19 Disturbing Moments In Horror Films That Feature No Blood Or Guts

Because not all nightmares require blood.

We recently asked members of the BuzzFeed Community, "What is the most disturbing film scene that has absolutely zero gore?" and, whew buddy, they did NOT disappoint. Here are just a few of the most nightmare-inducing scenes shared:

Also, WARNING: While this post contains no blood or guts, it does contain SPOILERS for some of these films, so proceed with caution!

1. The Jump Scare, Wait Until Dark (1967)

Warner Bros./Seven Arts

"It's an older Audrey Hepburn film where she's a blind woman who is being terrorized by criminals. So what does she do? She breaks all the lights in her home so that she has the advantage over the men — but there's a very famous scene where Alan Arkin jumps out of the shadows and, whew, I was screaming."

—zeilerra

2. The Mirrored Figure, Annihilation (2018)

Paramount Pictures

"It's a scene toward the end in which Natalie Portman and this faceless creature are engaged in a strange, mirrored, stand-off dance. When I watched it, I had a visceral, uncomfortable reaction. It was totally free of gore, but it was so unsettling and eerie — I just can't explain it."

—strangerthanitseems

3. The Ending, The Blair Witch Project (1999)

Artisan Entertainment

"The scene at the VERY end where the guy is facing the corner silently just like the kids who got murdered...it's iconic."

—chakaoofka

4. The Human Sack, Audition (1999)

Omega Project

"Just watch the scene."

—indy1989

5. The Masked Man, The Strangers (2008)

Rogue Pictures

"When Liv Tyler is walking around the kitchen and the man in the mask just walks into the living room doorway in the house and watches her for a few minutes without her even knowing he was there...then he just calmly walks away?! It makes me lose my breath EVERY time."

—lyndsayl

6. The Pizza Place, Terrifier (2018)

Dread Central Presents

"There is a scene at the beginning of this movie where two girls are waiting for a ride inside a pizza place and Art (the clown) walks in, sits down, and just stares at them. He never moves or breaks his gaze. Then, suddenly, he switches to this huge evil grin. It is beyond creepy. The movie gets FAR MORE graphic later, but for me, this is one of the scariest moments. Art scares me way more than Pennywise."

—meggielou

7. The Comparisons, Us (2019)

Universal Pictures

"The part when you see the comparison between the actual carnival and how the tethered are copying the experience at the carnival...I don't know why, but it just gave me this disturbed feeling while watching their weird but silent movements."

—opoonechawtiana

8. "Singin' in the Rain," A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Warner Bros.

"This is, easily, one of the most disturbing scenes ever filmed."

—horsegirl1999

9. The "Ghost," Parasite (2019)

CJ Entertainment

"I know there's some debate as to whether or not this is a horror movie, but the scene when the little boy is eating cake and he sees the man come up the stairs and it scares him into a seizure is genuinely one of the most disturbing scenes I've ever seen."

—rutabagaa

10. The Night Vision, The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Orion Pictures

"The lights go out and you hear Buffalo Bill’s night vision goggles kick on, and you see from his point of view as he stalks Clarice while she is fumbling around in the dark. It remains one of the the most terrifying and unsettling scenes in cinema!"

—travisk4f4edb82b

11. The Sex Ritual, Midsommar (2019)

A24

"The scene when Dani catches her boyfriend cheating on her and has a panic attack. The grunting and groaning and swaying made me SO uncomfortable. It felt like my skin was trying to crawl off and away from the TV."

—crystalg4ca33bbcc

12. The Alien Reveal, Signs (2002)

Buena Vista Pictures

"The scene where Joaquin Phoenix is sitting in the closet watching footage from a child’s birthday party on the news. It makes my hair stand straight up EVERY SINGLE TIME I WATCH IT. The moment the camera freezes on the alien staring into the camera made me burst into tears the first time I watched it. IDK why, it just really disturbs me?"

—amberlilyb

13. The Opening, Jaws (1975)

Universal Pictures

"The death of the young woman in the opening is still so disturbing. You never see the shark or exactly what it’s doing to her. You see its perspective as it slowly swims up to her through the dark water, then her as she’s dragged through the water while screaming in terror. There’s even a moment of hope when she manages to grab onto a buoy, only for the shark to drag her away from it and pull her under. The fact that the scene takes place at night and the woman is all alone just makes it scarier."

—eclipsecat14

14. The Well, The Ring (2002)

DreamWorks Pictures

"The way the girl moves when she emerges from the well. It’s honestly the most repulsive thing I’ve ever seen, it’s like the well is vomiting her up. I can’t even think about it without getting the heebie-jeebies."

—cgallaghernovember

15. The Mask, Creep (2014)

The Orchard

"When the killer wears the wolf mask. To this day, when I see a Halloween wolf mask, I freak out a little."

—katiejayn

16. "All work and no play," The Shining (1980)

Warner Bros.

"It's so widely recognized and spoofed that sometimes people forget how disturbing it was when Wendy finds the stack of papers that Jack typed, all saying the same thing. She has been living with this person, stuck in the middle of nowhere, and just now realizes he has been slowly losing his mind. It is super creepy."

—dellarock

17. Dragged Out of Bed, Paranormal Activity (2009)

Paramount Pictures

"Honestly, any scene in this movie is a perfect example of how to make a horror movie with little to no gore. I’m a 25-year-old grown woman, and I still have nightmares about that movie."

—alexf40bde67df

18. The Acting Class, Cape Fear (1991)

Universal Pictures

"The scene where Juliette Lewis thinks she’s meeting an acting teacher, but it’s Robert De Niro. When he puts his thumb in her mouth and she kind of sucks on it...good god, my skin was crawling."

—valerielynn

19. And finally — Pleasure Island, Pinocchio (1940)

Walt Disney Studios

"I consider this whole movie to be a horror film and I can’t watch it even as an adult. That scene where the kid is turning into a donkey and screaming for his mom...it's a nightmare."

—roxyheart

Now it's your turn! Do you know of a more disturbing scene than these? Share the title of the movie, a description of the scene, and a little bit about WHY you find it so disturbing in the comments below!

Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.