10 Horror Movie Scenes That Weren't Meant To Be Funny (But Were)

3. THAT Reaction - Day Of The Dead

Sleepaway Camp
United Film Distribution

Day of the Dead is oftenregarded as the weakest entry in the original Dead trilogy. However, the third outing in George A. Romero's classic franchise definitely has the best opening.

In this sequence, we see our heroine, Sarah, cautiously walking towards a stone wall. As she reaches it, dozens of zombie arms burst through, frightening the hell out of Sarah (as well as viewers). This scene is so great, it was used for the film's initial trailer.

Even though this is considered one of the best movie teasers ever, there's one detail that screws it up. When the zombie hands try to grab Sarah, she contorts her body in such an unnatural way, it's like she's intentionally overacting. Like, who would EVER react that way if confronted by zombies... or in any perilous situation for that matter? Did the director tell her to flip her body like that? Was that the best take?

Most people don't register Sarah's reaction the first time they watch this moment since they're focused on the zombies. But once you notice the weird way Sarah jerks back, it messes up a potentially flawless scene.

Contributor

James Egan has been with Whatculture for five years and prominently works on Horror, Film, and Video Games. He's written over 80 books including 1000 Facts about Horror Movies Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about The Greatest Films Ever Made Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about Video Games Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts About James Bond 1000 Facts About TV Shows