15 Best Jump Scares In Movie History

1. Head Removal - The Exorcist III

Though one of the less-popular movies on this list, the divisive The Exorcist III is note-worthy for featuring the most bracingly heart-stopping jump scare in the history of not just the horror genre, but cinema as a whole.

The sequence involves a nurse going around her duties during the hospital's night shift, entering a room to check on a patient and then exiting it. As she leaves, however, the door quickly swings open and a white-robed figure pursues her with a pair of garden shears.

William Peter Blatty, who wrote the original Exorcist novel, serves as writer-director here, and does a terrific job directing the set-up to and execution of the jump scare.

Firstly, the scene is largely shot from a distance, creating an unconventional, voyeuristic feel to the scene, then there's the jump itself, which quickly zooms in and blares out an horrendous screech, and finally the fantastic cut to a statue of Jesus with its head removed.

It's pretty much the perfect jump scare: unpredictable, shocking, vaguely humourous and superbly directed.

What are your favourite movie jump scares? Shout them out in the comments!