10 Horror Movies Remembered For One Amazing Scene
These scenes left an impression.
It's a horror director's job to make their film not just entertaining and frightening, but memorable. By utilising mind-blowing twists, creative kills, well-timed jump-scares, petrifying monsters, and engaging openings, there are plenty of reasons why scary movies stick with us.
Even though moments like this can be shocking and leave us momentarily rattled, the sensation often fades after a few days. But there are some scenes that are so masterfully crafted or shocking, they are embedded in your mind forever. Sometimes, you can't remember anything about a movie, save for one scene that you are just unable to get out of your head.
You might not remember the plot of Ghost Ship (or anything else for that matter), but that opening sequence lives in your mind rent-free. Jason Voorhees' kills can be pretty generic but the sleeping bag murder is a classic moment in the franchise. You probably don't recall who lives or dies in Anaconda but you'll never forget John Voight's death scene for as long as you live.
The movies themselves may not be great or memorable but they all had one scene that was absolutely incredible.
10. Sleeping Bag Kill - Friday The 13th Part VII: The New Blood
To the surprise of no one, Friday the 13th: Part VII has Jason Voorhees roaming Crystal Lake and slaying horny teenagers. It's certainly not an inventive premise but this sequel probably has the best death in the entire series.
After Jason stumbles upon Judy resting in her sleeping bag, he lunges for her. Instead of trying to escape or doing anything pragmatic, Judy tucks herself in her bag... as if that will somehow protect her against a reanimated killing machine. After dragging the sleeping bag across the woods with Judy still inside, Jason hurls it against a tree trunk, killing her instantly.
This scene is memorable because it's hilarious AND terrifying. The scene stays with viewers since the visual of a masked zombie tossing a sleeping bad into a tree is, in itself, absolutely ridiculous, even by this goofy franchise's standards.
Interestingly, the original cut was meant to show Jason whacking Judy into the trunk six times. But by cutting the shot so Jason killed her with one swing, it makes the scene scarier because it demonstrates how inhumanly strong Jason is.
Funnily enough though this scene became so iconic it was reused for comedic effect in Jason X, with a few more whacks for good measure.