10 Best Horror Movie Jump Scares Of All Time

The mighty jump scare has been done particularly well in many horror movies, but a select few stand out as particularly terrifying. Jump scares have been a staple of horror movies since the first ever use of the technique was demonstrated in 1942's Cat People. Some of the scariest horror films have been using them since, lulling audiences into a false sense of security before shocking them with a sudden horrifying image or action that grips them in fear.

Jump scares can often be seen as a cheap way for horror movies to stir fears up, giving them something of a bad reputation as time has gone on. While horror movies that don't rely on jump scares or gore have become increasingly popular because of this perception, a well-executed jump scare can easily put them all to shame. Well-done iterations of the technique will be fast, ferocious, unexpected, and linger in the brain long after credits have rolled.

10 The Lawmower Scene

Sinister (2012)

Described by some as the scientifically scariest horror movie when measured against its peers, Sinister has quite the lofty reputation thanks in part to its blood-curdling jump scares. The film revolves around a true crime writer who finds a box of film rolls containing horrific acts of violence in his new home, investigating them with macabre curiosity. Of course, each of the murders detailed in the nauseating Super 8 footage has taken place in the very same house.

One particularly grisly scene video shows a point of view perspective of someone mowing the lawn of the property at night. The shaky handheld footage follows the dimly-lit path of the lawnmower before the terrified head of a victim with his mouth duct taped shut comes into view, going under the blades. The jump scare is punctuated by a terrifying auditory cue, and Ethan Hawke's realistic reaction to the footage only enhances how scary it truly is.

9 The Demon's Face

Insidious (2010)

Insidious helped establish an entire Insidious movie series helmed by famous horror visionary James Wan. The first movie sets the stage with a tale about a couple whose son falls comatose, becoming a vessel for dangerous ghosts and demons from beyond the astral plane. It's up to a team of paranormal investigators to help purge the troubled lad of the entities once and for all.

The main antagonist of Insidious is the red-faced demon that is alluded to first when the comatose boy's grandmother comes to visit, describing a daunting nightmare in which she observed such a creature. While listening to her story, the creature violently manifests behind Patrick Wilson's Josh, scaring the poor old woman and the audience half to death. Even if the film later makes the red-faced demon almost charming by having him jam out to Tiny Tim while working, his first appearance is a harrowing jump scare.

8 "I Saw Her Face"

The Ring (2002)

The Ring distorted face of girl in closet

Inspired the Japanese horror movie Ringu, Gore Verbinski's The Ring knows how to inspire fears great and small. The film follows the investigation into an urban legend of a videotape that is said to kill those who view it in seven days. One of the most visceral jump scares of the entire film happens early on, when the protagonist, Rachel, is first informed of the urban legend by her sister, whose daughter fell prey to it.

During their tearful conversation, Rachel's sister Katie harrowingly admits that she "saw her face", prompting the camera to suddenly cut to the discovery. The ghastly look on Katie's daughter's face as she slumps over in a closet dead is a spine-chilling image that sticks with the viewer throughout the entire film and beyond. Part of what makes this jump scare so effective is just how entrancing and alluring Rachel and Katie's quiet, morbid conversation is, drawing the viewer closer into the screen before assaulting them with it.

7 The Nightvision Camera

The Descent (2005)

One of the best horror movies from the 2000s, The Descent deserves more credit as a masterclass creature feature. The movie centers on a group of adventurous young women who go spelunking, led into an uncharted cave network by a particularly thrill-seeking member of the friend group, only to find themselves lost after an earthquake seals their exit.

The creature's slack-jawed expression and stealth cranks the sense of danger up to a whole new level.

To make matters worse, they soon stumble across the lair of a horrific group of sub-human cannibals. The Descent uses elements of found footage throughout, particularly harrowing during one of the earliest scenes in which one of the so-called "crawler" creatures appears.

Once enveloped in the darkness of the caves, one of the women uses the night vision mode of a camera to see without expending valuable light sources. Doing so results in the horrifying realization that one of the monsters is standing face-to-face with her friend, making for an eerie sight. The creature's slack-jawed expression and stealth cranks the sense of danger up to a whole new level.

6 The Blood Test Scene

The Thing (1982)

John Carpenter's The Thing is a venerated horror classic for a good reason, weaponizing tense pacing, lurid cinematography, and jaw-dropping practical effects with terror and fury. The story follows the crew of an Antarctic research base who are attacked by a shape-shifting alien who can accurately disguise itself as anyone.

To weed out the intruder, Kurt Russell's R.J. MacReady devises a simple blood test, knowing that the creature seems to hate heat. Drawing blood from each of his crewmates, MacReady pokes their fluids with a hot piece of wire to elicit a reaction.

Just as it seems the test may be bunk, as no single man's blood seems to react upon contact with the hot copper, Palmer's blood suddenly shrieks and forms a creature, causing the men to scream in terror as their comrade shakes and morphs into an eldritch horror. Carpenter understands that a good jump scare needs to interrupt a long moment of tense quiet, revealing Palmer is The Thing just as MacReady levels accusations at someone else.

5 The Boat Scene

Friday the 13th (1980)

At this point, the Friday the 13th franchise is more well known for its myriad of sequels featuring the hockey mask-wearing Jason Voorhees than anything else. But the overlooked first film, in which Jason's mother is the true threat, shouldn't be glossed over in the conversation for best horror movie jump scare.

While the first film hardly features Jason at all, when he does finally make his grand entrance, he certainly makes a big splash. Exhausted and battle damaged, the final girl Alice seems to have escaped the clutches of the mad Mrs. Voorhees once and for all.

Just as the dreamy music and triumphant imagery lures the viewer into a false sense of security, the rotten and waterlogged corpse of Jason appears, dragging Alice into the drink with stunning ferocity. Few jump scares are strong enough to create an entire iconic slasher franchise, but that's exactly what Jason's very first appearance was able to do.

4 The Hospital Hallway Scene

The Exorcist III (1990)

The Exorcist III Legion scene with gemini in a hooded cloak running after the nurse with shears

The original The Exorcist might be a revered horror classic, but its sequels don't get nearly the same amount of attention or praise. This may or may not be deserved, but The Exorcist III at least worms its way into the conversation for one of the greatest cinematic jump scares ever. The third film centers on an investigator who takes the case of a series of murders that resemble the Gemini Killer's work.

At one point, his travels take him to a mental hospital. Here is where The Exorcist III unveils its strongest jump scare, as the camera unassumingly lands on a hallway corridor down which a nurse is walking. Out of nowhere, a menacing figure in a white sheet suddenly follows her at a great speed while brandishing a pair of shears. Despite all the supernatural phenomena associated with the series, The Exorcist III proves that running with scissors can be just as scary as demonic possessions.

3 The Moon Pool Scene

Deep Blue Sea (1999)

Among the many characters of Samuel L. Jackson, his role in Deep Blue Sea isn't all that memorable, but the way he goes out is one of the greatest jump scares ever devised. The film takes place in an underwater research facility that is attacked by hyper-intelligent sharks created by research to cure Alzheimer's disease.

After infighting begins to take hold of the group, Samuel L. Jackson's Russell gives a rousing and disturbing speech that almost rallies them together while standing next to the facility's moon pool. Russell describes an avalanche disaster he survived, revealing that two of the fatalities around the event were the result of murderous infighting.

Just as it seems his words are being heeded, a shark suddenly jumps up from the moon pool behind him and devours him, bloodying the waters. The CGI of the shark might be wonky, but the irony of Jackson's character being eaten alive just as he's suggesting to seal off the pool that allowed the shark to kill him is icing on the cake.

2 Hooper Discovers Gardner's Boat

Jaws (1975)

By modern standards, Jaws isn't all that frightening of a horror movie, with creative but dated special effects and presentation that has been parodied to the point of meaninglessness. Yet the film still manages to hold up so well with a handful of scenes that remain spooky even well into the current age of horror.

The sheer terror the gruesome body illicits as it grimly stares one-eyed back at the viewer is still potent all these years later.

The best example of this is when Hooper investigates one of the shark's victims, discovering Ben Gardner's boat. Surveying the wreck underwater, the film's infamous score creeps in as Hooper pries out a shark tooth as wide as his hand from the hole in the vessel's hull.

But the true evidence of what happened to the ship is punctuated by the sudden appearance of Gardner's own waterlooged corpse, suddenly floating into view alongside a musical sting. The sheer terror the gruesome body illicits as it grimly stares one-eyed back at the viewer is still potent all these years later.

1 The Dangling Head

Smile (2022)

One of the most frightening horror movies to be released in recent memory, Smile maintains a thrilling balance of classic jump scares and the dreadful build-up of tension. Smile centers on a woman cursed by a horrific demon that manifests as various smiling people, psychologically torturing her into committing suicide and passing the curse along.

After her psychosis causes her to ruin her nephew's birthday party, her sister haughtily approaches her while sitting in the car. But soon, the Smile entity reveals itself as her sister's head unnaturally swivels downwards to come into view, revealing yet another traumatizing smile.

The film does a great job disguising the scare, with the sister's disapproving body language as she walks up to the car and the audience bracing themselves for the inevitable fallout between the two. More horror movies could do with jump scares as terrifying and well-executed as Smile's.

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