Scenes from a horror film that have stuck in your head

I've seen so many that I can't really bring to mind anything specific that has stuck with me.

I DO remember being traumatized at 13 by the ending of Day of the Dead as the zombies storm the silo. That entire massacre made it hard for me to sleep that night. Even today, being the jaded, biased and cynical gorehound that I am, I still believe that that finale went a little too far.

For that, my hat is off to Romero.

The Curse; when the mother is cutting up the sons back. I think she was playing connect the dots or something.

The Believers; when the spiders come out of the woman's cheek.

Creepshow 2; Thanks for the ride lady.

That is the sum of all of my childhood trauma.

Leatherface putting the girl on the meathook in the original TCM. Linda Blair's 360 head spin in the Exorcist. The final scene in Sleepaway Camp. The Dickie scene in The Beyond. And Johnny Depp's death scene in A Nightmare On Elm Street.

Double Post. Forgot one: I Spit On Your Grave, The bath tub death scene. Ya know: "It feels so good it almost... HURTS!" Still traumatized by that one.

The Toxic Avenger: When the punks hit the kid on the bike and then backup over his head... I saw this when I was like 10-12 and it scarred me for life

Audition- The last 20 minutes. For the people that have seen it you will know what I mean. Gosh...Takeshi Miike is one of the best directors around, but I am SOOOOOOO pissed at him because he made the first movie that made my legs shake for about an hour after finishing the movie. Thats NEVER happened to me, never. Bastard...I love the Director, he's great at what he does, but I just HATE him. Strange, neh?

Poltergiest- The guys face melting. Freaked me out. Also the damn clown at the end of the movie.

Childs Play, 2, and 3. 'nuff said when I was little. Scared to pieces of that damn thing.

RING: that scene at the end. Hey, I've seen Videodrome many times, but I just wasn't expecting it to happen. it was a big. big jump moment for me. I'm pretty curious how they'll handle it in the remake.

I could be like most people and list a lot of frightening and scary moments, but my favorite one doesn't have anything scary about it. It just gets the blood pumping and brings a smile across your face, or well it does mine.

-Lost Boys -
Michael: You tried to make me a killer!

(David flies by and hits him in the face. The camera shows Michaels face as he turns around and he has transformed into a vampire. He looks pissed and ready to kick some bootay. David steps out from the shadows.)

David: You are a killer.

(Then they brawl, damn it's great.)

favorite spine-tingly scene:

You killed him!

I did not....i gave him life! Cue music!

That scene, Cthulhu just gave me goosebumps. To much coolness for one person. To much...but he handles it.

In An American Werewolf in London, the Nazis weren't wearing masks....they truly were demons...

Another non-horror but the one that still gives me chills is from the movie "Hardcore" where George C. Scott is sitting through the snuff film. I always had to tell myself it was only a movie, but it sure seemed convincing.

I can think of two scenes right off that REALLY freaked me out. They're major shocks, so I don't want to describe them too much for those who haven't seen the movies. They are...

Exorcist III -- the bit where the patient goes after the nurse with the shears. I just about propelled myself through the back wall of the theater.

Shock -- If you haven't seen the movie, watch it BEFORE you watch the trailer, since it reveals the scary bit, and it loses its impact out of context. It's hard to describe without revealing what it is, but lemme try. It's the bit where the kid is running toward mom, but doesn't quite get there. Is that vague enough?

the "floaty" kid from Devil's Backbone glued itself to my subconscious, as did Sadako's "television appearance" from Ring's ending

Others have mentioned Twilight Zone, but let me specifically point out the part where the gremlin grabs Lithgow's face and waves his finger at him.

Fright Night: when the girlfriend's face is revealed, and her mouth is freaking huge!

House on Haunted Hill 99: the room is empty, but ghosts show up on the video camera. And then they turn and look at us. Aaaah! Get out! But we can't, because there's one of those goddamn weird shaky ghosts behind us. Don't come any closer! AAAAH! He came closer!

The Thing 82: "We'll do you last," and then the blood jumps out of the petri dish, screaming.

Evil Dead 2: "That thing in the cellar is not my mother!" and then Evil Ed jumps into frame with a great scare chord.

And, since no one has mentioned it yet, the thing behind the diner in Mulholland Drive. 'Nuff said.

Some of my faves:

- Near the end in SUSPIRIA, where Jessica Harper's friend comes out, dead, with pins in her eyes ...

- Mike in the corner at the end of THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT

- The sequence in TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE which begins with the girl approachng the house ( beautiful blue sky above ) and ends w/ Leatherface slamming the metal door ...

- Jason popping out of the lake at the end of FRIDAY THE 13th

- The scene in REAR WINDOW where Grace Kelly in inside Raymond Burr's apartment, and Burr comes home ...

"Curse II: The Bite"

When Jill Schoelen (mmmmmmm.....Jill Schoelen.....) gets a spectator seat as J. Eddie Peck's torso buckles under the weight of its own bendiness, rips in two and spews a bunch of mutant snakes all over the floor.

Screaming Mad George at his finest...

(oh, and Jill Schoelen's ass in the shower in "The Stepfather"'s never too far from my thoughts neither...)

Oddly enough I've never seen this movie but, the scene from a horror movie that sticks in my head most is from Motel Hell.
As a kid, on one of my weekly Sunday afternoon visits to the theater, I accidently stumbled into the wrong theater. I originally went to see some kids movie (I don't remember which.). I walked into this dark theater and I hear this incredible racket coming from the screen. I'm walking down the dark aisle and I look up at the screen and to my horror, huge on towering above me is this man with a bloody pig mask and a rumbling chainsaw or something. I think my eyes about popped out of my head, I think I almost screamed. I was so horrified by the image on the screen that I turned and ran out of the theater faster then all hell. Someday I really need to check that flick out.

Others have already mentioned these, but they bear repeating:

The Amityville Horror: the red pig's eyes in the window when the mother goes to look at what the little girl was talking to.

Poltergeist: Clown Doll. 'Nuff said.

Exorcist III: Shrouded figure with the shears coming out of the locked room to attack.
Others that may or may not have been mentioned:

Exorcist III: EVERY SCENE with Brad Dourif. One of my favorite performances by anyone, and the definition of scary madness. Also, the old woman on the ceiling.

The Haunting, 1963: banging noises outside the bedroom, and the swelling door. Appearance of the doctor's wife in the library. Ah, hell, just the whole damn movie.

Blair Witch: kids laughing in the dark distance, where no kids should be. *shudder* And of course the last scene.

Wolf Man: the transformation.
American Werewolf in London: the transformation.
The Beast Within: the transformation.

Many more, but that'll do, pig.

Ah.....rare ol' Fango Issue# 9. Sweet sweet memories....

Agreed, on both counts. Except the part of Devil's Backbone that freaks me out is the one shot of Santi (the ghost) as he's hiding behind the post as if afraid of Carlos. That's spooky as hell. And the way in which it was shot was terrific. I wasn't expecting it.

And you're absolutely right about Sadako's "television appearance". As soon as you see the arms beginning come up from the well.... shudder. The bad quaility and almost black-and-white imagery of the videotape definitely add to the freakiness factor.

Carpenter is a master of scenes that stick in your head, at least in his pre 1990s period. That's why I'm such a fan, his are really the only films that I remember watching since I was a little kid of 5 or 6 and they would come on tv. He just used to have this knack of doing unique images that would sear themselves onto your brain. They would still work their magic on me, even though I was watching them on a small screen in a chopped up pan & scan version. Everything from Dark Star's Alien beachball going runabout in the coridors, Michael sitting upright and turning his head at the end of Halloween, the Demon emerging from the church doorway in Prince of Darkness, to pretty much the entire runtime of The Thing.

The scene in Event Horizon (my only love for Paul Anderson comes in this movie) when Sam Niels character guts one of the remaining members and hangs him by the skin of his belly, allowing all the intestines to fall out. Good stuff.

Great stuff here! These scenes would make a great best-of DVD or a documentary feature film ala "Terror in the Aisles."

For me, it would be the very first pod-exploding scene in "Alien."

Well, let's see...

The sphere drilling into the poor guy's body and coming out of his mouth in Phantasm 3.

The little girl stabbing her mommy to death with a garden trowel in Night of the Living Dead.

Frank getting "hooked" in Hellraiser.

The arrow through the throat in Friday the 13th.

The guy getting his head blown off with a shotgun in Dawn of the Dead.

Another guy getting his head blown off in Maniac.

The guy's head exploding in Scanners (do you sense a theme here?).

The guy's head sprouting spider legs and skittering away in The Thing.

A woman's head falling off and rolling down the stairs in ??? (Maybe someone can help me with this one; it's an old black and white film I saw when I was a kid).

The re-animated cat in Re-animator.

...and many more and can't think of right now.

"I'll swallow your soul!"
"Come get some!"

The first ghost in 'Kairo.' The way she moves with the sound---Cree-peee...

Johnny Depp's and Tina's Death scene in the first "Elm Street." Along with the "This is God!" bit freak me the heck out!

Last scene in Sleepaway Camp.

The scene in Exorcist where Reagan is being slammed on the bed and finally rammed down her eyes going white and the most evil growl coming from her mouth.

Also at the end of Halloween seeing all the locations Michael Myers had been in Haddonfield hearing the score pulsing and the truely demonic sound of Michael breathing.

These scenes all left big impressions on me as a child.

The Fly- The end. Damn, it blew my mind(and Goldblum's). Such a deep, and heart shattering ending. Geena Davis's reaction to the Fly putting the gun to it's head made me want to cry.

Gates of Hell- the gut spewing scene. I didn't see that coming. Gross.

Pieces- again, another ending. In fact, the last shot we see of the movie, will forever be stuck in my head.

Friday the 13th 2- When Amy Steele pisses herself. I thought it was hilarious, but at the same time it made me look at her character as a real person, not just another potential victim.

Zombie- The splinter in the eye. Ouch.

- Fixxxer

Here are mine:

The Hitcher- The scene where the police dog is sadly licking his dead master.

The Shining- The scene with the freaky guy in the dog suit.

Jaws- The part where that guy's boat has been knocked over and you can just see the humongous shark under him coming at him with his mouth open.

The Blair Witch Project- Every scene after they first enter the woods. The only film to truly scare me senseless!

The Church- The part where the lady sees that goat demon at her window.

Prince of Darkness- The scene where Wyndham is standing outside the window talking in that weird as hell voice, and then falls apart covered in bugs. "I have a message for you, and you're not going to like it."

Black Christmas- All of the killer's phone calls.

Don't Look Now- The freaky as hell ending.

An American Werewolf in London- The Nazi werewolf dream sequence.

Cujo- Cujo's death.

Session 9- Every scene where you hear the sessions and the freaky multiple personality voices.

The Thing- The dog kennel scene & the blood test scene.

Signs- The Brazilian camcorder birthday sighting.

Audition- The torture scene and the little Beagle's fate.

Ring (aka Ringu)- The extremely scary ending!

The Night Flier- The scene where the mirror only shows blood going into the urinal while Dwight Renfield urinates, and the end scene with the zombie vampires.

Devil's Advocate- The scene where Charlize Theron gets a quick glimpse of that one woman's demonic reflection.

Dead and Buried- The syringe in the eye scene. Ah hell, the zombies in this film are really freaky bastards!

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978 ) - The man headed dog scene, and the ending with Sutherland giving the signal.

Rosemary's Baby- The rape scene.

The Wicker Man- The ending.

Se7en- the Sloth sinner scene.

Lost Highway- The scene where the Mystery Man tells Pullman to call him at Pullman's house even though he is with Pullman.

The New York Ripper- the awfully painful looking nipple slit and eye slit scene.

The Fly (Cronenberg's)- The maggot birth dream.

Videodrome- the scene with the flesh and bone timebomb.

There are several other brilliant scenes, but too many to name.

That's a great scene, I especially love how they fucked his voice up to make it sound all gurgly, as if all those insects had somehow gotten into his vocal chords.

Ive gotta agree with a lot of these so I may repeat a few...

The Exorcist- the cross masturbation scene...that was responsible for many sleepless nights, and the scene where demon Regane says 'Such a lovely day for an exorcism' and her/it and the priest have this whole conversation, not scary but extremely interesting.

The Shining- Ghost in the bathtub, and every scene where the kid was riding his little tricycle through the halls, there was just something eerie about that I couldnt get out of my head...

Poltergiest- Evil kid eating tree, THE CLOWN!!!!

Ginger Snaps- the suicide slideshow, the music kept running through my head for days

Silence of the Lambs- Buffalo Bill and his 'woman suit'

American Psycho- Patrick raving about the worst albums ever right before killing his victims, also the plastic covers he put on the couch right before chopping up...whats his name...

NOTLD- The girl stabbing her mom with a trowel, that was the only part that really disturbed me

IT- Seth Green and Emily Perkins as kids

Gremlins- Not really horror but...the science teacher reaching under the table and the gremlin biting it

Uh thats all that I can think of for now

That's the only scene in any movie that ever made me feel physically ill.

Evil Dead II- Chick swallowing the eyeball- I almost wet myself. I laughed for 15 minutes solid.

Aside from repeating countless others, I'll specify one... The Thing. When the guy's stomach suddenly closes over his arms while he's fidgetting around in there. Jumpin' Jesus that was ough for my young impressionable mind.

And of course, let's not forget NELL.

That whole movie's a traumatic experince.

Creepshow-Bugs! Ick!

Seven-Lust scene

Close Encounter-little kid's abduction

The Lady in White-stairs scene

And I saw the trailer for The Shining when I was a little girl and went to see Little Miss Marker with my cousin. It was a long still shot of the elevator doors, and then suddenly they opened and poured gallon upon gallon of blood. Needless to say, I was traumatized! To this day, I have no idea why they would show that with a little kids movie, someone was having a great laugh that day! wink

And swykk and I used to put that movie on Blockbuster's monitors all the time when we worked there together...

When Michael Myers pinned that guy to the wall and took a second to admire his work

classic

I fell asleep watching The Lady in White lastnight......not that I didn't like it but because I had too much beer....and work in the morning

Uzumaki. Escargot from hell. Nuff' said.

The Vanishing (not remake)- The ending...good GOD! That whole movie just made me paranoid about being buried alive...

Most of Don't Look Now makes me freaked out. That movie...

Henry at the bathtub at the end of [Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer[/b] gives me the heebie jeebies.

and City of the Living Dead is one of the only Italian films that disturbs me.