12 Nightmarish Sci-Fi Movie Scenes That Freaked You Out

6. The Martians Emerge - War Of The Worlds (2005)

The Matrix
Paramount Pictures

Steven Spielberg's 2005 remake of War Of The Worlds was a big of a mixed bag, but it did succeed in modernising the story, while showing viewers the horror of an alien invasion through the eyes of one man trying to protect his family. The pace of the film races as we see Tom Cruise's Ray on the run for the majority of the screentime, constantly trying to get away from the giant robotic martians, with nowhere to go.

One of the best (and most frightening) elements of the film is when the aliens initially rise above the ground, and we see, with the use of a single frame, Ray running and hiding from the creatures as friends and other humans around him are zapped and killed instantly.

It works, because it really makes you feel in the moment with Ray, desperate and terrified.

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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.