There are scenes from Horror

movies so visceral and frightful, they will forever be remembered by fans for their impact on the genre as a whole. These unholy marriages of image and sound range from the haunting simplicity of Michal Myers to the unrivaled brutality of Freddy Krueger, and they hail from some of the best horror movies of all time. Created by such horror luminaries as Wes Craven, John Carpenter, and David Cronenberg, among others, they represent some of the best the genre has to offer.

Featuring haunting images, somber and disturbing moments, and plenty of graphic violence, these scenes offer something unique for every type of horror fan. No matter if the intent is to get under the viewer’s skin with psychological terrors or absolutely disgust them with blood and gore, these moments will haunt the minds of audience members long after the credits have rolled.

10

Casey Becker’s Death

Scream (1996)

Killing off a major star like Drew Barrymore in the opening scene of Scream was a bold move on the part of screenwriter Kevin Williamson and director Wes Craven. It signaled to the audience that no one is safe in the meta-slasher film, and set the tone for the narrative to follow. Yes, these characters are aware of horror movie tropes, and this knowledge brings with it jokes about the genre, but it’s not enough to save them from the absolute carnage Ghostface brings to the table.

And this first kill in the wildly popular Scream franchise is indeed brutal. The masked killer not only stabs poor Casey to death, he also strings her up in a tree by her own intestines and leaves Casey’s body for her unwitting parents to find. Ghostface’s sadistic nature is part of what makes Scream work so well — one minute, the audience is laughing, and the next, they’re absolutely disturbed by the violence on screen.

9

Leatherface Opens The Sliding Door

The Texas Chain Saw Mᴀssacre (1974)

Prior to the big reveal of Leatherface in The Texas Chain Saw Mᴀssacre, director Tobe Hooper ratchets up the suspense, expertly creating an atmosphere of tension and dread as Kirk and Pam approach the nightmare house. The audience knows the young couple shouldn’t go near the home, that the eerily idling cars surrounding the place are a bad omen, but of course, Kirk and Pam go anyway, sealing their fates. When Leatherface emerges from the sliding metal door, the tension reaches its apex.

Kirk, and with him the audience, sees a large man in a bloody apron wearing what appears to be the skinned face of another person. There is little time to really soak in the demented figure on screen before Leatherface brains Kirk with a hammer and drags his twitching body through the doorframe. The door slamming shut, with its haunting reverberations, is just as iconic as the door opening, as it leaves audiences wondering just what exactly they witnessed. It’s a mere hint that more horrors are surely to come, which of course pays off as the film continues toward its bloody climax.

8

Regan Twisting Her Head Around

The Exorcist (1973)

In one of The Exorcist’s most unforgettable scenes, the moment Regan completely turns her head around for the first time signifies a shift in the narrative. Before this impossible bodily contortion, it was still entirely feasible that Regan was simply a very ill little girl. But the head twist, which occurs directly after Regan’s mother, Chris, discovers her daughter stabbing herself with a crucifix, serves as incontrovertible proof that something supernatural indeed has a hold of Regan.

The entire scene is the epitome of blasphemous, but that’s entirely the point. It’s this pivotal moment that the otherwise areligious Chris seriously pursues the church as a solution to save her daughter. Director William Friedkin and writer William Peter Blatty had to make this turning point as vile, and therefore as memorable, as absolutely possible. It’s all part of the film’s central message, that evil still exists in the modern world, a fact as undeniable as a girl turning her head completely backward.

7

Michael Myers Sits Up

Halloween (1978)

Toward the end of John Carpenter’s Halloween, the Shape, AKA Michael Myers, makes an incredibly simple yet altogether spine-chilling movement: he sits up. Jamie Lee Curtis’ Laurie Strode, and with her the audience, thought Michael was ᴅᴇᴀᴅ and was enjoying a moment of respite following a hellish battle with the masked killer. Then, behind her, unseen, and silently, the upper part of his torso rises, and Michael turns his head toward Laurie.

It’s such a simple movement, but it is so effective at conveying terror. It causes the audience to scream, “Turn around!” at Laurie, who is completely unaware her foe is still alive, now standing, now coming right for her with his eerie, unhurried gait. This simplicity is part of what makes Halloween work so well as a film, and what makes Michael such an iconic horror villain, one whose methodical stalking and killing style inspired countless other masked killers in the wave of slasher films that followed in Halloween‘s wake.

6

The Head Explosion

Scanners (1981)

One of the most gruesome and impressive special effects in horror movie history, the head explosion scene from Scanners happens early in the film and establishes just how sadistic villain Darryl Revok is. The casualness with which he dispenses with his victim is ice-cold. The aftermath is also stomach-churning, but it has no effect on Revok, as if he’d done nothing more than crack an egg. On top of that, the fact Revok was able to explode another man’s head using only his mind demonstrates his dangerous power, which protagonist Cameron Vale will eventually have to face.

The scene is so famous, it often overshadows the rest of Scanners. Thanks to YouTube, there’s a good chance some people have only ever seen the head explosion and not the rest of the film. This is a shame, as Scanners is one of director David Cronenberg’s best films, one that builds suspense throughout its runtime as it nears the epic scanner battle seen at the film’s climax. Horror fans who only know about the iconic head explosion are missing out.

5

The Little Girl Drowns

Frankenstein (1931)

One of the most important scenes in all of James Whale’s Frankenstein, the moment the monster throws the little girl Maria into the water, unaware she cannot swim, shows that Frankenstein’s creation is nothing more than a child himself. He doesn’t understand the consequences of his actions, he only knows that pretty things should float on the water, not sink to the bottom. The creature’s shock and confusion at the girl’s drowning is absolutely heartbreaking to watch.

The scene also establishes that Frankenstein’s creation is not inherently a monster, but an innocent thrust into a world conditioned to fear him for his ghastly appearance. Maria, also an innocent, has not yet learned to fear and hate what she does not understand and therefore befriends the large man. Her death is all the more tragic for this, and the scene is all the more unforgettable because of this tragedy.

4

Here’s Johnny

The Shining (1980)

There are numerous indelible images ᴀssociated with Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining — the low tracking sH๏τ of Danny riding his trike through the halls of the Overlook H๏τel, for instance; or the Grady twins standing at the end of the hall, staring at Danny, as though they’d been waiting for him; or the river of blood that gushes out of elevator doors. Each image is part of a larger tapestry of terror woven by director Kubrick, who builds an atmosphere of dread with every pᴀssing moment.

However, none can hold a candle to Jack Nicholson’s famous image of Jack Torrance placing his face in the ax hole he just created in the bathroom door and proclaiming, “Here’s Johnny!” as his wife Wendy screams in terror. The image is so iconic, that it was used on some posters advertising the film and as the cover of certain home video releases. It’s instantly recognizable, a moment viewers know even if they’ve never seen the movie.

3

Ben’s Ironic Demise

Night Of The Living ᴅᴇᴀᴅ (1968)

One of the main themes of George A. Romero’s landmark film Night of the Living ᴅᴇᴀᴅ is the notion that, no matter how vicious and unstoppable the reanimated corpses hungry for human flesh are, they aren’t nearly as horrifying as the human beings facing off against the army of the unᴅᴇᴀᴅ. The living characters prove themselves vulnerable to petty squabbles and power plays that stand in the way of their survival. This blurs the line between the living and the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, demonstrating how they are the same, stuck in an unending cycle of violence.

Nowhere is this notion more potent than in Night of the Living ᴅᴇᴀᴅ’s ending, which sees Ben emerge unscathed from the very basement he insisted was a death trap only hours before. Romero doubles down on the irony here, having a member of a posse outside the house prematurely decide Ben is “one of them,” and shoots him ᴅᴇᴀᴅ. This nihilistic ending reiterates the idea that, even amid a global crisis, a time when humans should band together and fight, they find ways of killing each other instead.

2

Tina’s Final Nightmare

A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)

Of all the kills in Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street, Tina’s is the most savage and unforgettable. As Freddy Krueger terrorizes Tina in her dream, he drags her across the ceiling and slashes her across the chest with his knife-fingered glove, all while her boyfriend Rod watches helplessly. It isn’t the first time audiences have witnessed Freddy’s ability to affect the real world, but it’s the first instance in which a character dies as a result of his slumber stalking.

Part of what makes this scene work so well, aside from the incredible practical effects on display, is how well the actors sell the terror their characters are experiencing. The realism of their screams and cries for help is chilling, enhancing the horror for the audience who, like Rod, can do nothing but watch as Tina is eviscerated by a nightmare only she can see. The very concept of a dream killer is terrifying in and of itself, and this first kill in the franchise sets the stage for all of Freddy’s violence to come.

1

The Chest Burster

Alien (1979)

Hands down, one of the most shocking and visceral horror movie scenes of all time, the moment an infant Xemomorph bursts out of Kane’s chest is just as effective now as when it was released. Reportedly, the Alien actors had no idea what to expect from the scene, which was intentionally written as vague in the script so that director Ridley Scott could capture genuine reactions of terror from the actors. This move paid off, as the actors’ real cries of horror enhanced the moment considerably.

Few scenes in horror live up to the pure chaos of the chest-burster scene. Part of what makes it so effective, in addition to the actors’ reactions, is the sense of normality permeating the moments just before the Xenomorph makes its first appearance. The crew of the Nostromo are having a good time, joking around as they eat a meal together. It’s a jovial and celebratory backdrop, given that everyone thought Kane was a goner, which makes his sudden and bloody death all the more impactful and devastating.