Editorials
The Art of the Scare: Horror’s Top 75 Jump Scares!
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.
Editorials
Before ‘The Blair Witch Project’, ‘Alien Autopsy’ Showed How Real Found Footage Could Feel
The line separating artist from con man is a lot thinner than you might initially believe. While I think we can all agree that lying for the sake of profit is actively malicious behavior, isn’t it also true that the faux documentary aspect of The Blair Witch Project is half the reason why that film became such a cultural phenomenon? After all, if there’s one thing filmmakers have in common with stage magicians, it’s that misleading and misdirecting audiences is simply part of the job.
That’s why I’ve developed a habit of mostly ignoring the moral quandaries behind many of film and television’s biggest “hoaxes” in favor of appreciating the narrative elements that drive productions like Mermaids: The Body Found and even Animal Planet’s highly underrated The Cannibal in the Jungle. However, if there’s a definitive case of a highly publicized broadcast fooling the world into taking it seriously, it has to be Fox’s infamous 1995 TV special Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction.
It’s been over three decades since that eerie footage first haunted television screens right at the peak of the ’90s ufology craze, and in that time, the video has taken on a life of its own. From countless parodies and references in everything from The X-Files to Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (as well as John Dower’s recently released tell-all documentary The Alien Autopsy Scandal, which I’d highly recommend to genre fans everywhere), there’s no denying the legacy of the Alien Autopsy video. However, I rarely see the tape discussed as what it truly is: a highly convincing found footage film directed by a passionate stage magician and brought to life by masterful practical effects work.
That’s why I’d like to invite readers to join me on a deep dive into one of the most infamous broadcasts of all time in an attempt to reevaluate the footage as a fascinating narrative experience rather than a complete hoax.
The TV Special That Convinced Millions It Was Real
Ray Santilli next to Extraterrestrial replica in ‘The Alien Autopsy Scandal’
For starters, regardless of whether or not you believe that there was in fact an extraterrestrial crash in Roswell during the summer of 1947 and that some form of autopsy was performed on the victims, the producers behind the black & white recordings, Ray Santilli and Gary Shoefield, insist that their video was a “restoration.” Though I’d argue that the proper word is “remake”of genuine footage that was too damaged to air on television. That’s why the duo went on to recruit filmmaker and eccentric magician Spyros Melaris and sculptor/monster designer John Humphreys to bring their version of the autopsy to life and sell it to the highest bidder.
This is where the story of the Alien Autopsy as a narrative experience really begins. Melaris claims that his approach to the faux recording consisted of striving for extreme period accuracy in both shooting equipment and setting while also planting subtle details that would initially seem like mistakes but could later be revealed to actually fit the time period. That being said, the filmmaker was under the impression that the short would be released for free as a PR stunt, with the team later producing and selling an informative documentary chronicling exactly how the footage was faked and commenting on how easy it is to manipulate public perception with a good old-fashioned magic trick.
This obviously isn’t how things went down, and that’s likely the reason why Melaris has since distanced himself from everyone else involved with the project. Yet, no amount of behind-the-scenes drama can undermine the genuine effort that went into making the short as impressive as it is. From the sourcing of real animal organs from a local butcher to make the organic part of the creature more lifelike to the highly detailed sculpt that made use of a hollowed-out underlayer that could be filled with fake blood and assorted viscera, there’s a reason why so many Hollywood specialists are still impressed with the artistry on display here.
Of course, the believability is only half the story, as I think that the best part of the autopsy is how Melaris builds on the existing tension by obscuring certain details and often embracing the chaos of what a real examination of extraterrestrial life could feel like. The camera often goes out of focus at just the right time to make certain effects hit even harder, and we can only speculate as to what the hazmat-suited doctors are gesticulating about during the operation. There’s a real air of mystery to the whole thing that almost makes it feel like a cosmically terrifying, cursed film containing forbidden knowledge that civilians were never meant to see.
So when Fox’s Fact or Fiction brings in the specialists to comment on the film and its otherworldly subject, it’s no surprise that we end up with one of the most memorable mockumentaries of all time – albeit one where the participants are unaware that the footage they’re commenting on is basically a large-scale practical joke. A joke that the network was obviously in on, as many participants claim that the TV special cut out significant portions where guests point out that they believe the footage to be an elaborate hoax.
The Lasting Impact of the Hoax Turned Cultural Event
Regardless, I remember going to bed terrified after watching reruns of the special and thinking about the respected pathologist who claimed that the body was almost certainly inhuman, with even effects maestro Stan Winston commenting on how difficult it would be to recreate some of these visuals through practical puppetry. That’s not even mentioning Jonathan Frakes’ dramatic hyping up of the disturbing imagery as if he was talking about the tape from The Ring, with his spooky demeanor here likely being responsible for his later role as the host of Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction a few years later.
Personally, I’d argue that the Alien Autopsy phenomenon had just as much of an impact on me as a horror fan as The Blair Witch Project, a film that was almost certainly influenced by the success of this immensely popular hoax (to the point where they even produced their own TV special commenting on Heather’s found footage). Even if Fox didn’t intend to produce a narrative feature about the aftermath of the Roswell crash, the end product still holds up remarkably well as a highly entertaining mockumentary exploring the idea that we may not be alone in the universe.
While neither Santilli nor the rest of the production team has ever commented on this, I also think it’s very likely that the idea of a faux Alien Autopsy could have been influenced by Dean Alioto’s The McPherson Tape/UFO Abduction. I’ve already written about how this granddaddy of found footage was co-opted by rogue ufologists who began selling bootlegs of the tape at conventions as if it were real evidence of a close encounter, so it’s not that much of a stretch to imagine that Santilli and company could have heard about this phenomenon and been inspired to come up with their own highly profitable hoax.
At the end of the day, it’s unlikely that the Alien Autopsy film is recreating any real footage from Roswell, but I can still appreciate the short and the accompanying television event as a standalone horror story that still influences the way we see found footage to this very day.
After all, the possibility that something could be real is often much scarier than finding out for sure – and that’s why I think Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction is still worth revisiting three decades down the line.
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