Top 10 scariest horror film moments of all time to watch this Halloween
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT. 34 million Brits are set to watch a horror film this Halloween, with these scary moments dubbed some of the most terrifying scenes in horror film history.
Everyone loves a good scare - especially on Halloween. With so many classic horror films to watch this spooky season, there are plenty of spine tingling film scenes to get stuck into.
There's no shortage of good horror movies, but what are some of the top scariest moments according to Brits? New research from Sky Cinema and NOW has found which scenes stick with viewers, from classics like The Exorcist to more modern-day films like The Conjuring.
The research also found what it takes to make a great horror scene. According to the study, the scene must contain some sort of jump scare, as well as a terrifying villain and an eerie setting to heighten the fear.
Here, we look at the top 10 scariest moments in film history.
'Freaky' horror film with a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score you can stream free
1 of 10 The head-spinning scene from The Exorcist
The Exorcist has long been dubbed one of the scariest horror films to ever be released, with some even claiming the set was cursed following a number of strange occurrences during filming.
Released in 1973, it remains a classic, with the head-spinning scene being voted as the scariest horror moment of all time.
(Image:Corbis via Getty Images)2 of 10 Pennywise luring Georgie to his death in IT
The opening scene of IT has remained a horror classic since the original Stephen King version aired in 1990.
An adaptation in 2017 saw the horror film return, leaving viewers in shock as terrifying clown Pennywise lured sweet Georgie to his death.
3 of 10 The girl crawling out of the TV in The Ring
The Ring was released in 2002, starring Naomi Watts as Rachel Keller.
It's not hard to see how this horror scene made the list, with the terrifying character Samara seen crawling out of a well towards the TV screen as viewers watched on in fear.
(Image:The Ring)4 of 10 The shower scene from Psycho
Psycho will always remain a horror classic, with plenty of re-adaptations and TV series' made from the original storyline.
And the shower scene is iconic for horror fans, featuring the famous music as villain Norman Bates stabs a hotel guest to death in her room.
(Image:Getty Images)
5 of 10 The twins in the hallway from The Shining
Unarguably one of the most iconic horror films of all time, Kubrick’s 1980 adaptation of Stephen King’s novel has a particular disturbing feeling.
One particular scene that sticks in horror fans' heads is the hallway scene, showing Danny riding his big wheel through the hallway before encountering the identical twin girls.
Fan Elizabeth Williams called it "the infamous image that will mark film history forever."
(Image:The Shining)6 of 10 The chestburster scene from Alien
Alien is undoubtedly a terrifying film, with screenwriter Ron Schusett declaring: "The first big scare was when the Egg opened and it jumped on his face. After the Chestburster it was just deafening; you couldn't hear for several moments."
"People jumped up, some actually ran, there was spewing in the loo," laughs associate producer Ivor Powell.
7 of 10 The final jump scare from Carrie
Just when viewers thought the jump scares were over, Carrie had other ideas. When released in 1976, audiences jumped out of their seats and screamed as her hand reached out from her grave.
“I looked at my wife and said ‘this movie’s gonna be huge!” Stephen King reflected on the disarray during an advanced screening on Halloween.
(Image:Getty Images)
8 of 10 The clown under the bed scene from Poltergeist
This scene from the 1982 film Poltergeist is one of the most searched for online, with those fearing clowns urged to avoid watching the film.
When Robbie - the main character - is about to go to bed he notices the clown is gone. He starts looking for it, looking under one side of the bed, only to see nothing. He checks the other side of the bed and sees nothing too, but when he gets up the clown doll is behind him, grabbing his face before dragging him under the bed.
(Image:FREE TO USE)9 of 10 The demon face appearing behind the main character in Insidious
Insidious is a fairly new addition to the horror film classics, first being released in 2010. But its haunting contents were enough to make it to this list.
The demon face suddenly appearing behind ghost hunter Josh Lambert had fans jumping out of their seats in fear.
10 of 10 The opening scene of Jaws
Jaws will forever remain a horror classic, introducing a wave of shark-inspired spooky films.
And the opening scene is a classic, with the unmistakable music and iconic robotic looking shark.
Steven Spielberg explained the process in greater detail in an excerpt from Spielberg: The First Ten Years shared with Vanity Fair. "It had to be perfectly choreographed to give the impression the shark was pulling her violently to the right and then immediately violently to the left," he said.
(Image:Getty Images)