00:04Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most epic moments in horror movie history.
00:17Number 10, Linda Possessed, The Evil Dead.
00:21We're gonna get you, we're gonna get you, not another piece.
00:29When it hit theaters in 1981, there hadn't been a low-budget horror flick quite like The Evil Dead.
00:34The movie was unapologetically gruesome, but also had a dark sense of humor that reveled in its goofiness.
00:40As a result, people rarely knew whether to scream or laugh.
00:44This scene is a key example of what makes The Evil Dead such a unique addition to the horror library.
00:55Just when it looks like Ash's night can't possibly get any worse, he discovers that his girlfriend Linda is turning
01:02into a deadite.
01:03The makeup effects give Linda the appearance of a possessed doll, and her shrieking laughter matches the sentiment, sending the
01:09audience into a hysterical state.
01:11Shut up!
01:17Number 9, The Bathtub, The Shining.
01:26Interestingly enough, Jack Torrance isn't the scariest character in Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of The Shining.
01:31That distinction goes to the woman in the bathtub.
01:34Beginning from Jack's point of view, this scene escorts us into Room 237's bathroom, where a bathing beauty awaits.
01:40The dull look on Jack's face becomes aroused as the naked woman climbs out of the tub and puts her
01:46hands on him.
01:47Matters take a total 180 turn when Jack looks in the mirror and realizes he's kissing an old saggy corpse.
01:54The movie doesn't spell out who this woman is, or even the purpose behind this encounter.
01:59All we need to know, though, is that it's a master stroke of surreal suspense.
02:11Number 8, The Basement, The Blair Witch Project.
02:17Coming out when the found footage genre and the internet were fairly young, the filmmakers tricked numerous moviegoers into believing
02:23the three protagonists were really missing.
02:25All I'm saying is that you got us lost, man.
02:28For a very brief amount of time.
02:30This largely contributed to the sense of dread in the film's climax, as Heather and Mike stumble upon an abandoned
02:36house in search of their missing colleague, Josh.
02:39Where is he?
02:40Where are you?
02:41The amateur cinematography and convincing performances fully immerse the audience as Heather finds Mike standing in a corner before an
02:48unseen force attacks her.
02:50When the scene goes black on this ambiguous ending, it's quiet enough in the audience to hear a pin drop.
03:05Number 7, Do you like scary movies? Scream.
03:08You like scary movies?
03:10Uh huh.
03:11What's your favorite scary movie?
03:13Uh, I don't know.
03:14This opening scene has echoes of when a stranger calls and Psycho, while also poking fun at other scary movies.
03:21But, even at its most self-referential, the scene remains utterly original.
03:26A phone call goes from light-hearted to heart-pounding when it becomes clear that Drew Barrymore's Casey is not
03:31alone.
03:32You never told me your name.
03:34Why do you want to know my name?
03:36Because I want to know who I'm looking at.
03:39What did you say?
03:40The fate of Casey and her detained boyfriend boils down to a trivia game that ends in failure.
03:46If you think this movie wouldn't dare kill off its biggest star within the first several minutes,
03:51Ghostface asserts up front that he does not play by the rules.
03:55For anyone who assumed that horror was dead in 1996, this scene proved there was still plenty of life left
04:01in the genre.
04:05Number 6. The Devil Impregnates Rosemary.
04:08Rosemary's Baby.
04:10Why are you taking them off?
04:11To make you more comfortable.
04:14I am more comfortable.
04:16Being sexually assaulted after passing out is already one of the most appalling concepts imaginable.
04:21The circumstances are made even more distressing, however, when the assaulter is Satan himself.
04:27The lines between reality and insanity are blurred when Rosemary appears to drift off into a bizarre dream.
04:33Our anxiety escalates as Rosemary finds herself strapped down in a bed, surrounded by her husband and neighbors, all of
04:40whom are entirely nude.
04:42As long as she ate the mouse, she can't see nor hear, she's like dead, now sing.
04:45The most we ever see of the devil is a close-up of his hellish reptilian eyes, which his offspring
04:50will eventually inherit.
04:52With unreal visuals and an intense musical score, anyone watching this scene can't help but feel unclean while watching the
05:00vulnerable Rosemary.
05:01This is no dream, this is really happening.
05:05Number 5. The Final Chase. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
05:13While it was advertised as a true story, this slasher flick's plot is more fictional than fact.
05:19Even Ed Gein, the murderer who inspired Leatherface, had a different M.O.
05:23That being said, the idea of a maniac chopping up victims with a chainsaw isn't at all far-fetched,
05:28which gave the film a sense of gritty realism.
05:32Nowhere is this more apparent than during the pulse-pounding finale, as Sally literally runs for her life.
05:43Fortunately, a trucker runs over the hitchhiker, while Sally narrowly evades Leatherface by hopping aboard another vehicle.
05:50The chaotic staging and low-grade production values actually work to the scene's advantage,
05:54giving it the authenticity of a documentary, with a blood-curdling final shot.
06:11Number 4. Chess Chomp. The Thing.
06:14Get him in here, and bring the others.
06:16When it comes to body horror, CGI just cannot produce the same results as practical effects,
06:21which are simply more revolting, cringe-inducing, and inventive.
06:25Take this jaw-dropping scene from The Thing, for example,
06:28as Norris's ribcage sprouts a set of teeth and bites off Copper's arms.
06:33Clear! Clear!
06:34One second, you're jumping out of your seat in shock.
06:37The next, you're asking yourself how the hell did the filmmakers pull this stunt off?
06:42The sequence packs in even more technical wizardry,
06:44as the chest vomits out a snake-like creature,
06:47while Norris's head detaches and grows spider legs.
06:51At least it's nothing a flamethrower can't fix.
06:53Bloody disgusting, and bloody brilliant.
06:56Horror doesn't get much more creative than this.
07:02Number 3. Headspin. The Exorcist.
07:11Between Linda Blair's immortal performance as the possessed Reagan,
07:15Mercedes McCambridge's menacing voiceover work as the demon Pazuzu,
07:18the revolutionary special effects, and the sickening makeup,
07:22William Friedkin's horror masterpiece has no shortage of terror-inducing scenes.
07:26If we had to single out one moment that encompasses the film in all of its ghastly glory,
07:31it would have to be Reagan's iconic headspin.
07:33By this sign of the Holy Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
07:37who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
07:42Turning 360 degrees while Father Marin tries to purge the evil presence from her body,
07:47Reagan's flexible neck still has a squirming over 50 years later.
07:50The crackling sound design only adds to this chilling scene.
07:56Amen.
07:57God! Defender of the human race!
08:03Number 2. The Chestburster. Alien.
08:11Alien is not only regarded as one of the best sci-fi movies of all time,
08:15but also one of the best horror movies ever made.
08:18The Nostromo is essentially a haunted house,
08:20and this scene delivers the film's first major scare.
08:23A celebratory dinner is spoiled as Kane convulses and an alien creature bursts out of his chest.
08:30Although the cast members knew the chestburster was coming,
08:33they were not prepared for the amount of blood splattering everywhere.
08:35The petrified looks on the actors' faces are completely genuine,
08:39which in turn left audiences wearing similar expressions.
08:42In space, no one can hear you scream.
08:46At the movies, however, you can hear an entire auditorium erupt in fright.
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09:20Few cinematic moments have been parodied more times than the shower scene from Psycho.
09:25There's even a feature-length documentary that breaks down its genius and impact.
09:29It's unsettling because there's a big empty space which is itself unsettling.
09:36What is going to fill that empty space?
09:39No matter how much we talk about that scene though, it always somehow catches us off guard.
09:45We feel a knot in the pit of our stomachs every time a dark figure moves closer to the bathing
09:50Marion.
09:51Once the shower curtain is pulled back, Bernard Herrmann's piercing musical score kicks in.
09:59The cinematography makes us feel as if we're in this confined space alongside Marion as the life is stabbed out
10:05of her.
10:06This sequence left actress Janet Leigh forever skeptical of showers.
10:09And she wasn't the only one.
10:15What's your favorite horror movie moment of all time?
10:18Let us know in the comments.
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