Top 10 Scariest Moments in Modern Horror

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Boo! Did we get you? Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most unsettling, creepy, and/or terrifying moments from 21st-century horror. Spoilers ahead for the following movies.

Transcript

00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most unsettling, creepy

00:07and or terrifying moments from 21st century horror.

00:10Spoilers ahead for the following movies.

00:13Please stop.

00:14Dad, make it stop.

00:15What's happening?

00:16Why is everyone scared?

00:17Why are you scaring me?

00:20Number 10.

00:21Restaurant Sabotage, The Invisible Man

00:27With her ex, Adrian, possibly tormenting her from beyond the grave, Elizabeth Moss'

00:32character, Cecilia, asks her sister, Emily, for help.

00:35The pair meet at a restaurant before a terrible twist.

00:38Using his cloaked suit, the villain slits the sister's throat before placing the murder

00:41weapon in the lead's hand.

00:46The scene is disturbing on its own, but it's made worse when you consider the larger implications.

00:50The heroine is forced to confront the fact that she can't escape the antagonist.

00:53When in public, he finds a way to frame the protagonist in the most awful way possible.

01:01She's then locked away, grieving, and further traumatized.

01:04We honestly don't blame her for feeling hopeless.

01:12Number 9.

01:13The Tall Man, It Follows

01:16If you sleep with the wrong person, you might become the victim of an unstoppable force.

01:20This unsettling detail powers this unforgettable moment.

01:31Jay Height worries about when the evil figure will come for her, with this scene giving

01:35her yet another reason to run away.

01:36The tall man embodies her would-be killer in a terrifying reveal.

01:49With a menacing presence and pace, the entity inches its way closer to its prey.

01:53It makes you consider what you'd do in a similar situation.

01:56Not only that, this sequence reminds you that It Follows has a constant tension that few

02:00horror films can replicate.

02:05Number 8.

02:06Night Vision, The Descent

02:07A group of friends get lost in a cave, but they have much worse problems to worry about.

02:22They use a video camera's night vision to inspect the darker areas around them.

02:27After finding some animal remains, they also encounter some testy cannibals.

02:30It just goes to show that some things in life aren't meant to be seen at all.

02:41While the night vision helps them see, it also leads up to one of the best jump scares

02:44in the movie.

02:45You're waiting for something to happen during the group's trip, but you aren't expecting

02:48a villain this scary.

02:51It'll also have you reconsidering any spelunking plans you might have.

02:56Number 7.

02:57The Bedroom Scare, The Babadook

03:01As if life isn't hard enough, a widowed mother has to deal with this titular creature.

03:05She endures one appearance from the Babadook that's nothing short of scarring.

03:15Delivering on an ominous presence, this scene puts the evil figure right in the heroine's

03:19bedroom.

03:20The startling sequence includes details that would keep anybody awake at night.

03:25From the opening of a door to hiding under the covers, Emilia slowly waits for something

03:29terrible to happen.

03:30This moment also makes the issue something she can no longer avoid anymore.

03:34If you don't sleep with one eye open, you might after watching this jump scare.

03:45Number 6.

03:46Dragged Out of the Bedroom, Paranormal Activity

03:50As a twist on the haunted house genre, paranormal activity was something of a phenomenon.

03:55It also included some shocking moments that felt all too real due to the movie's lo-fi

03:58quality.

04:07Setting up a camera in their bedroom, they capture a spooky sight when Katie is dragged

04:10out of bed.

04:11With his partner's screams ringing out, Mika tries to save her with this unimaginable

04:15moment.

04:31The scene makes us all want to lock our doors and sleep with a nightlight.

04:34The film's strong suit is that it can make this kind of sequence seem possible.

04:38Along with some great acting, the nightmare encounter might have you lying awake at night

04:41worried about ghosts.

04:46Number 5.

04:47Watching the Video, The Ring

04:48It doesn't take long for The Ring to make one rule clear.

04:54You shouldn't watch the creepy video unless you want to die.

04:56The fact that we know that makes this scene even more scary.

05:05Watching Noah's time dwindle down, you might even find yourself yelling at the screen to

05:09stop it.

05:10Noah's failed attempt to get there in time only adds to his tense sequence.

05:22Samara crawls out of the TV, creating one of the scariest images in the film.

05:39The demonic girl takes down Noah in an unsettling climax, showing what happens when your week

05:43comes to a close.

05:50Number 4.

05:51Georgie Meets Pennywise, It

05:55Early on in this horror film, the young Georgie plays with a paper boat.

05:58His adventure takes a dark turn when he encounters an unlikely antagonist.

06:01This creepy scene sets the mood for a memorable tale, forcing some viewers to confront their

06:15fear of clowns.

06:18Pennywise lurks in the sewer and quickly establishes himself as one of the most evil forces ever.

06:23The combination of the location, the weather, and the villain's behavior makes this frightening

06:26from the jump.

06:27It only gets worse when the boy suffers a terrible fate.

06:46While some horror plots might let a younger character get away, it freaks you out by showing

06:50you that nobody's safe.

06:58Number 3.

06:59Game Over, Saw

07:01Before all of the sequels, Saw was an entirely new experience for horror fans.

07:14The photographer Adam realizes that the body he's been spending time with isn't actually

07:19In a haunting image, the corpse gets up and reveals himself to be the mastermind behind

07:23it all.

07:32This scary moment puts the final signature on a crazy ride.

07:45With the heroes stunned and trapped, this movie leaves audiences on a haunting cliffhanger.

07:50It also makes you wonder about how diabolical one person could possibly be.

07:57Number 2.

07:58The Sunken Place, Get Out

07:59It's never easy to meet your partner's parents, but even more so when they're horror

08:11movie villains.

08:12Chris has a chat with his girlfriend's mom, Missy, that takes a dark turn.

08:15She hypnotizes the hero, showing him a place worse than a typical nightmare.

08:28The mysterious void makes him question his own reality.

08:37Even though he wakes up, it's a mind-altering experience that feels too close to home.

08:41It's one major sign that Chris shouldn't trust the Armitage family, either.

08:44Like all the worst dreams, The Sunken Place combines several fears into one and gives

08:48the modern classic one of its essential moments.

09:05Jordan Peele keeps this nightmarish quality going in his follow-up, Us.

09:15Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

09:18The Witch in the Cave, The Witch.

09:19Caleb stumbles through the woods, finding an ominous woman that's nothing short of

09:23evil.

09:27Gator Food, Ex.

09:29Bobby Lynn Anger's Pearl, becoming alligator bait in a shocking reversal.

09:35Possessed in a Dress, The Others.

09:36In a haunting scene, Grace discovers an older woman in place of her daughter.

09:53Mother Reveal, Barbarian.

09:55Tess finds Keith in the tunnels, only for a frightening villain to appear and spoil

09:58the moment.

10:02The Wardrobe, The Conjuring.

10:04There might be something in the wardrobe, but a freaky reveal proves otherwise.

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10:30Number 1.

10:31Annie Gets Possessed, Hereditary.

10:33Needless to say, the Graham family is having a bad time in Hereditary.

10:37Both the daughter and father die tragically before the mother, Annie, becomes possessed.

10:41She flies after her son, Peter, until he hides in the attic.

10:52It's gotta be especially scary to find yourself chased by one of your parents.

10:55With his mom banging against the ceiling, the teenager confronts his own mortality and

11:05the evil that surrounds him.

11:06It's all part of a truly gruesome third act, rivaling Ari Aster's other works such as the

11:10cliff scene in Midsommar.

11:15This climax ultimately sells the breakdown of the family unit.

11:18With the help of a coven, this disturbing sequence pushes the notion of grief to a horrifying

11:22extreme.

11:34Did we forget another scary moment in modern horror?

11:43Did you enjoy this video?

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