10 Most Frightening Jump Scares in Horror Movie History
For horror enthusiasts, any movie that gets their hearts pounding like a racehorse and makes them jump from their seats takes the cake. Most of the time, horror movies rely on jump scares to inject excitement and tension. Here are the most frightening jump scares in horror movie history.
10. Final Destination 2 (2003) – The Logging Truck Disaster
Where To Watch: Amazon Prime Video
The second installment of the Final Destination franchise continues the theme of escaping death’s design. A group of survivors cheats death in a massive highway pileup as one of them foresees it. However, the Grim Reaper doesn’t take kindly to being fooled.
The iconic highway crash scene in Final Destination 2 – featuring a logging truck – still gives many people the heebie-jeebies while driving behind logging trucks. Still, the real scary jump scare comes when a car unexpectedly slams into another, causing a massive chain reaction of destruction.
9. The Conjuring (2013) – Clap Game
Where To Watch: Netflix
Based on real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, The Conjuring is the first movie in the Conjuring Universe. It follows the pair as they help a family plagued by a dark, malevolent spirit in their new farmhouse.
In The Conjuring, the clap game between the mother and her children goes from innocent fun to absolute nightmare fuel. As the mother blindly searches for her kids, thinking they’re playing, a pair of ghostly hands clap beside her face in the dark. You’re expecting something to happen, but not that. In short, it is one of those scary jumpscares that we still remember vividly.
8. Mama (2013) – Lily’s Bedroom Scene
Where To Watch: Amazon Prime Video
After surviving alone in the woods for five years, two young sisters are found. When their uncle takes them in, they bring a chilling supernatural guardian: Mama.
Mama is creepy from start to finish, but one jump scare stands out above the rest. The scene where one of the children, Lily, is playing in her room takes a terrifying turn when Mama’s ghostly face suddenly appears in the closet. The timing and tension leading up to it are pretty intense. When Mama finally shows herself, it’s enough to make anyone jump out of their seat.
7. The Nun (2018) – The Hallway Encounter
Where To Watch: Prime Video
A prequel to The Conjuring, The Nun follows a priest and a young novitiate as they investigate a haunted Romanian abbey where a demonic presence takes the form of the terrifying nun Valak.
The Nun is filled with a Gothic horror atmosphere, but one moment takes the crown for the biggest and most frightening jump scare. As Sister Irene walks through a dark hallway, she’s confronted by the demon nun Valak. You think you know where the scare is coming from, but Valak appears behind her out of nowhere, sending shockwaves through the audience.
6. Drag Me to Hell (2009) – The Car Attack
Where To Watch: Amazon Prime Video
In Drag Me to Hell, a loan officer denies an elderly woman’s request for an extension, leading to the woman placing a deadly curse on her that brings three days of torment before she’s dragged to hell.
Drag Me to Hell is a wild ride of supernatural terror, but the most shocking jump scare happens early on. In a parking garage, protagonist Christine is ambushed by the terrifying Mrs. Ganush in her car. And just when you think the scene is over, Mrs. Ganush attacks with a sudden ferocity that leaves you gasping for air. It’s unexpected and brutal, setting the tone for the chaos that follows.
5. The Exorcist III (1990) – The Hospital Corridor
Where To Watch: Amazon Prime Video
A standalone sequel to The Exorcist, The Exorcist III follows a detective investigating a series of murders that seem connected to the events of the original exorcism.
The hallway scene in The Exorcist III is one of horror’s most famous jump scares. Its long, slow build-up plays on your sense of calm. As a nurse goes about her business in the hospital, the camera lingers in the hallway for what feels like an eternity, only for a figure in white to suddenly appear, wielding shears to decapitate the nurse. The music screeches as the figure lunges, making this a moment no one forgets.
Related: The Exorcist is About the Horrors of Modernity
4. Sinister (2012) – The Lawnmower Scene
Where To Watch: Amazon Prime Video
Sinister follows a true-crime writer who moves into a house where a family is murdered. He discovers old home movies that reveal terrifying secrets about the supernatural entity behind the deaths.
In Sinister, the horror comes from creepy home movies that the protagonist finds in the attic. However, the most gut-wrenching scare happens when we watch the “lawnmower” tape. The screen erupts in chaos as the footage shows a family being murdered by a lawnmower. It’s the kind of jump scare that leaves you shaken, not just because of the shock but also due to the horrifying content.
3. Hereditary (2018) – Head in the Attic
Where To Watch: Amazon Prime Video
Hereditary explores a family’s slow descent into madness after the death of their grandmother, uncovering dark secrets and a connection to a powerful, malevolent entity.
Although Hereditary is a slow-burn horror, when it scares, it really scares. One of the most shocking moments happens near the end when Peter goes into the attic, and you suddenly hear the horrifying sound of his mother, Annie, smashing her head repeatedly against the attic door. The relentless banging is terrifying, and the scare is as psychological as it is startling.
2. Insidious (2010) – The Red Demon
Where To Watch: Amazon Prime Video
Insidious tells the story of a family whose child falls into a coma and becomes a vessel for malevolent spirits from a nightmarish realm known as “The Further.”
One of the most notorious jump scares in Insidious is when Josh and his mother are having a quiet conversation at the table and the red-faced demon suddenly appears right behind Josh’s head. The quick, shocking glimpse of the demon, paired with the loud musical sting, gives this moment a jolt to the system and has haunted viewers ever since.
1. The Descent (2005) – First Cave Creature Sighting
Where To Watch: Amazon Prime Video
In The Descent, a group of women exploring a cave are hunted by terrifying, blind cave-dwelling creatures. The first jump scare happens when the camera flips to night vision, and one of the creatures is standing right behind one of the women. The haunting silence before the reveal only intensifies the jump scare, which is a heart-pounding introduction to the horrors that follow.
And those are the 10 most frightening jump scares in horror movie history.
