WARNING: Due to the nature of the question being answered in this post, there are some SPOILERS AHEAD for the following movies. We've listed the titles first so you can decide if you'd like to read on or skip. Please proceed with caution!
We recently asked members of our BuzzFeed Community, "What jump scare got you REAL good? Like, I'm talking you ACTUALLY jumped a little (or a lot)?" and you better believe horror lovers came through with all kinds of terrifying answers!
So, here are just a handful of the most popular responses shared:
1. The Ring (2002)
"The girl in the closet. I have never forgotten that face, and it still haunts me to this day. It was the first film to get me into horror movies, and despite it absolutely terrifying me, I continue to look for that feeling of adrenaline."
You can watch the scene here (if you dare):
View this video on YouTube
2. The Descent (2005)
"It's the only time I've ever actually screamed out loud at a jump scare. It's one of the best horror movies ever made in my opinion. Top ten at least."
You can watch the scene here (if you dare):
View this video on YouTube
3. Barbarian (2022)
"I don't want to spoil it for people who haven't seen it yet (as of writing this, it's still in theaters), but the jump scare about 30 minutes in was so terrifying, everyone in the theater screamed at the same time, and — when the movie abruptly changes tone a minute later — everyone still had their hands plastered to their faces. Incredible."
You can watch the trailer here:
View this video on YouTube
4. The Exorcist (1973)
"So this is an older one, but the first time I saw it, there's that quick flash of the demon when the priest is having the dream about his mother. It made me jump right out of my skin."
You can watch the scene here (if you dare):
View this video on YouTube
5. Dark Skies (2013)
"When you think the little boy is on the walkie-talkie with his brother and the mom goes in and there is AN ALIEN STANDING OVER HIS BED. It still makes me jump every single time I see it!"
You can watch the scene here (if you dare):
View this video on YouTube
6. Hell House LLC (2015)
"The clown's head turn gets me every single time. Simple, but so effective."
You can watch the scene here (if you dare):
View this video on YouTube
7. Friday the 13th (1980)
"The first jump scare I ever experienced: the boy in the lake. You always remember your first!"
You can watch the scene here (if you dare):
View this video on YouTube
8. Lake Mungo (2008)
"The one and only jump scare. If you’ve seen it, you know what I’m talking about. The entire movie is creepy in a more understated way, so I never saw it coming. It nearly gave me a heart attack."
You can watch the scene here (if you dare):
View this video on YouTube
9. The Eye (2002)
"The classroom girl. She seems harmless until she unexpectedly reacts, instantly revealing herself as a ghost. I was dumb enough to have a cup of tea at the time."
You can watch the scene here (if you dare):
View this video on YouTube
10. The Invisible Man (2020)
"When Cecilia splashes paint toward the attic door and you see the Invisible Man suddenly appear in front of her. That had my heart pounding for the rest of the movie. It was executed perfectly!"
You can watch the scene here (if you dare):
View this video on YouTube
11. Insidious (2010)
"Pretty much all of Insidious scared me, but especially when they see the demon man behind the husband. Jump scares always get me, but I never really stay scared after watching horror movies. Insidious is the exception, and I found myself being creeped out for days after. I haven't watched it in years, but laying alone in the dark and thinking about that movie now is giving me chills again."
You can watch the scene here (if you dare):
View this video on YouTube
12. The Black Phone (2022)
"When the sister is on the bike, and it cuts to all of the dead kids standing in the road. We were the only ones in the theater, which made it even worse. Every jump scare in that movie got me, but this one was the worst."
You can watch the trailer here:
View this video on YouTube
13. Wait Until Dark (1967)
"I jumped a mile out of my seat when Alan Arkin came out of nowhere from the other side of the room!"
You can watch the scene here (if you dare):
View this video on YouTube
14. Jaws (1975)
"It was in high school, and I had just started dating someone new. My local movie theater occasionally re-screened classic films, so I suggested we watch this. I’m usually a wimp when it comes to scary movies, so I thought it would be a great excuse to snuggle with my date. The night was going great until the jump scare when Hooper dives to a sunken boat, shines his flashlight into the wreck, and illuminates a severed head. I jumped back so hard that I pulled a muscle in my neck and my head was stuck with my right ear basically touching my shoulder. At first, I tried to laugh it off, but eventually, I had to ask my date to switch seats with me just so that we could have a conversation. Luckily, my date was super sweet about it, but I still felt so embarrassed (especially when we left the dark theater and he could see just how stuck my neck really was). I had to heat and massage my neck for days after to get back to normal, and my family and friends found it hysterical."
You can watch the scene here (if you dare):
View this video on YouTube
15. Carrie (1976)
"Classic, old school. It seems like everything is happy and great at the end, then BAM! Hand out of the grave! I was 13 when I first watched it, and I remember my parents laughing because they knew it was coming, and I jumped so hard!"
You can watch the scene here (if you dare):
View this video on YouTube
16. Hereditary (2018)
"Toward the end of the movie, when the mom runs out from a dark corner. I jumped up so high in the theater that my chair flipped up and I landed on the floor! It was terrifying!"
You can watch the scene here (if you dare):
View this video on YouTube
17. Thirteen Ghosts (2001)
"Thirteen Ghosts is so underrated, but so good. When this m.f.'er here popped out and chased one of the characters, it got me!"
You can watch the scene here (if you dare):
View this video on YouTube
18. The Conjuring (2013)
"I'm the epitome of a true horror fan. It’s really hard to scare me, but when I saw the part when the mom got locked in the basement in the dark, and she lights a match and those hands clap beside her head, OMG! I let out this scream in the theater! And the thing is, when I watch it again knowing that it’s going to happen, it STILL freaks me out."
You can watch the scene here (if you dare):
View this video on YouTube
19. Sinister (2012)
"The lawnmower scene got me so good!"
You can watch the scene here (if you dare):
View this video on YouTube
20. Signs (2002)
"The scene when the birthday party was being reported. The little boy yelling, 'It's behind!' and then the alien steps out from behind the bushes. 11-year-old me was scarred for life. I have seen a lot of scary movies, but I still have never had a jump scare scene scare me as much as that one."
You can watch the scene here (if you dare):
View this video on YouTube
21. It Chapter One (2017)
"When Pennywise bursts through the projector screen and rushes toward the kids. Pretty sure I left my heart in that cinema once it was finished."
You can watch the scene here (if you dare):
View this video on YouTube
22. Smile (2022)
"The first big jump scare. I fully believed that movie was going to be silly, but that one got me so good, I full-on screamed in my date's ear and ducked down into the seat."
You can watch the trailer here:
View this video on YouTube
23. Psycho (1960)
"It's the staircase scene for me. I used to run past the adjoining hallway to my childhood bedroom because of it."
You can watch the scene here (if you dare):
View this video on YouTube
24. The Conjuring 2 (2016)
"When the nun came running at Lorraine, I screamed so loud, I could never repeat the volume. My friends still bug me about it."
You can watch the scene here (if you dare):
View this video on YouTube
25. Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)
"When the mom's boyfriend turns on the light, and all these witches in the coven are silently (and menacingly) staring back at him."
You can watch the scene here (if you dare):
View this video on YouTube
26. Jurassic Park (1993)
"When the raptor burst through the pipes after Ellie got the power back on, I jumped and kicked the chair in front of me, making that person who was also jumping, screech. Domino effect!"
You can watch the scene here (if you dare):
View this video on YouTube
And finally:
27. The Exorcist III (1990)
"The best and most underrated jump scare of all time is the hospital scene. Nothing will ever top the original Exorcist overall (it’s probably my favorite movie), but that scene in the third one with the nurse is arguably my favorite jump scare in any film!"
You can watch the scene here (if you dare):
View this video on YouTube
You've read their picks, but now it's your turn! Which ones did they miss? What jump scare got you real good? Share yours in the comments below!
Some responses were edited for length and/or clarity.