10 Exact Moments Recent Horror Movies Won Us Over
From Evil Dead Rise to Smile, these recent horror movie scenes turned up the heat considerably.
Excellent horror movies typically make use of a flashpoint - a narrative line in the sand that banishes the viewer's concerns about the movie they are watching. These moments of truth and the nature of the audience's reservations may take a variety of different forms, but the common trait that these instances all share is an innate ability to win a viewer over to the film's cause.
Several recent standout genre entries have exemplified this, using a significant event within the film as a hook to seize the viewer's attention. From jaw-dropping scare sequences to macabre monologues designed to make your blood run cold, a selection of recent horror movies from the past three years has seen a litany of different methods utilized in the hopes of snaring the emotional investment of the viewer.
As well as banishing any fears that may be lingering in the minds of horror's more pessimistic viewers, these moments can serve as notable turning points for those watching.
Compelling a viewer to surrender their attention and emotional investment to the movie from that moment onward, these recent horror movie moments all managed to make an indelible impression.
10. The Opening - Renfield
R.M. Renfield is one of horror literature's most iconic names. The role of Dracula's familiar has been endlessly adapted, from an asylum inmate enchanted by the Prince of the Darkness to a sophisticated attorney who handles his legal affairs.
While Renfield's chameleon status is indisputable, there's not much about the man to indicate that he would thrive in a comedy-horror. After all, this is traditionally an unhinged vampire devotee who consumes rats and insects in order to "absorb" their life force.
Fortunately, the opening sequence of 2023's Renfield did a great deal to alleviate these concerns. We first meet Nicolas Hoult's take on Renfield attending a support group for co-dependent relationships, before the specifics of his employment are revealed.
After a black-and-white newsreel-style montage fleshing out his backstory, Renfield frees his master - a sidesplitting performance from Nicolas Cage - from an enchanted circle containing him. The Count proceeds to eviscerate his captors graphically, before being temporarily burned to a crisp by a ray of sunlight.
It's impossible to suppress a howl of laughter as Renfield sheepishly asks the crisped remains of his master if he is ok - Cage literally resembles a piece of volcanic debris as he croaks out a contemptuous "no". It's a hilarious start to proceedings, and one that laid out Renfield's credentials perfectly.