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.
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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?
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