10 Best "What's Around The Corner" Horror Movie Moments

9. Hallway Jumpscare - The Exorcist III

The Exorcist 3
Morgan Creek Entertainment

William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist III - and more so the salvaged Legion cut, released in 2016 - is potentially the greatest horror sequel ever made. It's not quite the masterpiece that William Friedkin's original film was on account of studio meddling, but Blatty's work is still remarkable - a just-as-chilling follow-up to the original brimming with theological strife and catharsis.

Although it could be argued that The Exorcist III is yet to receive its flowers properly, there is one scene that has gone down in horror infamy for having what could be the greatest jumpscare ever. The scene in question comes at the tail-end of the film's second act, with the once-dead Gemini Killer in the full swing of his homecoming rampage.

Lieutenant Kinderman (George C. Scott in, "Man Getting Hit by Demon") has narrowed down the Gemini's movements to Georgetown Hospital, but has so far proven unable to prevent the bloodshed - including the death of his close friend, Father Dyer (Ed Flanders). He is also unable to save the lives of two members of hospital staff - one a nurse on duty (Tracy Thorne), and the other a doctor (Scott Wilson) compelled to suicide.

It is the former encounter that marks the most shocking moment in The Exorcist III. Blatty puts on a masterclass in suspense for the scene, which lasts for almost five minutes and focuses on a nurse and the nightly hospital routine - the former checking various rooms while security shuffles about.

The camera is rooted to the end of the hallway - with numerous doors and corners hiding the potential for danger. Blatty produces a fake-out scare to disarm, only to follow it up an excruciating minute later with a shot of pale death bursting from a room thought secure.

In this post: 
Horror
 
First Posted On: 
Content Producer/Presenter

WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.