12 Nightmarish Sci-Fi Movie Scenes That Freaked You Out

10. "Matthew?" - Invasion Of The Body Snatchers

The Matrix
United Artists

The 1978 remake of Invasion Of The Body Snatchers is considered one of the greatest remakes of all time. It's a deliberate attempt to build on its 1956 predecessor rather than a direct reboot, using a number of new themes relevant to audiences at the time. It's a psychological roller coaster that comes out of it, with the audience constantly asking 'who's a pod and who isn't?'.

This all comes to a head in the final scene of the film, which has a major twist in store. When Nancy sees the film's protagonist Matthew Bennell (Donald Sutherland) heading to City Hall, she calls out 'Matthew?' to him, at which he turns, but instead of greeting her, he points his finger and lets out the most horrific blood-curdling shriek. The film ends there and then as we realise Matthew is a pod, and Nancy's fate is left ambiguous.

The ear-piercing scream is horrifying enough to be ringing in your head hours after watching.

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Jamie is a freelance broadcast journalist and writer, with a particular obsession for sci-fi, theatre and politics. In his spare time he enjoys amateur dramatics and making homemade curries.