21 Movie Scenes That Made People Deeply Unsettled Without Using Jump Scares

No stale tactics, just pure discomfort.

We recently asked the BuzzFeed Community what movie scenes made them feel deeply unsettled without using jump scares, and some bloodcurdling gems were included. Here are some of the best scenes mentioned.

1. In Paranormal Activity 3, when the babysitter is working at the table, and it appears one of the kids is walking around wearing a sheet, but it turns out to be the ghost.

Paramount Pictures

"The scene is so tense because the entire time you’re debating — is it the kid wearing a sheet, or is it the ghost? The tension is perfectly done to the point where you’re like, 'No, it’s definitely the kid...but maybe not.' The camera pans a bunch of times, and then when she finally turns behind her to look, the sheet collapses down, confirming it's a ghost."

—alexandriat4f2e0f279

Here's the full scene:

Paramount Pictures

2. In Annihilation, when a mutated bear antagonizes the group using the voice of its victims.

Paramount Pictures

"Enough said."

—willk15

Here's the full scene:

Paramount Pictures

3. In 28 Weeks Later, when Don ditches his family to escape zombies.

Fox Atomic

"The scene where Don (Robert Carlyle) is running away from the house, and you see the zombies across the field sprinting toward him? Jesus Christ."

—cbox09

Here's the full scene:

Fox Atomic

4. In The Silence of the Lambs, when Buffalo Bill uses night vision goggles to creep up on Clarice.

Orion Pictures

"It just freaks me out that he’s stalking her every move, and she’s so unaware that he's even there."

—ayreslou

Here's the full scene:

Orion Pictures

5. In The Strangers, when the masked man is lingering behind Kristen in the house.

Universal Pictures

"Liv Tyler’s character is smoking, and the man with the sack over his head steps out of the dark and just watches her. NOPE. I walked out of the theater and still haven't rewatched it."

—teriebella

"He appears so calmly in the dark hallway and just watches her. There was no music or any extra sounds added, but it makes my stomach drop every single time."

—cogsworthmacintosh

Here's the full scene:

Universal Pictures

6. In Nocturnal Animals, when Edward's family is kidnapped in front of him.

Focus Features

"The scene where Ray (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) forces Edward's (Jake Gyllenhaal) family out of their car is terrifying. As a woman, it shook me so much that I couldn't sleep for a few days straight thinking about it."

—eatmyloafersdebbie

Here's the full scene:

Focus Features

7. In Thoroughbreds, when Lily frames Amanda for murder while she's drugged, then lays down with her.

Focus Features

"We're looking at a drugged Amanda, but we can hear Lily upstairs murdering Amanda's stepdad. Then, Lily comes down and wipes blood on Amanda to frame her for it. It's such a tense scene."

—dandelionsilver

Here's the full scene:

Focus Features

8. In Hereditary, when you can just barely see Annie's dead mother standing in the dark.

A24

"Early on, she's exiting the room, and the dead grandmother is just standing there in the darkness. No music or sounds, but it really unnerved me."

—lizlunavae

Here's the full scene:

A24

9. In Hereditary, when Peter wakes up and Annie is possessed, levitating in the corner.

A24

"No jump scare. She is just there in the ceiling corner, not moving. You see her from the beginning of the scene, and she stays put the entire time."

—eimaitotzo

Here's the full scene:

A24

10. In Running Scared, when Teresa encounters the pedophile couple.

New Line Cinema

"It makes my skin crawl to this day. It's an underrated movie as a whole, but that particular scene — ugh, it just randomly pops into my head, and I haven't watched it in 10+ years."

—palmofmars

Here's the full scene:

New Line Cinema

11. In Looper, when present-day Seth's body parts begin to disappear as his past self is being tortured.

TriStar Pictures

"That scene haunted me so much."

—alysaurus688

Here's the full scene:

TriStar Pictures

12. In Hush, when Maddie's hiding by the tub, and the viewer can see the window being broken behind her.

Netflix

"Maddie's facing the door with her back to the tub. We’re focused on her face, but we can see (not hear, as she's deaf, and the sound is from her perspective) glass shattering as the killer enters the tub through the window behind her."

—sophmar

Here's the full scene:

Netflix

13. In Signs, when the daughter goes to her dad's bedroom and casually tells him there's a monster outside.

Buena Vista Pictures

She says, “There’s a monster outside my room. Can I have a glass of water?” so nonchalantly. I was young when I watched it for the first time, and I was terrified."

—foldinthecheesedavid

Here's the full scene:

Buena Vista Pictures

14. In The Conjuring, when Lorraine is doing laundry, and the wind blows a sheet off of the line, forming a frightening silhouette.

Warner Bros. Pictures

"The demon briefly appears in the laundry sheet."

—katiem4493674a4

Here's the full scene:

Warner Bros. Pictures

15. In Funny Games, when Peter pretends to be a friendly neighbor, but he's interacting with the victim he's planning to torture later.

Warner Independent Pictures

"In one of the first scenes, Peter asks Ann to borrow some eggs. As she turns to grab them, he knocks her phone in the kitchen sink water so it won't work later. He's also wearing rubber gloves to not leave fingerprints anywhere. He's so casual about it and makes it look like it was completely by accident. It's a fucked up movie, but worth the watch."

—deftonesforlife

Here's the full scene:

Warner Independent Pictures

16. In The Crazies, when Judy is strapped down, and one of the crazies is coming for her.

Overture Films

"He's coming down the hall to kill her, slowly walking while dragging a pitchfork."

—sanctuaryxiii

Here's the full scene:

Overture Films

17. In Trainspotting, when Renton has hallucinations while detoxing.

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

"Renton hallucinating the dead baby on the ceiling while he's detoxing will not give the average viewer warm and fuzzy feelings. I've seen the movie many, many times, and I often skip that scene."

—shayner413c40822

Here's the full scene:

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

18. In The Invisible Man, when the antagonist lingers around the kitchen, takes a knife off the counter, and sabotages Cecilia's (Elisabeth Moss) breakfast.

Universal Pictures

"There are so many tense scenes where you're trying to 'see' if he's there. The most stressful one is when Elisabeth Moss is cooking breakfast. It's a beautiful wide shot of the whole kitchen, and she's going about her business, but you just KNOW he's there."

—emilyk81

Here's the full scene:

Universal Pictures

19. In the Coraline opening scene, when creepy metal hands construct a doll.

Focus Features

"There's a child-like song playing in the background. Nothing inherently terrifying happens, but those first five minutes freak me out. Scary intro for a kids movie."

—hiitsnicetomeetyou

Here's the full scene:

Focus Features

20. In The Others, when Grace sees her daughter as an elderly woman.

Warner Sogefilms

"The 'I am your daughter' scene."

—emailjar

Here's the full scene:

Warner Sogefilms

21. And finally, in Insidious, when "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" comes on the record player, and a boy can be seen dancing and running through the house.

FilmDistrict

"Right before it, just as the woman passes through the laundry room, the boy can be spotted just standing there, facing the wall. Super creepy if you catch it."

—sophmar

Here's the full scene:

FilmDistrict