10 Most Anxiety-Inducing Horror Movie Scenes EVER
1. Buffalo Bill's Basement - The Silence Of The Lambs
A masterclass in unnerving dread, Silence of the Lambs's night vision basement scene is one of the most chillingly creepy sequences put to screen. FBI Trainee Clarice Starling utilises the help of imprisoned cannibal, Hannibal, to help her catch a serial killer Buffalo Bill.
After hunting him throughout the movie, she finally figures out his location and heads there on her own. And it's then that Buffalo Bill takes control of the situation.
Turning out the lights and turning on night vision goggles, Clarice is shown through a POV camera strapped to Buffalo Bill's head, with hands reaching out to touch her as she fretfully muddles through the dark. Knowing the capabilities of this killer as reinforced throughout the story, we're instantly afraid for the lone Clarice - and seeing her nearly in the clutches of those ghoulish hands rackets that fear up to unmaintainable levels.
In a move that feels like letting all the air out of a balloon, Clarice manages to break a window and let light in - but not before we jump out of our skin at the sudden shift in environment. There's a reason this movie won Academy Awards in all top five categories.