10 Horror Movie Jump Scares That You NEVER Forget
4. The Thing - The Blood Test/The Chest
One of the reasons that sci-fi horror classic The Thing is so universally loved is its intelligence. The situation is dire for the survivors of an Arctic expedition when their encampment becomes host to a shapeshifting alien looking to assimilate all organic life.
Despite these circumstances, it can be argued that there are no real dumb horror movie tropes in the film. The characters behave as rationally as can be expected, acting as a unified front, making intelligent decisions on how to cope until, unfortunately, paranoia makes this impossible.
This film plays hos to a pair of amazing jump scares. The first comes when utilizing that aforementioned intelligence. Pilot R.J. MacReady ties up suspected compatriots that he suspects to be the Thing. Knowing of its aversion to fire, he takes a blood sample from each and exposes it to a superheated copper wire, assuming that if the monster reacts on a cellular level, even a portion of the blood will give it away. He is proven right, ultimately, in an unexpected "gotcha" moment when a petri dish of mechanic Palmer's blood leaps out, squealing.
But perhaps the most infamous jump comes when Norris, the geologist, is apparently experiencing a heart attack. Taken to the medical bay. Copper, the group's doctor, attempts to use a defribulator on him, only for Norris's chest to become a giant fanged mouth, clamping down and biting his arms off. No other film does nail-biting body horror quite like that.