If there is one thing the horror genre has completely mastered, it is the jump scares in movies and television. The intense tension build-up, eerie sound effects, and dark ambiance are perfect for a sudden loud and jarring scene to immerse and completely scare the audience. Therefore, it comes off as no surprise that horror enthusiasts are passionate about this cinematic technique. Upon being prompted by a user on Reddit, horror fans have shared their favorite jump scares throughout the genre.
Starting off the discussion, the original poster went on to share thoughts on the best jump scare, choosing The Exorcist III‘s hospital hallway scene. This 1990 movie is a staple in horror. Although it doesn’t exactly rely on jump scares all that much, the hospital scene is clearly one of the most memorable moments throughout the film and the entire saga.
One particularly popular response was 1982’s The Thing, starring Kurt Russell and Keith David. This thriller contains the “blood test” scene, which is as disturbing as it is “mathematically brilliant,” and it’s
able to scare the living daylights out of everyone.
On the TV realm, Reddit users seemed to agree that The Haunting of Hill House, the Netflix original show from 2018, contains one of the most frightening jump scares in horror. Unexpected, and catching the audience completely off-guard, the car scene is quite possibly one of the most unforeseen jump scares throughout the entire show. One user even commented on the entry saying they “hate jumpscares. I think they mostly are predictable, just loud and flashy things jumping in your face. But that one legit got me.”
Another popular reply was Scott Derrickson’s Sinister from 2012. Starring Ethan Hawke and James Ransone, Sinister is a supernatural horror film known for relying on jump scares, but the user goes on to explain that the lawnmower sequence “really stands out because the movie kind of conditions you to feel a bit safe during the Super 8 tapes since despite how creepy they are.”
On a brighter note, a surprisingly popular response for the best jump scare was Bilbo grabbing for the ring on Frodo’s neck in The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Although it is a fantasy film and not at all related to horror, this unexpected moment is sure to scare anyone who did not expect such a reaction from Bilbo.
Jump scares are a somewhat controversial technique in horror; some people love it while others hate it. One thing’s for certain: if anyone’s looking for a bone-chilling experience, jump scares will get the job done.