10 Most Unnerving Shots In Horror Movies

7. She's On The Ceiling - Hereditary

Cabin Fever 2002
A24

Hereditary is filled with a barrage of creative leap-out-of-your-skin moments. However, the most creepiest moments are far more subtle.

Rather than stuffing every scene with an extravagant jump-scare, viewers find themselves more unnerved when they're unsure what they witnessed. Not everyone clocked the naked cult members outside Annie's home during the climax. When Annie's deceased mother seemingly appears in her room, viewers aren't sure if their eyes are playing tricks on them.

Still, the best subtle scare is when the possessed Annie hides in the bedroom of her son, Peter. After hearing a noise outside, Peter wakes up and rises from his bed. As the camera cuts to a shot of the entire room, Peter's mother can be seen in the top-left corner of the ceiling.

Because Annie doesn't move, and the lack of light, it's difficult to tell if she's really there. Some viewers notice Annie straight away, while others don't see her until the very end, when she floats through the doorway.

But the moment she's spotted, viewers are immediately gripped, especially since the camera lingers on this shot for a full minute.

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Contributor

James Egan has written 80 books including 1000 Facts about Superheroes Vol. 1-3 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 TV Shows Vol. 1-3 Twitter - @jameswzegan85