As long ashorrormovies have existed, they’ve all figured out different ways to scare the viewer. Be it by building a slow sense of dread over time that culminates in an anxiety-fueled climax, or by creating quick jump scares that shock fans with unexpected frights. The latter is, of course, one of the preferred methods used by filmmakers, and though there have been a lot of great jump scares over the years, nothing compares to a 35-year-old classic that still holds up as the best ever.
From the early days of Val Lewton’sCat Peopleto Alfred Hitchcock’sPsycho, jump scares have always been a technique used to suddenly intrude on the audience’s senses. Be it with a sharp musical sting or the abrupt appearance of a killer (or both), they’re carefully crafted moments that come at the most unexpected time. At least they should when used effectively, but unfortunately, some directors try too hard to impress, and end up telegraphing things so that viewers can see them coming from a mile away.
What Are Some Great Examples of Jump Scares?
Though jump scares havealways been a staple in horror movies, some are obviously better than others. When it comes to modern times, there are a lot of great examples of the technique being used effectively, including in movies likeIt Follows. Who can ever forget the tall man emerging from the doorway to chase after Maika Monroe? That’s pure nightmare fuel right there.
2013’sThe Conjuringis another one that makes good use of jump scares, especially when Lili Taylor’s character of Carolyn Perron is peering down the basement stairs and those two hands pop out of the darkness behind her to deliver a couple of sharp claps. It sends a shiver down our spines just thinking of it. Sticking with James Wan films, how about the demon appearing out of nowhere behind Patrick Wilson inInsidious? That’s another good one.
Then there’s the jump scare inSinisterinvolving a lawn mower. While it’s not the best, it definitely has to rank in the Top 3 for how effective it is. We still remember what it was like to watch along with Ethan Hawke as he viewed that grainy footage and BAM! Out of nowhere, center frame, a bound and gagged person appears along with a musical sting. We jumped out of our seats along with Hawke at that one. Good times, right?
The Best Jump Scare Award Goes to ‘The Exorcist III’
While the above-mentioned jump scares are all great, they pale in comparison to the one found inThe Exorcist III, which – hands down – remains the best of all time. Released in 1990, the film ignores the events inExorcist II: The Heretic, and serves asa direct sequel to William Friedkin’s 1973 classic. Based on the novelLegionby William Peter Blatty, the author served as director on the film, and also penned the script. While it was a little hard to make sense of due to the severe cuts that 20th Century Fox made to the theatrical version, the director’s cut that was released years later helped bridge the gap between scenes to make it a little more palatable.
Setting all that aside for now, the jump scare in question comes at about the 82-minute mark, but the beauty of this one is that it’s set up for four minutes before crashing onto your screen. The camera remains static for almost the entire time, locked in place at the end of a hallway as we see a nurse going about her duties while some guards mull around, coming in and out of the picture. They provide a false sense of authoritative security for the audience, because after all, nothing bad can happen when there’s a person with a badge around, right? Wrong!
The setting of a psychiatric ward in a Georgetown hospital is already creepy enough, but things get even weirder when the nurse starts to hear a strange noise coming from a patient’s bedroom. We follow her there to discover it’s nothing more than ice melting in a glass before said patient shoots up from his bed to frighten us all, but that’s not the jump scare we’re waiting for. It’s a red herring once more meant to deflate the audience.
The real moment comestwo minutes laterafter we watch the nurse go through a series of mundane tasks before she turns to go back toward her desk and a figure in white robes bursts forth from the left side of the frame holding a pair of giant spring-loaded scissors. The camera immediately zooms in and the musical sting bombards our senses after we’ve just sat for the last four minutes in relative silence. It’s truly the best “OMG” moment in cinema history, made even more terrifying by the fact that you don’t see any gore. Your mind fills in the blanks of that poor nurse getting decapitated.
By using the camera, the audience’s patience, sound design, and almost every other trick in the book, Blatty creates what is easily the best and most effective jump scare ever put to film. Even now, 35 years later, it’s the one that every filmmaker chases after and tries to emulate, but while it’s often imitated, it’s never been duplicated. If you want to see just how good it really is,The Exorcist 3is nowstreaming for free on Tubi.
