10 Best Jumpscares in Horror Movies
Whether they play with your expectations or you saw them coming, these jumpscares are guaranteed to increase you heartbeat rate and keep it up for a while.
The Tall Man – It Follows
Everything in It Follows (or at least the majority of it) feels fresh; even the unavoidable clichés do. Complemented by an untouchable score and permeated by a teenage and vintage vibe, the film leans on its simple but original proposition to create tension and scares.
This movie is not the scariest film ever but has a novel way to make the viewer feel uncomfortable and draw them into the premise; and the usage of jumpscares is not necessary at all. Nonetheless, the build up of The Tall Man makes it an original and effective scare. It’s not abrupt and alarming but rather paced and carefully placed.
Biggest strength: Originality
Recovered Footage - Lake Mungo
I have already mentioned that this jumpscare might be the best one in the entirety of the Found Footage subgenre. It may as well be the best in all of horror. The jumpscare itself is extremely simple; actually, you see it coming. You know it is going to occur. What makes it so great is that, despite being recognizable, it is placed so correctly and it hits you off-guard playing with your expectations. The sequence in which it is found creates tension to the point of being almost unbereable and making you beg for the scare to jump out. No jumpscare before or since has ever gotten me the way this one did.
Biggest strength: Scare factor / Surprise
A Pair Of Scissors – The Exorcist III
The Exorcist has been living by the first entry and using the household name it earned in horror cinema to release and present nearly-unwatchable and horribly written and shot movies. Out of all the sequels, only the third installment got to be average at best.
However, within its boundaries there is the so called and considered “Greatest jumpscare of all time”. It might not be what it states to be, but its impact and legacy cannot be understated. The jumpscare is everything a jumpscare should be and the transition from the scare to the next scene (which states in a very original way the outcome of the sequence) is flawless.
Biggest strength: Scare Factor / Surprise
Hide And Clap – The Conjuring
Upon revisiting and rewatching The Conjuring universe in order to create this list, I found myself baffled because of the diminished impact its movies currently have. Especially The Conjuring 2, which I considered one of my favorite horror movies back in the day.
These movies rely on jumpscares more than they’d like to admit. Though very accesible and amusing, they get very tiring and predictable. In spite of this, there are a couple of scares that are worth-mentioning. One is the mother-on-the-wardrobe jumpscare (outstanding and frightening to be honest) and the one that ocuppies this spot. Hide And Clap gets the edge because, although it is less scary that the aforementioned jumpscare, it is remarkably well set up and it is highly original.
Biggest strength: Originality
The Female Patient – Grave Encounters
If it weren’t for Cannibal Holocaust and The Blair Witch Project, I am fairly sure Grave Encounters would be the most famous Found Footage movie ever. It can be considered a flawed masterpiece; a cult classic. It made the Mental Asylum Found Footage film premise an overused trope in movies the same way The Evil Dead put up the cabin in the woods premise as a cliché.
Everything, from the bad acting to the really good effects, is now legendary and the most renowned sequence, this jumpscare, has cemented its place in the olympus of the most watched and scariest movie scenes of all time.
Biggest strength: Scare Factor
Jason Emerges – Friday The 13th
Most people forget that Jason Voorhes, the main icon and the most important part of the Friday The 13th franchise wasn’t really there in the first entry. He was more a plot device to trigger and justify what you were watching.
The first installment was focused primarily on his mother, Pamela Voorhes. She was the mastermind and the antagonist during the very first movie. Notwithstanding the excellent performance and carnage his mom caused in Crystal Lake, it was Jason’s ascension from the death what got everyone and, in hindsight, it is the reason why people tend to forget that the first film was not really his. It also makes it up for one of the greatest endings in any horror movie.
Biggest strength: Scare factor / Surprise
Spider Walk – The Exorcist
No one, not even the director William Friedkin himself, thought that it was a good idea to include this scene for the theatrical release of The Exorcist back in 1973. It feels so out of place even for the type of movie it is in. If you have only seen this theatrical cut, you might not be familiar with this jumpscare, and it is hard to tell whether it is good or bad news for you.
With the help of technology, and the improvements acquired through the unassailable progress of time, this scene was restored and included in “The version you have never seen”. This cut offers uncensored scenes and a couple of more disturbing sequences (this one included). If you have the opportunity to experience any of the two cuts, the latter is the go-to.
Biggest strength: Originality / Scare factor
Sloth – Se7en
Se7en is the only movie that might not be considered horror per se; it’s more in the vein of a thriller. That does not imply the lack of thrills and, of course, jumpscares. Deemed as one of the greatest movies of the 20th century and with plenty of scenes considered among the absolutely best in cinema, is not an easy task to stand out.
However, the whole Sloth sequence (not only the jumpscare that is being talked about) is a master class in theory and execution. The grotesque imagery and the way the scene is presented are just the warm up for the scare that releases all the tension that was built up. It’s one of those jumpscares you see coming (or maybe not) but when it takes place, one cannot help but feel its impact because of how well it was crafted and placed.
Biggest strength: Build up
She’s A Boy – Sleepaway Camp
Sleepaway Camp is another campy horror movie tapping into the boom of slasher films, but with the most disconcerting ending making use of one of the craziest plot twist ever seen in horror. You can expect the usual in the slasher department: gore, violence galore and, of course, nudity.
Barely making it into the list because, let’s be honest, it is not really that much of a jumpscare but more of a reveal, the final moments are truly shocking and everything, from the plot twist itself to the sound and the “jumpscare”, helps this movie to stand its ground as the best worst horror movie of the 80’s.
Biggest strength: Scare factor
Grabbing Sussy – Wait Until Dark
O.G’s must get respect. Wait Until Dark is a great among greats and its way of making horror has been heavily copied throughout different decades. Being more than half a century old, the impact of this movie seems to not have dimished a bit (or not as much as one would think).
This jumpscare is a prime example of how to create and show the necessary elements to surprise and shock the viewer without being predictable (nowadays it could seem so, but back then it was revolutionary). It kicked off this trendy of “fake” jumpscares (the one here is not a fake one just to clarify) and demonstrated the way of playing with people’s expectations to turn them over.
Biggest strength: Originality / Legacy
Honorable Mentions:
Give Me A Hug – Alien
Mowing The Lawn – Sinister
The Nun Potrait – The Conjuring 2
The Babadook’s First Sight – The Babadook
Turn On The Lights – The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
The Woman In Red – Don’t Look Now
A Perfect Ending – Carrie
The Bag – Audition
You Can’t Hide From Evil – Suspiria
Deborah Having Dinner – The Taking Of Deborah Logan
Between The Sheets – Ju-On
