17 Horror Movie Moments That Are As Underrated As They Are Horrifying

So unappreciated it's SCARY! (Listen, I tried...)

We recently asked horror lovers in our BuzzFeed Community, "What is the scariest horror movie scene that gets absolutely zero credit?" and they DID NOT disappoint! Here are just a few of the horror movie scenes that fans believe are as terrifying as they are underrated:

WARNING: Due to the nature of this post, there are some spoilers ahead. Also, due to the nature of the genre in question, there are some graphic depictions of violence, so please proceed with caution!

1. The opening, It Follows (2015)

RADiUS-TWC

"The opening sequence where a girl is running from who knows what and she finally arrives at a lake where she calls her parents to say goodbye. Jump cut to her dead with her leg twisted backwards at the knee! That got me."

—amandap41fee9365

2. The tongue click, Hereditary (2018)

A24

"The tongue click when Annie is driving alone. I hate jump scares, but I couldn't even be mad when it got me because it was so good!"

—funkabelle

3. The roof alien, Signs (2002)

Buena Vista Pictures

"Graham is in his daughter's room, talking about his wife’s (her mother’s) death, and he looks up to see one of the aliens for the first time. It's just standing on the roof. It freaks me out every single time."

—darthjarjar

4. The reveal, The Boy (2016)

STX Films

"When her ex-boyfriend breaks the doll, and the house starts freaking out, and the ACTUAL son comes from out of the walls. It turns out he’s been alive the whole time. That kept me awake a few hours!"

—darthjarjar

5. The crab walk, The Exorcist (1973)

Warner Bros.

"There are so many classic scenes, but I feel like, over time, the scene when she crab walks down the stairs has been overshadowed. It literally messed me up for life."

—daniikitten

6. The computer, Sinister (2012)

Summit Entertainment

"This movie as a whole is underrated, but there's a scene when the lead character sees the face of the villain on his screen, and it's horrifying."

—gnunnari

7. The police station, The Babadook (2014)

Entertainment One

"It’s not the flashiest moment, but there's a scene when she goes to the police station because the book keeps showing back up at her house (despite ripping it up, burning it, etc.) and the camera shifts focus to the wall behind the police officer’s shoulder, and you can see the Babadook’s coat and hat hanging on the coatrack! I watched that movie in the middle of the night on my computer, alone, and I jumped a mile when that happened!"

—elinorh

8. The trash bag, Audition (1999)

Omega Project

"This movie as a whole is the stuff of nightmares. It starts off so subtly and the aesthetic is mostly calm, but — when it gets twisted — holy hell, it's scary. I can't look at trash bags the same way since seeing that."

—sweetcuppincakes

9. The spider, The Thing (1982)

Universal Pictures

"When the dead guy’s head gets spider legs and runs away....NOPE."

—bubulina94

10. The twist, High Tension (2003)

EuropaCorp

"I feel like not enough people know this movie exists. It's so clever and well thought out. It keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time and wraps it up with a jaw-dropping ending. Highly recommend!"

—jessk426b4de46

11. The dance, Suspiria (2018)

Amazon Studios

"The 'human pretzel' scene in the remake — where one dancer's body is violently contorted and mangled beyond recognition as a result of another dancer's moves — freaked me the heck out. It's one of my favorite movies, but every time I rewatch it, I have to skip that scene because it's too much for me."

—ethanzs

12. The game, The Visit (2015)

Universal Pictures

"When the kids are playing hide-and-seek with the grandmother and she is crawling on all fours in the crawl space. It doesn’t sound scary, but I screamed louder than I ever have in a movie when I originally saw that scene!"

—rclairemac

13. The horse, The Ring (2002)

DreamWorks Pictures

"The whole 'Samara crawling out of the TV' scene gets all the attention, but I find the scene where the horse tragically jumps to its death on the ferry and the little girl’s reaction when she realizes it’s dead...it was completely unsettling and jarring."

—kminfl

14. The jump scare, The Sixth Sense (1999)

Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

"I know that nowadays people don't consider this movie 'scary,' but a scene that always stuck with me is when Mischa Barton is under the bed and she pushes the box holding the tape of her mother, intentionally making her sick. As a new mom, that whole scene chills me to the core."

—shannonyoung325

15. The batteries, Child's Play (1988)

MGM

"In the original, when Andy's mom tries to get Chucky to talk and just gets the doll catchphrases, BUT when she goes to toss out his box...the batteries fall out. Meaning the doll has been functioning without any power source! Chills, every time!"

—rustyshackleford1

16. The bells, The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)

IFC Midnight

"It gets me every time."

—styxlethe

17. And finally — the soundtrack, Us (2019)

Universal Pictures

"I know this isn't technically an underrated 'scene,' but Jordan Peele is a genius and that movie kept me up at night. Not only because it's absolutely wonderfully directed, but specifically because of the background score and the 'I've Got 5 On It' remix. The soundtrack doesn't get enough credit for being scary."

—misha1997

Now it's your turn! Can you top these? What horror movie scene deserves more credit for being nightmare-inducing? Share yours in the comments below!

Some responses were edited for length and/or clarity.