20 Anxiety-Inducing Moments That'll Terrify You Senseless

Goldfinger's laser scene is so iconic and so often-parodied - most notably by The Simpsons - that it's easy to forget just what a Hitchcockian masterclass in suspense this scene actually is. As such, every rewatch is a joyous refresh.

In this legendary sequence, Goldfinger (Gert Frobe) interrogates Bond (Sean Connery), who's strapped to a table while a deadly laser beam slowly moves along the surface, with Bond's manhood being the first thing in its path. Once he's finished, however, Goldfinger has no further use for Bond, and he's fully planning to kill the secret agent. "Do you expect me to talk?" Bond asks. "No, Mr Bond, I expect you to die!" he replies. In a franchise filled with amazing quotes, that might still be its best line.

Normally, James Bond is this idealistic superman, but here? He's a far more relatable figure, with Sean Connery's sweaty, frightened performance matching exactly how viewers will be feeling. In the nick of time, Bond does manage to talk Goldfinger out of killing him, and when the laser is switched off, Bond almost faints with relief - again, that's just how the audience will be feeling.

The fraught editing, John Barry's anxious score, and some of the best acting Sean Connery ever did as Bond combine to make this arguably the most nerve-wracking sequence from any of the James Bond movies.