10 Scariest Horror Movie Scenes Set In The Day
Scenes that will make you wish for the darkness.
There's something of an unwritten rule when it comes to horror films, that it's easier to scare when it's dark. It's simply psychological, in that people are scared of the dark, often irrationally so, and this can absolutely be manipulated on the screen.
It is also a great use of pathetic fallacy, where the mood of the scene or the story in general is reflected in the weather and the environment. Add this to the fact that it is easier to utilise the element of surprise and uncertainty when vision isn't exactly clear, and it's easy to see why so much horror happens at night.
This, however, can make it all the more impressive when it does not. It's not so expected for the scary stuff to occur under the light of the sun, when the monsters are still hiding under the bed, and yet it can be just as terrifying, sometimes more so.
"Boogeyman" style villains have presented themselves for the first time, seemingly safe characters have been brutally killed, and zombies have attacked in horrific fashion, all long before the sun has set. These are the scary stories to tell in the light.
10. Helen Meets The Candyman - Candyman
Throughout 1992's Candyman, the titular character is used sparingly at best, with roughly only 10 minutes of screen time in the entire 100-minute run. However, this was someone who didn't need a whole lot of time to make a huge impact.
Much of what made the Candyman scary was less the physical aspect and more the lore behind him, the questions over whether he was real, and, of course, the ritual to summon him. That being said, the late, great Tony Todd absolutely crushed the role and made every single second count.
Though the story ends amidst darkness and flames, the first couple of Candyman appearances occur during the day, with none quite beating his first meeting with Helen (Virginia Madsen). As she didn't believe in him, he made a point to show himself, in a car park in broad daylight no less, and it was truly, truly terrifying.
This all comes down to Todd's performance, which certainly does justice to how the character was built up and crafted to that point. His gravitas and his physical presence were almost hypnotic, and made for an intimidating display that neither Helen, nor anyone in the audience, was likely to forget anytime soon.