9 Memorable Horror Movie Moments
There are those classic moments in film that we all remember. Who will ever forget when Dorothy opens her farm house door to Munchkin Land? TV shows will forever spoof the back bends in The Matrix, and you’ll be hard pressed to find a child of the 80s that doesn’t remember Tom Hanks playing on the giant FAO Schwartz foot piano in Big.
While these are all great movie scenes (and I could go on forever), I’m not here to talk about feel good movies. Instead, I’m here to pull out the most memorable horror movie moments! For those of you that read my articles regularly, you know that horror is my preferred genre of film. Because of this, it was REALLY hard for me to pull out just a few of the best horror movie moments.
However, if I didn’t start trimming down the list that I made to write this article, you’d still be reading this a week later. So, with that in mind, I welcome your additions to this list!
Ready? And we’re off!
[Warning: There might be spoilers for the movies mentioned.]
One of the best zombie movies that I’ve seen in a long time; the opening scene of 28 DAYS LATER is pretty freaking creepy.
Cillian Murphy wakes up in an empty hospital completely alone, with no memory. He heads out into the world, only to discover that London is completely abandoned. Seeing the empty streets of the city and how London really is completely abandoned without another soul anywhere is chilling.
The transformation scene in AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON where we see David’s back bend, his hands and feet elongate, and his teeth morph into fangs still sticks with me… even though I’ve seen a lot worse.
Not only does the makeup look too damn realistic for my liking, but David Kessler sells his painful transformation with amazing honesty. This scene will have you cringing in your seat; but it’s movie magic at its best.
This description is going to be brief. In fact, let’s just say this:
“They’re heereeee….”
THE RING has been on my list of horror movies every time I write about them. And I always say the same thing – The Ring opened the door for Japanese horror to hit American theaters and because we’d never seen anything like it; it scared the hell out of audiences.
The scene when Samara climbs out of the television is terrifying. The way she moves, her long black hair, added to the fact that she’s supposed to be dead, just brings The Ring to a level of horror that is hard to pass up.
Who can forget two major parts of THE SHINING?
When little Danny is riding his tricycle down the halls of the Overlook hotel not only does the sound make us uneasy, but just when we think it’s a throw away scene, at the end of a long carpeted hallway are two little girls in blue dresses, bidding Danny to “come play with us..” Yikes.
But wait, there’s one more – Again when Danny is riding his tricycle and comes to a stop outside of the elevators of the hotel. Slowly blood starts to seep out from the crack of the doors and then all of a sudden, a tidal wave of blood is pouring in the hotel’s hallway.
One of my favorite horror movies, CARRIE also holds one of the most iconic scenes in horror. When shy Carrie is asked by the popular boy in school to her senior prom, it was a breakthrough moment for awkward girls everywhere.
Little did she know that the kids at her school had planned a horrible trick on her. She’s crowned prom queen, and there is the brief moment when, as an audience member, we want to just yell at Carrie to not step foot on the stage, but she does. And she is crowned, and is so happy holding her bouquet of roses, when from the rafters falls a bucket of pigs blood.
Well, the joke is on the popular kids, because Carrie doesn’t take kindly to this and using her kinetic powers sets fire to the gym… which is the ultimate kick ass revenge reaction for shy girls everywhere. Who HASN’T wanted to burn down our high school gym?
Another movie to always make my horror movie lists, THE EXORCIST also holds one of the most iconic moments in the horror movie genre. When little Regan is possessed by the demon it does all sorts of things to her body. From a crab walk down the stairs, to throwing her around her bedroom, there is one scene of The Exorcist that will always stick with audiences.
You know what I’m talking about… the head spin.
What the hell, right?! When Regan’s head turns 360 degrees around, audiences everywhere had a mini stroke. Some people actually fainted and threw up, but the scene is amazing and stands the test of time.
This is one that I toyed with for a while, but decided that when the police discover that Hannibal Lecter has escaped and left them a little present, well… I still can’t watch that scene.
BUT that’s not the most memorable moment of THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. Nope. I’m talking about the scene that doesn’t involve Lecter; the scene with Buffalo Bill dancing around in his bedroom while Catherine Martin is in a dirt pit in his basement. Creepppppy.
Was there a person that saw SE7EN and DIDN’T have their jaw drop to the floor when they found out “what was in the box”? I know I about had a heart attack and couldn’t believe that a movie went there with one of the main characters. Fantastic movie, and a scene that will stay with audiences for a long time.
Okay, so there’s a list of 9 horror movie moments and I’m staring at a notebook of about 20 more. What would you add? Let me know in the comments below!
Follow me on Twitter @singmesweet
