10 Most Frightening Moments In Film History

tcm Making a scary film is one thing but making a truly frightening film that sticks with the viewer long after the credits have rolled is another thing entirely. There are many films that feature cheap scares and phoned in plots that may be scary at the moment but really have no ability to leave their audience in a state of perpetual fright. Then there are some movies that use the tactic of frightening a viewer with images and actions that relate to their deepest personal beliefs and man's most primal fears. Those are the the kind of movies that I'm going to talk about here. Creating a truly terrifying film is a balancing act that only the greatest of directors can truly master. The mechanics behind scaring people rely totally on atmosphere, tension and a fear of the unknown. What you don't see is far more effective than what you do see. That is a method used in horror movies that is tried and true and has been the gold standard for scaring audiences since film was first created. The moments that I've chosen for this list are frightening for many different reasons and I really wanted to try to spread the scares across a range of stories and characters. Some of them are very visceral scares that hit you on a basic level while some are more philosophical which use your own personal beliefs to terrify you. Either way the 10 scenes on this list are some of the most classic moments in horror history which makes them some of the most classic moments in film history. Without further ado I present to you 10 of the most frightening moments in film history.

10. The Exorcist- Regan's Brain Scan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsA3nxzgK-M There has to be a mention of The Exorcist on any list of this type so I'm going to go ahead and place it first. The reason the brain scan scene is on here is because it is a moment that is contradictory to everything that the film stands for but also is very important in the building of the narrative. By turning to science the MacNeils are avoiding the religious elements of the movie but also reinforcing them by showing that they have tried everything there is try and science isn't going to solve any problems for them. The MacNeils last hope is now gone and their desperation is completely evident. It is utterly terrifying because, when it plays in the movie, everything stops feeling like a movie. The fictitious element is removed because a brain scan is a perfectly normal and necessary thing that happens multiple times every day. Instead of the over the top demonic possession the audience is left with a little girl suffering at the hand's of man instead of Satan. This adds a lot of depth to the movie but also provides one of the most uncomfortable scenes in film history.
 
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My favorite movies are Before Sunrise, Pulp Fiction, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Alien and Her so don't be surprised to see those pop up in my writing from time to time. I'm currently in school for Journalism/English and I have an obsession with all things cinematic on the side.