13 Horrific Horror Movie Moments That Come Out Of Nowhere
You'll never see them coming.
Many of horror cinema's most horrific and terrifying moments, such as Halloween's lengthy chase sequences, the blood test scene in The Thing, the finale of The Exorcist and Room 237 in The Shining, are masterclasses in suspense and build-up. The movie draws out the scene, builds the tension up to unbearable levels and then delivers a killer pay-off, and there's a reason this approach is used so often: it works. It really does.
On the other hand, not all great horror movie scenes are kind enough to prepare viewers with a build-up. Instead, they just come right out of nowhere with pretty much no warning. While this approach to horror movie scares has often been derided by fans and critics, more sudden horror movie scares can be incredibly effective when done properly.
The following thirteen horror movie scenes are all a testament to this. They vary widely in content, from harrowing outbreaks of violence to shocking plot twists, but they've all got one thing in common: you'll never see them coming, and all of these scenes will rattle your nerves like ice in a cocktail shaker. If you fancy turning on any of these movies, then brace yourself...
13. Summer Of 84 - The Bathtub
Summer of 84, which tells the story of a group of teenagers who suspect a local cop is a serial killer, is an enormously entertaining teen horror flick, and one that hasn't got the attention it deserves since its release. It's one hell of a refined work, and it evolves in a very interesting way tone-wise.
Earlier on, although there's an unmistakable atmosphere of dread and suspense the film has quite a light, nostalgic tone, bolstered by the chemistry between its four young leads and an effective undercurrent of comedy. Nonetheless, much like with many other great horror movies before it, the tone has completely changed by the final act.
And the moment that really makes this clear is when protagonist Davey (Graham Verchere) and two other characters break into the cop's house and discover... a child's rotting corpse in the bath.
As a sudden excursion into the grotesque - coming at the tail-end of what had been a largely gore-free movie, no less - that explodes onto the screen without any sort of warning, this really is an exemplary jump scare that kicks the film right into high gear. And the movie maintains this level of dark, adult terror right up until its bold, surprisingly bleak ending.