and Murnau’s use of shadows is incredibly effective, establishing the scene as one of horror’s most striking.

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2 ‘Possession’ (1981)

Anna’s subway breakdown

Possession is a 1981 French-German psychological horror film directed and co-written by Polish arthouse filmmaker Andrzej Żuławski. Taking place in the midst of the main couple’s volatile divorce, Possession‘s most iconic scene follows Anna (Isabelle Adjani) into a subway, in which she has a horrifying seizure-like experience. Appearing to be in a state of delirium, Anna begins convulsing, screaming incoherently and expelling strange fluid and blood from her body, which she later characterizes as herself miscarrying her faith.

An abrasive and highly original film, Possession‘s characters exist in the most heightened emotional states throughout the entire runtime. The subway scene encapsulates the film’s most brilliant aspects: its brutality, stunning choreography, and Isabelle Adjani’s earth-shatteringly intense performance, becoming a key reference point among horror fans. Inspiring and referenced in multiple subsequent horror films such as Climax and The First Omen, Possession‘s subway scene is horror perfection.

1 ‘Psycho’ (1960)

The shower scene

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, Psycho is a 1960 horror film based on a 1959 novel by Robert Bloch. In the film’s greatest scene, protagonist Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) is taking a shower in her motel bathroom after a long and challenging day, only to have her relaxation interrupted by an unknown killer who emerges from behind the shower curtain. Shown through masterful editing and camera work and accompanied by a dramatic musical sting, Marion is stabbed to death and left to bleed out into the water, bringing her story to a tragic end.

Until this moment, audiences had been led to believe that Marion would be the film’s point of view character, making her death incredibly subversive and impactful for its time. Additionally, setting such a violent scene in a shower brings a sense of terror into a location where people are at their most vulnerable and unsuspecting, causing many audience members to this day to be wary of what may lurk behind their shower curtains. Perhaps the most famous scene in horror movie history, the shower scene in Psycho combines scares with shock to provide one of the greatest twists in cinematic history.

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NEXT: The 10 Most Thrilling Horror Movies of All Time, Ranked