31 Scariest Movie Moments Of All Time

23. The Dumpster Monster - Mulholland Drive

You know what to expect from David Lynch movies, and top of that list is a hefty slice of weirdness. Mulholland Drive is arguably his most famous film, precisely because of its commitment to being as mad as a box of frogs and provoking a visceral reaction out of the audience. Needless to say, it is horribly effective.

The film's most famously disturbing scene is also one of its most impenetrable: two brad new characters appear and one relates a terrifying dream (which is actually about film characters being aware they're in a film) and reveals he's there to face his fears and prove they're unfounded.

It's shot in broad daylight, it starts jovially enough and it seems harmless, but then through Lynch's masterful direction, you get the sense of uneven ground and something ominous coming. He tells his story and the tension builds, while Lynch messes with your senses, moving his camera to suggest ghosts beyond the limit of the screen, and robbing sound away to further build atmosphere. And then the pay-off comes - a creepy dumpster hobo covered in mud that kills the man in sheer fright and horrifies the audience in equal measure.

It's the perfect example of a director playing with you helplessly and there's absolutely nothing you can do but die of shock too.