10 Most Shocking Jump Cuts In Horror Movie History

For a lesson on how to use editing to its full effect, look no further than Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of The Shining, a film so meticulously crafted that it's been analysed to death by academics and devoted fans alike.

From the harrowing Room 237 sequence to the heart-pounding chase in the maze, there are plenty of occurrences in The Overlook Hotel that have forever traumatised viewers. But there’s one sequence where Kubrick deploys jump cuts to heighten the terror: when Danny (Danny Lloyd) encounters the twins in the corridor.

While riding his tricycle through the empty hotel, the youngster suddenly stops when he spots identical twins at the end other end of the hallway who ask him to play with them in the creepiest manner possible.

If that’s not unsettling enough, Kubrick cuts between shots of the girls to one of their bloodied corpses lying on the floor.

In this sequence, Kubrick uses the jump cuts as a zoom in which the camera gets closer to the girls each time it cuts back to them. Likewise, timing each jump cut with their dialogue underscores each edit as viewers are forced to confront the horror that's right in front of them.