20 Scariest Horror Movie Moments Of The 21st Century
2. It Emerges - It Follows (2014)
It Follows managed to conjure a sense of profound terror in the common suspicion of being followed, no doubt birthing a new generation of paranoiacs looking over their shoulders at night.
Here, the simple image of an ordinary person walking towards you is scary as hell, thanks to the utter relentlessness of the film’s sexually-transmitted curse. The thought is enough to make your heart pound in your chest; no matter how far you run, “it” will follow you to the ends of the earth… so pass it on, quick.
The most shocking and flat-out unpleasant appearance of the titular entity arrives after the viewer is lulled into a false sense of security. With protagonist Jay cowering in an upstairs room, convinced that “it” lurks just outside, her friends open the door to reveal another of her concerned pals, making us all breathe a sigh of relief.
That’s why it feels like you’ve had a damn heart attack when a unnaturally tall, eyeless figure suddenly approaches from the hallway towards the camera with nothing but its prey locked in its sights (sans eyeballs).
The tremendously intense shock comes from nowhere with a total lack of fanfare, and that’s why it’s so deeply horrible, and memorable without question.