10 Most Unnerving Shots In Horror Movies

2. The Decomposed Woman - The Shining

Cabin Fever 2002
Warner Bros.

The Shining has an excess of eerie imagery, capable of making the most devoted horror fans recoil in fright. The Bear Man scene. The "Redrum" revelation. The jump-cut of the murdered twin girls. But if any moment is destined to give viewers goosebumps for life, it has to be the woman in the bathroom.

As Jack Torrance is drawn to the mysterious Room 237, he opens the door, where he sees a beautiful, naked woman standing in a bath. As the young lady approaches him, Jack is unable to control his urges and so gives her a passionate kiss.

But after catching their reflection in the mirror, Jack sees the enigmatic woman is an elderly and rotting corpse. Her true form exposed, the woman lets out a maniacal laugh as she shambles towards Jack. Scared out of his wits, Jack stumbles out of the room and locks the door, as the decomposing woman continues to cackle to herself.

Because The Shining is shrouded in ambiguity, it's a movie that benefits from repeated viewings. But no matter how many times viewers rewatch this scene, it never loses its power.

Contributor
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