The jump scare often gets a bad rap in horror. It can be perceived as a cheap gimmick or commonly overused in place of character development or plot, especially in modern horror. The jump scare has been around for a very long time though, and when done well, it can leave a lasting impression that you’ll never forget. Creating an effective jump scare is an art form, when handled by a master. It takes time to create a slow build before a dramatic, loud payoff, and it often works the best when you’re invested in the characters on screen. In other words, it’s not the jump scare that’s the issue, but the wielder of it. To illustrate one of horror’s greatest assets, we celebrate horror’s top 75 jump scares of all time:
75. Pee-wee’s Big Adventure – Large Marge
Ok. So, it’s not a horror movie. But it is a Tim Burton movie, who never strays too far from the genre. And I’d be remiss to not include one of the most surprising jump scares of all time, revolving around a ghost. The comedy, featuring an eccentric lead character in Pee-wee Herman, is rated PG. Which means no one expected Pee-wee’s encounter with a deceased truck driver to be one of the most unnerving reveals. Thanks, Tim Burton. We’ll tell ‘em Large Marge sent ya.
74. Cabin in the Woods – Title card
Joss Whedon signals this horror comedy won’t be like most by opening with a comedic conversation between two technicians in an underground facility. Nearly three minutes in, the most unexpected jump scare of all pops up- the title card. Yes. The title card. Whedon totally sets his audience up, and it works. More so, it lets us know we should expect the unexpected right off the bat.
73. Under the Shadow – Hand at the window
Director Babak Anvari keeps the pressure on lead character Shideh with the looming threat of missiles dropping in at any moment. It coils tighter and tighter as the film progresses, with her strained relationships with both husband and daughter, and the supernatural threat that seems to be haunting their apartment block. That pressure explodes, following a dream sequence where Shideh goes to investigate a window. Even the most hardened of horror fans tend to jump here.
72. The Innocents – Face in the window
Indulging in a game of hide and seek in a gothic supernatural movie isn’t a great plan. Miss Giddens learns that the hard way when she plays with the two children she’s governing. It’s a rare jump scare that isn’t accompanied by a loud sound or music stinger. Just a feeling of unease that grows as Miss Giddens finds a place to hide behind the curtain. She’s distracted, waiting for the children to find her, that she doesn’t know when someone else finds her first.
71. Scream – Dewey at the door
Right after Billy has just saved Sidney from a run-in with the Ghostface killer, he drops a cell phone, instantly drawing her suspicion. She turns to flee downstairs, flings open the door, and screams as she’s face to face with the Ghostface mask. Oh wait. It’s just Dewey, with the mask in hand. After a roller coaster of tension, from danger to safety to danger again, this jump scare not only relieves the pent-up anxiety by way of comedy, it further fleshes out Dewey’s innocent temperament, and illustrates what a master Wes Craven is at manipulating his audience.
70. Re-Animator – Cat jump scare
Typically, in horror, the cat jump scare is a comedic relief of tension. The tension builds to an uncomfortable degree, followed by a fright in the form of a freaked-out cat. Tension is released and the everyone has a good laugh. Stuart Gordon flips that trope on its head by making the cat not so harmless. Herbert West experiments on Dan’s dead cat, reviving it with his reagent. The revived cat is vicious and violent, causing Dan and Herbert to chase it down before it escapes. Cue the jump scare.
69. What Lies Beneath – Norman sees a ghost
This jump scare proves both spooky and integral to the plot. When things are dire for Michelle Pfeiffer’s character, having been drugged and placed in a filling bathtub to drown in an “accidental” death, her necklace catches her husband’s eye. When he investigates, he’s viscerally startled by the ghostly visage of a familiar past. It gives the audience the intended jolt, but more importantly, it propels the plot forward toward its climactic finish.
68. A Nightmare on Elm Street- Dragged through the door
This jump scare, in which Freddy reaches through the door to grab Nancy’s mother after they drive off for school, marked a twist ending that Nancy hadn’t defeated Freddy after all. It wasn’t the original ending that Wes Craven planned, but producer Robert Shaye wanted to include a traditional horror zinger, so the new twist jump scare was added in. Craven may not have liked it, but it was the beginning of a massive franchise.
67. Candyman – Medicine cabinet
The legend of Candyman shares similarities to Bloody Mary, in which the imposing figure can be summoned by saying his name five times while facing a mirror. Graduate student Helen does just that, and spends the rest of the film under torment from the legendary entity. This jump scare comes late in the film, with Helen alone in the bathroom staring at herself in the mirror. The scare doesn’t come from the mirror, though, but behind it inside the medicine cabinet. As soon as Helen relaxes and takes a deep breath, of course.
66. The House of the Devil – Are you not the babysitter?
Writer/director Ti West crafts his scares with stark contrast. In a film of muted atmosphere over loud gore, the moments of sudden violence have a strong effect. The biggest moment of terror comes when Greta Gerwig’s Megan sits in her car to smoke. A hand pops into her open window, delivering a massive scare. In a film where pacing is of the utmost importance, this would usually be enough, but West follows the moment up with a stone-cold murder, leaving our mouths agape.
65. Stir of Echoes – Girl on couch
The biggest scare in this supernatural thriller comes fairly early, near the 20-minute mark. Kevin Bacon’s Tom settles onto the couch before deciding to turn on the TV. From the simple movement of leaning up, then lying back down, he discovers he’s not alone with a swift ghostly appearance. It’s often the quietest moments that deliver the loudest scares.
64. The Omen – Mrs. Baylock attacks Robert
Robert Thorn, leaning over Damien while he’s fast asleep, discovers the mark of the antichrist on the child’s scalp. The dawning realization is a moment of horror on its own, but director Richard Donner capitalizes on this moment by strengthening it with an added scare; Mrs. Baylock pops up out of nowhere behind Robert to attack in defense of Damien.
63. The Autopsy of Jane Doe – Through the peephole
The creepy atmosphere of basement morgue gets creepier and creepier the more Jane Doe’s mystery unravels. It doesn’t help that the bodies in the morgue have gone missing. Director Andre Ovredal utilizes the claustrophobic setting and the lingering threat of the walking corpses to provide anxiety for both the characters on screen and the viewer. One of the worst moments is when Austin looks through a peephole in the door to find a decayed face standing there with eyes and mouth stitched closed. It’s a simple scare that works because of the atmosphere and just how likeable the film’s two leads are together.
62. The Evil Dead – Cheryl’s reveal
The vulnerable younger sister of Ash Williams sits forlornly at the window, wishing for escape after a harrowing ordeal. Her behavior gets strange very quickly, though, escalating the tension in an otherwise calm room. While the others start to get confused and then concerned, a quick turn reveals that Cheryl is no longer Cheryl. This jump scare offers startling imagery, but also serves to kick the horror into high gear without letting up.
61. Deep Blue Sea – Hero speech gone wrong
This jump scare sets itself up long before the camera even began rolling; with casting. Samul L. Jackson has a reputation for kicking ass and taking names, so when his character stepped up to give speech urging the group to work together to survive, we believed he was going to take charge and be the hero this group needed. The shark had other plans, much to our surprise.
60. Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 – Leatherface visits the radio station
While Tobe Hooper took a comedic take with this sequel, he still left Leatherface’s introduction just as impactful as the original. As with the first film, his appearance is lightning fast and out of nowhere, leaving both Stretch and the audience screaming. Cue the chainsaw revving.
59. The Taking of Deborah Logan – Head Swallow
Jill Larson delivers a bone-chilling performance as Deborah Logan, a woman battling Alzheimer’s disease, and something far more sinister. Her presence lends to many jump scares throughout, but the double scare at the end leaves a lasting impression. Following Deborah into the pitch-black mines creates a simple jump scare of her spinning around to attack, but before the viewer can catch a break they’re met with the disturbing image of Deborah’s unhinged jaw, trying to eat young Cara. If you didn’t have a fear of snakes before, you might now.
58. Gremlins – Stripe in the fountain
Stripe’s end brings about a common horror jump scare; the monstrous villain just won’t stay dead. It’s something we’ve come to count on, even. Unless, of course, it’s a more family friendly holiday horror with a super cute protagonist in Gizmo. Not only did we not expect Stripe to pop back out of the fountain once he’d been offed by sunlight, but we didn’t expect it to be so gruesome.
57. Phantom of the Opera – The unmasking
One of the first cinematic jump scares occurred in a silent film, proving simple visuals can be just as effective as sound. In this instance Christine’s curiosity gets the better of her, and us, when she slowly approaches a distracted Phantom to peel away his mask. The reveal is jarring.
56. Audition – The body in the bag
We learned earlier in the film that something was really wrong with Asami when we glimpsed the strange moving bag in her empty apartment. When lead protagonist Shigeharu discovers it, the bag is lifeless. At first. The sudden movement catches Shigeharu, and us, off-guard, but it’s only the beginning of the terror as what crawls out is the stuff of nightmares.
55. The Woman in Black – Hand at window
Another example of misdirection as a means of distraction before employing the scare, this one features lead character Arthur, focusing on a handprint at the window, touching it before a screaming woman pops up behind it. This is one magic trick that never fails to work.
54. Final Destination – Terry and the bus
Bringing a fun and unexpected twist on the “Lewton Bus” trope (there’s even a character with the last name of Lewton, who suffers the most prolonged death), this jump scare doesn’t exactly bring relief to the tension filled sequence where Terry is pushed over the edge, but a comedic surprise twist. Her last words, “Drop fucking dead” brought humous irony, after recovering from the shock of her abrupt ending, that is.
53. The Others – kids in closet
Children Anne and Nicholas often play in the dark due to photosensitivity in this haunted thriller. Which means playing in a closet is the norm. Except with increasing unexplained activity in the house, creating a foreboding dread and claustrophobia. Director Alejandro Amenabar crafts a startling scare when Anna in hiding in a closet, using abrupt cuts from Anna to an old woman to make an off-kilter scare.
52. Insidious: Chapter 3 – Elise follows footprints
Leigh Whannell proves to be a master of scares in his own right while taking over the directorial reigns of the beloved scare fest series. The scene in which Elise follows slimy black footprints in her own home, in the dark no less, down to the basement proves Elise has nerves of steel. The deliberate pacing lets you know that the scare is coming, but how tight will Whannell coil the tension before release? Just long enough for the footprints to walk up the wall and onto the ceiling.
51. Gerald’s Game – The Moonlight Man
This jump scare plays off like a typical one, but proves to be extraordinary when it offers reverberating chills later in the film. Jesse is already plagued with flashbacks of a traumatic past, her dead husband being devoured by a ravenous dog, and being stuck to a bed with no one around to free her. Cut to the alarming appearance of an unusual man, licking her toes. It’s an electrifying sight to be sure, but this jump scare delivers aftershocks much later, when it’s revealed that the Moonlight Man wasn’t a figment of her imagination after all.