20 INSANE Horror Movie Moments You'll Never Stop Thinking About

10. The Face Peel - Poltergeist

Tobe Hooper's Poltergeist is jam-packed with scenes that became instantly iconic, but the one that rules them all also nearly ended up causing the movie to get an R rating.

The scene in question is an intensely gross hallucination where paranormal investigator Dr. Marty Casey (Martin Casella) envisions himself tearing his own face off, revealing his bloody, bare skull underneath.

Now sure, many have pointed out that the practical effects aren't the best - especially if you dare to pause a higher-resolution release these days - but the idea is powerful enough that some slightly ropey effects can't really detract much from it.

It has a deeply visceral quality that trumps any technical misgivings, and considering that the film is rated PG - because the PG-13 rating didn't exist at this point in time - this sequence basically traumatised an entire generation's worth of kids.

Needless to say, 2015's mostly-terrible PG-13 remake didn't even bother trying to replicate the face peel.