10 Underrated Horror Movie Moments That Will Scar You For Life
The unsung jump scares, nightmares, unforgettable kills, and gory chills that will haunt you...
In the world of onscreen horror, there's nothing quite like the rush of a good scare.
Whether it's a creepy sequence in a subtle classic like The Innocents or a gory boundary-pushing scene in a hard-R horror from Hostel's Eli Roth, a properly inventive scary moment can make cinema-goers forgive any number of cinematic sins that the movie may otherwise be guilty of.
No interesting characters? No problem, just kill one of them off in unforgettably grisly fashion.
Predictable plot? Throw in a terrifying face appearing in the dark and all your narrative woes will be forgiven.
It's not a perfect formula, sure. But as the career of horror maestro/ Scooby Doo-tier storyteller Dario Argento proves, with enough viscerally terrifying sequences a movie doesn't even need a comprehensible plot. But what about the scary scenes which never got their day in the sun (or in the dark moonlight, as may be more appropriate)?
This list is here to bring you the best unsung scares which will keep you up at night long after the credits roll. Some are rarely spotlighted scenes from famous films, some are from under-seen classics of the genre, but all of these moments never received the credit they deserved for scaring audiences s***less.
10. Here Comes the Bride - The Innkeepers
If there's one thing that House of the Devil director Ti West is famous for, it's having the Cabin Fever sequel stolen from him and ruined by the studio.
Just kidding, the indie darling is actually best known for his skill with the slow burn mystery. The helmer's CV is filled with tense, subtle horrors which gradually unveil their threats, relying as much on tiny unsettling details as explosive scares for their creeping effectiveness.
Just look at 2012's The Innkeepers, a meditatively paced supernatural horror which begins like an indie dramedy. Following Twin Peaks' Sara Paxton and Cheap Thrills' Pat Healy as a pair of laidback paranormal investigators looking into the legend of a soon-to-be-shuttered, supposedly "haunted" inn, the film takes its time letting viewers get to know its stars.
The mellow action slowly ramps up tension with occasional glimpses of a paranormal presence in their surroundings as the pair dig deeper into the place's dark history...
Oh, and then about an hour in there's the terrifying reveal of a white-eyed corpse bride sitting in bed beside out heroine.
And now you're on edge for the rest of the film's chilling runtime.