15 Most Terrifying Sci-Fi Movie Scenes Ever
2. John Carpenter's The Thing - Defibrillator Scene
John Carpenter’s The Thing has to be up there as one of the greatest sci-fi horror movies ever made. The cabin fever element is done brilliantly, and the alien (in all its forms) is made up of some of greatest practical effects in cinema history. They create some truly terrifying images, the most horrifying of which, is when a crew member is treated with a defibrillator.
What makes this scene so effective is the fact that for the majority of the scene, the infected person is given very little attention. The focus is instead given over to MacReady (Kurt Russel), who everyone suspects has been infected by the creature.
We are continuously shown a scalpel being picked up intercut with Doctor Cooper (Richard Dysart) trying to treat the supposedly dying man. Because the focus is given to MacReady, it comes as a huge surprise when the defibrillator paddles come down and the man’s chest opens up and tears off Cooper’s arms. The sudden change in focus is horrifically shocking, and the visuals are nothing short of repulsive, with the man’s body practically exploding, releasing all kinds of hideously flailing tentacles.
It gets even more horrifying, when the head detaches from the body after the neck stretches and the skin tears apart. As it hits the floor, it sprouts legs, creating a freakish combination of human and spider that is utterly disgusting to look at. What’s even and the eerie sound that it makes will put your teeth on edge.