10 Best Jump Scares In Sci-Fi Movie History
8. The Paint Scene - The Invisible Man
In last year’s The Invisible Man, writer-director Leigh Whannell (Saw) transformed the classic monster movie into a chilling allegory for domestic abuse.
After escaping from an abusive relationship, Cecilia (The Handmaid’s Tale’s Elisabeth Moss) stays with her friend James (Aldis Hodge) and his teenage daughter (Storm Reid). Soon after, she’s informed that her boyfriend (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), a wealthy optics engineer, committed suicide. But Cecilia still feels his presence everywhere - as if he were invisible.
Nobody believes her claims that her boyfriend is still alive, which causes her to doubt her own sanity, but Cecilia's worst fears are confirmed when she discovers his phone in the attic.
Sensing that he’s nearby, she peers down through the attic door. The camera cautiously lingers over her shoulder as we wait for him to strike. But nothing happens.
In a stroke of genius, Cecelia throws the contents of a paint can through the doorway, which reveals that he was only inches away from her the entire time.
It's an effective scare that subverts viewer expectations, though the real terror here is the film's ability to tap into the fear of being watched.