10 Most Shocking Jump Cuts In Horror Movie History
6. Alien - In The Vents
Jump scares are a common annoyance in cinema in which something suddenly appears onscreen accompanied by a loud noise. They’re often not very creative, and we can usually see them coming from a mile away. When done right, however, jump scares can be tremendously effective, with one example coming from Ridley Scott’s sci-fi horror classic Alien – and it uses a jump cut.
When the crew of the Nostromo inadvertently bring a xenomorph aboard, they attempt to catch it after it bursts from their crewmate's chest. Concluding that it must be in the air vents, Dallas (Tom Skerritt) volunteers to go in after it while the crew monitors his progress using a motion tracker.
While Dallas doesn’t initially see anything, dread kicks in when the crew detect something rapidly moving towards his position. The increasing intensity of the tracker’s beeps reinforces the impending sense of danger as the creature approaches until it’s right on top of him.
With no visual of the monster, the crew plead for Dallas to make his escape. Just when the tension reaches a fever pitch, Scott deploys a jump cut to a close-up of the creature and giving us an image that we’ll never forget.