10 Most Terrifying Jump Scares In Horror Movie History
2. Exorcist III (1990)
The Movie: After the disastrous Exorcist II, the writer of the original movie stepped up to both write and direct the third instalment of the series, Set fifteen years later, the film follows Lieutenant William F. Kinderman (George C. Scott) as he investigates a set of murders that bear a striking similarity to the work of Gemini, a serial killer long believed to be dead.
The Scare: From a distance, we watch a night nurse go about her duties in a hospital. A cop is sat in the background, keeping guard. Time passes as the nurse enters and leaves a room. Eventually, the police officer walks out of shot and then moments later, the nurse reopens the door to a room where she left the light on. After switching it off, the nurse closes the door behind her and then, as she walks away, a white robed figure suddenly appears directly behind her, holding a pair of garden shears aimed at her neck. William Peter Blatty then cuts immediately to an image of a statue which has had its head removed.
What makes this scare so incredibly effective is that the entire shot is filmed from a distance, giving an impression of safety throughout. Most directors would have cut to a close up for the climax, but the distance actually makes the murder seem more realistic, like we are voyeurs at a real crime scene. The restraint Blatty demonstrates in letting the scene slowly play out also relaxes the viewer more and the presence of a police man almost guarantees that nothing bad will happen. How wrong we were...