10 Most Paused Slasher Movie Moments
Did you catch every Easter egg in The Cabin in the Woods?
Who doesn't love a good slasher movie? When done right, few things within the horror genre can be quite as enjoyable, as entertaining, as erratic, and as outright carnage-laced than a great slasher picture.
A genre largely viewed as being kickstarted by 1974's Black Christmas, the humble slasher went on to dominate the realm of horror throughout the '70s and '80s before then being given a magnificent lick of fresh paint by Wes Craven and Scream in 1996.
There are so many notable elements that play a part in making a great slasher, and one such element is the ability to have horror hounds hitting pause in order to truly take in exactly what they're seeing on their screens. That 'take in' might be in regards to a shocking reveal, to visually explore a shot in a quest for new detail, or even to compose yourself after seeing something truly brutal play out.
Looking back at the slasher subgenre over the decades, then, and here are ten such moments that had so many horror fans reaching for the remote and hammering the pause button.
10. Following In Her Uncle's Footsteps - Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers
There's undoubtedly been some awful sequels over the years, but many often cite the Halloween franchise as being one where only the original 1978 entry is the only film of any genuine quality.
While it may not match the brilliance of John Carpenter's '78 picture, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers is a film that's a great horror movie in its own right. Bringing the infamous Shape back to the series - Halloween III: Season of the Witch leaving Michael out in the cold, of course - we pick things up with Michael Myers trying to kill his young niece, Jamie.
As the bodies and bloodshed piles up, the conclusion of Halloween 4 sees Michael shot a ludicrous amount of times before falling down a mineshaft to his apparent death. But the film wasn't quite done there, for the final shot of The Return of Michael Myers stands out as one of the most shocking, gut-punching moments of the entire franchise.
It's here that the audience is left with the jaw-dropping revelation that the evil of Michael has passed on to his niece, with Jamie having butchered her foster mother in a way that's eerily reminiscent of her uncle.
That still shot of Jamie holding a bloody pair of scissors is an image that's forever engrained in the minds of those with a penchant for the Halloween series - and it was a moment that had you pausing the movie in complete and utter disbelief at what you'd just seen.