Top 10 Scariest Horror Scenes by COOP

Posted on October 31st, 2008

WARNING: Many of these clips contain spoilers that might ruin the movie for you if you haven’t seen them. If you’d like to watch the movie unspoiled, don’t watch the clips. P.S. I know there are lot of glaring omissions here, but what can I say… I’m a connoisseur. These are ten scenes that still have an effect on me after all these years…

10. HALLOWEEN (1978)… “Michael Myers won’t die”
At the end of this immortal classic, the boogyman seems to be down for the count after a coat hanger in the eye and a knife to the chest… so the heroine turns her back on him and takes a breather. Hasn’t she seen enough horror movies to know you shouldn’t do that? The scene begins 2 minutes and 30 seconds into the clip…

9. TRILOGY OF TERROR… “Zuni doll possession”
Long before Chucky, there was the third and final story in the “Trilogy of Terror” anthology film in which Karen Black is attacked by a living Zuni fetish doll. After destroying the doll in the oven, the final shocking camera shot shows what has happened to the evil spirit possessing the doll. I dare you to try not to avert your eyes in the last 30 seconds…

8. SUSPIRIA… “Suzy meets Mater Suspiriorum”
Considered one of the most frightening movies ever made, the last ten minutes of the film account for that reputation. An American girl goes to Germany to enroll in an exclusive ballet school, eventually discovering that the school is run by murderous witches. The head witch, Helena Markos ain’t too happy about being disturbed from her sleep…

7. FRIDAY THE 13TH (original)… “Jason’s first appearance”
Contrary to most people’s memories, Jason was not the killer of the first film. His psychotic mother was the slasher of part 1 and after she gets decapitated by the last surviving counselor, all is well. The dazed counselor takes a canoe and drifts out into Crystal Lake to pass out from exhaustion. Only then do we meet Jason for the first time…

6. THE RING… “Samara comes out of the TV”
I’ve never seen an audience cringe and scream so much as I did during this scene. While I probably consider the ending of the Japanese version of “The Grudge” a scarier scene, nothing impacted the masses like this one. I’ve seen grown men cower at this one (myself included). Say what you will about J-horror being passe. This one will still get you…

5. MULHOLLAND DRIVE… “Nightmare comes true”
In many ways, David Lynch’s “Mulholland Drive” is a horror film. While many debate on the meaning of the film, the terror it sometimes invokes is undeniable. This scene for instance where a guy has a recurring nightmare that seems too real. He takes a friend (or therapist maybe) to the location the dream took place in order to disprove his fear. Unfortunately for him, the dream is real. Watch the horror on this guy’s face the moment in the restaurant when the dream starts falling into place, before the final scare…

4. John Carpenter’s PRINCE OF DARKNESS: “Bedside surprise”
My uncle tells a funny story how he and another friend brought a nervous fellow to see this movie, just so they could grab him and scream during this final scene. Of course the guy freaked and landed in the lap of a stranger next to him and after seeing this scene, you’ll understand why. While most of this movie is a slow burn of creepiness, Carpenter creates a shock that acts like a big, old exclamation mark at the end of this horror classic. Also… Dig that “Simon & Simon” guy and his porn star mustache…

3. REC… “Patient Zero revealed”
This is the final scene from the Spanish horror film, “REC” which was remade as “Quarantine” in the U.S. While the U.S. version had quite an impact, it did not equal the pure terror of the final scene of “REC.” If you’ve seen the trailer, TV spots or even the poster for “Quarantine,” you know how the story ends. The reporter and her cameraman get trapped inside of the attic apartment in pitch black darkness and only the cameraman can see due to the infrared night vision. Dare to watch the heroes meet the horror that is Patient Zero… if you aren’t afraid of having the movie spoiled for you, that is…

2. TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME… “Laura Palmer sees Bob”
Created to give the legendary TV show some closure after a premature cancellation, “Fire Walk With Me” is a peek into the last days of the doomed dahlia, Laura Palmer. It’s no accident that Director David Lynch is on this list more than once. He has an uncanny talent for infusing terror into the seemingly mundane. Bob certainly ranks as one of the greatest boogey men of all time…

1. EXORCIST III… “The hallway scene”
No matter how many times I watch this scene it still gets me. The setup is simple: It’s a static hallway shot where the camera doesn’t move, it simply films what’s going on at the other end of the hall. The less you know about it, the better. At first it looks like nothing is going to happen, but keep watching… KEEP WATCHING…

…and if you aren’t scared enough already, try this…

Happy Halloween