The Big Picture
Jump scares are a popular technique in horror cinema, but some movies rely on them too much, using them as a cheap way to scare audiences.
Not all jump scares are created equal — some films tastefully employ them to enhance the atmosphere and build tension, without resorting to cheap tricks.
Classic horror movies like
Cat People
,
Psycho
, and
Jaws
are renowned for their well-executed jump scares that leave a lasting impact on viewers.
COLLIDER VIDEO OF THE DAY
SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT
Jump scares are a technique dating back generations in horror cinema, and they are still found everywhere you look. Unfortunately, some horror filmmakers may rely too heavily on the tactic, with some movies leaning on it to the point of near-parody. Intentional jump scare opportunities are now met with chagrin by many, believing their use to be cheap and a crutch for a film that can’t scare audiences based on its own merits. Many jump scares were employed to add tension and emphasize certain aspects of the film, whereas now they are more about the scare themselves than the atmosphere and anxiety being built. For fans of jump scare-heavy horror like Unfriended (2014), the following list may not be for you. Below, one can find a selection of great movies that tastefully employ jump scares to enhance their atmosphere while still being able to shock audiences and not succumb to the allure of easy thrills. With Halloween around the corner, now is the perfect time to basque in the greatness of these jump scares.
‘Cat People’ (1942)
Image via RKO Radio Pictures
Widely regarded as featuring the first-ever jump scare and a classic in atmospheric horror, Cat People was a huge hit for RKO upon its release despite mixed critical reception. However, retroactive criticism has been much more positive, praising the film for its slow-burn buildup of tension and leaving some horrific moments up to the imagination. Its jump scares are tastefully distributed and often simply employ a noise cue after the buildup. Sometimes attacks come, and sometimes they don’t, but there’s no real application of fake-out jump scares to cheaply draw viewers into false senses of security. The story is one of alienation and repression of one’s baser instincts, and the scenes setting up its scares create a specific focus towards these themes. It’s an older movie, which may turn off certain audiences, but there is also a remake made in 1982 by Paul Schrader if that’s more your speed.
‘The Exorcist III’ (1990)
Also known by its alternate title Legion, this sequel is an adaptation of William Peter Blatty’s novel of the same name (it was also directed by him). Unlike the previous Exorcist sequel, The Exorcist III hones in on feelings of dread and subtle ambiance instead of bombastic visuals. Despite this more muted tone, the film is known for having one of the best-executed jump scares in horror cinema. It’s a long-winded scare no doubt, but this is by design. An established long hallway shot observes the few inhabitants of a nurse’s station over the course of roughly four minutes. It seems quite tedious, but just as one starts to wonder if anything is happening or if the scene is going to change, the scare kicks in with an intense snap-zoom from the camera on the subject. Just as viewers’ eyes start to wander, their attention is brought back front and center.
‘Psycho’ (1960)
One of the greatest horror-thriller movies of all time, Psycho’s sparse jump scares are accentuated by the score provided by Bernard Herrmann. Director Alfred Hitchcock has long been remembered as an artist at building tension and paying it off well. He was once quoted as saying suspense is like a bomb, stating “There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it.” This is perfectly exemplified by Norman Bates’ (Anthony Perkins) rapid entrances and exits of his murders. After building dread, with the audience knowing what may be coming, Bates commits his kill and departs in mere moments. In this sense, the kill wasn’t nearly as unnerving as anticipating when it would happen. It’s one of Hitchcock’s most masterful uses of jump scares in film, although some of his counterparts, such as Orson Welles, were a little less subtle.
‘The Thing’ (1982)
John Carpenter’s track record in horror has more hits than misses, with his most magnificent accomplishment being the exceptionally made proto-slasher Halloween (1978). However, his adaptation of the novella Who Goes There? uses grotesque practical effects and tasteful jump scares to convey the unpredictability of an unknown alien threat stalking the film’s characters in a remote Antarctic facility. As good as the scares can be, the unpredictable and parasitic nature of the titular extraterrestrial provides an additional layer of tension between the characters and for the viewer. One of the film’s most poignant jump scares involves an attempt at defibrillation that most likely won’t see coming, even for fans of John Carpenter’s work, past and present. The jump scares are just the tip of the iceberg for this particular film, as its visual effects and lighting are exceptional for their time. Even though The Thing was widely panned upon release, it has now become one of the most widely respected science fiction/horror hybrid films of all time.
‘Audition’ (1999)
Image via Art Port
Across the Pacific in the Land of the Rising Sun, director Takashi Miike spearheaded a horror film hoping to capture the intensity of Ring (1998) at the turn of the century. Part psychological and part shock-value horror, Audition blends traditional eerie horror elements with shocking depictions of violence. Its jump scares can be considered thoroughly horrifying, especially the unreal imagery displayed after one particular scare. The score accentuates the incredible strangeness that Audition creates, both before and after the moment of the jump scare, which is exactly what some viewers are hoping for in a buildup and falling action.
RELATED: One of the Earliest Jump Scares Is Still Influencing Horror Movies Today
The story follows two men, Shigeharu (Ryo Ishibashi) and film producer Yasuhisa (Jun Kunimura), who stage fake auditions for women to try out to become Shigeharu’s new bride since he was recently made a widower. They eventually meet a woman named Asami (Eihi Shiina), who Shigeharu is smitten with almost immediately. However, Asami has some commitment hangups, and her past seems to be completely fabricated. Who is Asami really? And what is she capable of? The atmosphere in Audition is palpable, and its strangeness only lends to the build and release of its scares. The film has been cited as an influence on many movies and filmmakers, with director Eli Roth stating that it inspired him to make the savage film Hostel (2005). Just be wary of its most infamous scene, it’s like sleep paralysis from hell.
‘Carrie’ (1976)
Image Via United Artists
This film admittedly isn’t huge on jump scares, but those it does employ are on an equal level to the shock value of the rest of the film. A sorrowful story brought to life by Sissy Spacek and a great ensemble cast, Carrie nonetheless keeps its drama and tension parallel to each other. Carrie White’s (Spacek) life is a difficult one, and devastating her with cruel pranks is a pastime by her school peers simply for being different. The film’s most haunting moments create exceptional dread, and it’s nearly impossible not to feel for Carrie. That being said, when things do hit the fan, the jump scares hit just as hard as the drama and eeriness. The film’s most iconic one was a great addition to director Brian De Palma’s resume and is often looked back on fondly as one of the best-used jump scares in horror. Considering the film is an adaptation of a Stephen King novel, it was imperative for the film to land this scare with great effect.
‘The Descent’ (2005)
Image via Lions Gate Films
Director Neil Marshall proved to audiences in 2005 that you didn’t need a big studio budget to create a creepy setting and establish great jump scares that advance a film’s environment with The Descent. Six women are trapped in a cave system, hunted by flesh-eaters known as crawlers. The jump scares are very often accompanied by claustrophobic set design and cinematography, which can be enough to bring a tightness to your chest. These scares are further improved by Marshall’s direction and the strong performances of its cast. Bringing personal issues and harrowing demons into the character-driven narrative empowers everything about the film and makes it much more immersive for viewers. With immersion comes focus, which well-timed jump scares can take great effect on. The film’s use of night vision is also somewhat reminiscent of The Silence of the Lambs (1991) and the increasing panic of the film’s shot composition ramps up the tension quickly. Sudden sequences of shots of the crawlers are intentionally difficult to track, leaving viewers wondering where the bloodthirsty creatures are hiding.
‘Alien’ (1979)
Image via 20th Century Fox
Another bonafide sci-fi/horror classic, director Ridley Scott’s extraterrestrial film is rife with well-timed and well-executed jump scares. Its most famous results not only in death but in the birth of a lifeform that would grow to become the ultimate killing machine, the Xenomorph. Its lead-up is masterfully built up, with a quaint and jovial dinner scene progressively turning into a chaotic unraveling. The scare dubbed the “Chestburster Scene” snaps quickly between reactions of the crew of the ship Nostromo as their coworker thrashes and brings about the evolution of the Xenomorph’s second life stage. The Chestburster’s screech is accompanied by near-immediate silence afterward, as viewers are met with the face of the creature.
The jumps don’t stop there though, as the fully-grown Xenomorph begins to pick apart the Nostromo’s crew one by one. The film’s set design of the ship is dark and eerie, providing countless places for the vicious alien to hide and strike. Vents, hallways, even compartments, the Xenomorph is rarely seen outside of closing in for the kill. Its attack is accompanied by its trademark hiss and roar, the icing on the cake of the film’s well-engineered jump scares. James Cameron’s Aliens (1986) took a more action-oriented approach, but Scott’s original film provides plenty of jumps and thrills for lovers of horror and sci-fi alike.
‘Jaws’ (1975)
Image Via Universal
The suspense and fear-inducing film that made a generation wary of stepping foot in the ocean, Jaws’ execution leading up to its kills and jump scares are immortalized through the directorial ability of Steven Spielberg and the camerawork of Bill Butler. The score by the legendary John Williams builds dread and induces anxiety in a way that few other composers can claim to do. The film’s notorious issues articulating the great white shark portrayed within ended up becoming one of its largest boons, as the shark is seldom seen outside of shots from its perspective. Williams’ score builds to a climax as the shark strikes, intensifying in volume and shrill tones as the victim is pulled beneath the ocean’s depths. However, one of the film’s most well-known jump scares is deceptively simple and doesn’t regard the shark at all.
When oceanographer Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) investigates a sunken ship in the dusky waters, he finds the tooth of a great white among the ruins. However, he drops the tooth when the bloated and waterlogged head of a local fisherman falls from the ship. It was orchestrated with a simple practical effect, but Williams’ score sells this moment and to this day remains shocking for the uninitiated. Jaws may not hold up effects-wise for new-school movie watchers, but it is revered throughout the filmmaking industry for its near-unparallelled capability to build suspense and pay it off in a rewarding way.
‘Signs’ (2002)
Image via Buena Vista Pictures
In 1999, it was The Sixth Sense that put M. Night Shyamalan on the map thanks in part to one of the most shocking twist endings ever. 2002’s Signs has a less effective twist, but that’s not what we remember it for. It’s the tension that makes this film so terrifying. Signs is another in a long line of alien invasion flicks, but Shyamalan stands out by making the characters the priority. The film follows the Hess family, made up of Graham (Mel Gibson), a former priest dealing with the pain of losing his wife and the questioning of his faith, and his brother Merrill (Joaquin Phoenix), a failed baseball player. What unfolds is a slow-burn film leading to a thrilling third act, but everything gets turned on its head in one truly frightening moment. Merrill is watching a news report that shows a home video of a birthday party, turning Signs, for a moment anyway, into a found footage film as well. As Merrill leans in to watch the camera zooming in on an alleyway, an alien walks past the screen — causing both Merrill and the audience to jump. This is the first time we see the alien, and the tension is amplified not only by the suddenness of the reveal but by how real it all feels.