The humble jump scare has become a staple of the modern tradition Horror Movie, with several films in the genre is mainly loaded with them. A “jump scare” refers to a sudden or abrupt camera cut, appearance of a character, or scary situation that spikes the viewer’s adrenaline by lulling them into a false sense of security before attacking them with terror. While the biggest jump scares are quite memorable, some horror movies have far too many of them to count.
Jump scares often get a bad rap in the horror community, often seen as a cheap way to guarantee some scared nerves without having to try too hard. Great horror movie franchises like Insidious or these Annabelle
Universes are particularly prone to leaning on the technique. That being said, cramming as many jump scares as possible into a single film makes for an affecting experience if nothing else.
10
Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum
The movie was released in 2018
Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum
- Release date
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03/28/2018
- Figure
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Like Ha-joon
A shining modern example of the power of Korean horror, Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum is a stunning example of jump scares done right. A found-footage horror film, the story centers on a YouTube channel crew that decides to investigate a supposedly haunted abandoned home after two teenage urban explorers go missing there. Although their escapades begin scripted, the very real horrors of the place soon begin to wear down on the hapless creators.
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Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum Masterfully combines the eerie realism of found-footage with the theatrical power of the traditional jump scare. Black-eyed ghosts pop from the shadows with ferocious rage, and the film gets quite creative with its framing device as the latest failed ghost hunting expedition shows. the main thing Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum is smart enough to build tension leading up to the jump scares, making it both an effective slow-burn horror story and a pulse-pounding scream fest.
9
Evil
The movie was released in 2012
Often considered to be one of the most scientifically scariest horror movies of all time, Evil Certainly knows how to get the adrenaline pumping. The supernatural horror story starts slowly, following a struggling true crime writer whose discovery of a cache of violent scent tapes soon unleashes terrifying dangers on his new house and family. As he carefully delves into each disturbing tape, a sinister pattern begins to emerge in the footage.
It’s when the types get into full swing that the jump scares start firing off one after another, with the infamous lawnmower scene being one of the most nerve-wracking scenes in the film thanks to a sudden blaring sound effect. Even those who might not normally appreciate jump scares in horror can appreciate the artistry involved Evil Shocks its viewers.
8
The descent
The movie was released in 2005
The Descent is a horror film that follows a group of thrill-seeking friends who find themselves torn apart after one of them loses their husband and daughter in a car accident. Attempting to rejuvenate her friend Sarah and bring her back to the group, Juno convinces her to follow her and their friends to a mysterious cave system they find in the mountains. However, when they find themselves trapped with no way out, she reveals that she took them to an uncharted area with no chance of rescue, hoping to give them the adventure of a lifetime. Angry, scared and low on supplies, the group travels further into the caves only to discover that they are not alone.
- Director
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Neil Marshall
- studio(s)
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Lionsgate
- distributor(s)
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Lionsgate
- Writers
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Neil Marshall
- Figure
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Shauna Macdonald, Saskia Mulder, Alex Reid, Natalie Mendoza, Myanna Buring, Nora-Jane Noone
A truly unique horror experience, The descent Combines classic jump scares with claustrophobic environments for a unique unnerving package. The movie begins with a thrill-seeking trip for girls as a group of young friends walk in the wake of a recent tragedy. In an unexplored cave system, it is not long before the group is attacked by “crawlers”, an ancient species of sub-human hominid who have evolved to live in the harsh conditions of the subterranean landscape.
The descent Gets full use of its setting, using the dark twists and turns of its haunting cave system to set up some truly blood-curdling jump scares. It helps that the crawlers’ creature design is unsettling enough to be genuinely jarring when they appear, regardless of how obvious an incoming jump scare might be. The moment in which the group has to squeeze through a deathly narrow passage in the cave while the animals bear down on them is a particularly harrowing scene.
7
The Banshee Chapter
The movie was released in 2013
The Banshee Chapter May not be the most well-known horror film, but what it lacks in notoriety it more than makes up for with some genius jump scares. Loosely based on the HP Lovecraft story from below, The story centers on a reporter who investigates the disappearance of her old college friend after he goes missing to investigate the CIA’s MKUltra program. Until now, her curiosity is more than sated by the appearance of dangerous supernatural creatures somehow related to the secret government project.
Even went in with the knowledge that The Banshee chapter is a jump scare-heavy film, it would probably be hard to keep from flinching the entire time.
Combining real-world conflict with dangerous fantasy elements, The Banshee Chapter Get full mileage out of its creative premise. The film is absolutely loaded with jump scares, all of which are creatively crafted and almost impossible to see coming. Even went in with the knowledge that The Banshee Chapter is a jump scare-heavy film, it would probably be hard to keep from flinching the entire time.
6
Drag me to hell
The movie was released in 2009
Drag Me to Hell is a supernatural horror movie directed by Sam Raimi where the loan officer Christine Brown (Alison Lohman) is cursed by the elderly woman Ganosh (Lorna Raver) after refusing to extend the lady’s mortgage. Christine must find a way to escape Lamia, the demon who is trying to literally drag her to the depths of Hell.
- Release date
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March 15, 2009
- studio(s)
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Universal pictures
- distributor(s)
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Universal Pictures, Lionsgate
As a horror director, Sam Raimi’s filmography is quite loaded with jump scares, thanks in no small part to his iconic Evil Dead Horror franchise. But, it’s 2009s Drag me to hell Which takes the cake for Raimi’s highest percentage of jump scares, wasting no time sending its viewers hurtling through the hellish planes of the underworld. The film centers on a woman who is cursed by a mysterious hag to be supernaturally tortured before being sent straight to hell itself, making for an unbelievable thrill ride.
While Drag me to hell is knowingly funny for the sheer absurdity of its direction at times, that doesn’t mean it’s incapable of being genuinely scary. Raimi is the master of the jump scare, and he relentlessly proves it with Drag me to hellIt’s twisted imagery that flashes out without warning. The grotesque hallucinations of the film’s Romani curse give Raimi full freedom to present some terrifying, if laughable over-the-top scares.
5
Night house
The movie is released in 2021
Beth grapples with grief after her husband Owen’s suicide. Haunted by Owen’s cryptic notes and terrifying events, she delves into a disturbing revelation about her past. When she discovers Owen’s dark secrets, Beth confronts supernatural forces and confronts her own mortality. With her sanity at stake, Beth faces a perilous journey to unravel the truth behind Owen’s actions and confront the entity known as “Nothing.” In a battle between life and death, Beth must find the strength to resist the evil forces that threaten her existence.
- Director
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David Bruckner
- Writers
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Ben Collins, Luke Piotrowski
- runtime
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108 minutes
A fascinating, overlooked horror story dripping with atmosphere and jump scares, Night house is a master of two worlds, thriving in intellectualism and primal jump scares. The film focuses on a grieving widow whose husband unexpectedly commits suicide, leaving her with only a cryptic note to remember her. Before long, she finds out that her husband died with some terrifying secrets, honoring a deadly supernatural force in her investigations.
How creative Night house With its paranormal entities and suspenseful mysteries, it’s just as effective at plain jump scares as it is at instilling fear. The couch scene and the sudden appearance of sprinting naked men from the woods both craft some powerful imagery that is not easily forgotten. can access intellectual stimulation and flight-or-flight responses, Night house is quite the well-rounded horror movie.
4
The Conjuring
The movie was released in 2013
Based on the real-life case files of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, The Conjuring chronicles the haunting of the Perron family after moving into a Rhode Island farmhouse. The film continued the Conjuring franchise, a series of supernatural horror films.
- Release date
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July 19, 2013
- studio(s)
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Warner Bros. Pictures
- Writers
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Chad Hayes, Carey W. Hayes
In generalThe Conjuring The franchise relies quite heavily on jump scares, maintaining its broad horror appeal through the sheer brute force of its surprising sequences. The first film in particular leans quite heavily on amazingly spooky spectral sequences, kicking off a long line of jump scare-heavy stories. In their debut appearance, ghost hunting exorcist power couple, Lorraine and Ed Warren, battle a possessed demon that sets its sights on a young family.
The film uses quite a few fake-out jump scares to keep audiences on edge, with mischievous children or animals shattering nerves long before any real demons show up. When they do, it’s mostly the movement of household objects and loud noises that make up the film’s wide variety of jump scares, though a few truly terrifying ghostly encounters work their way into the mix as well. Even if The Conjuring Might rely a little too heavily on jump scares, the sheer volume of them is impressive, if nothing else.
3
smile
The movie is released in 2022
Another example of supernatural psychological warfare from a demonic entity, 2022s smile Leave a completely unpleasant impression. The movie follows a therapist who endures the shocking death of a patient, who commits suicide in front of her after claiming to be harassed by a mysterious paranormal being. Not long until the protagonist is also limited by the terrible curse, which takes the form of various smiling faces that lead to the death of the victim.
smile Hit hard with some of the most terrifying jump scares ever put to screen, getting as much mileage out of his creative premise as possible. The fact that the entity can appear at any time with any person’s appearance means that the viewer is never safe, and that tension is felt through every single second of the film after the inciting incident. The scare in which the hanging head of a mangled curse victim swivels its way into the view of a car window is a particularly arresting beat.
2
Dead silence
The movie was released in 2007
An early film from the mind of legendary horror director James Wan, Dead silence is an Anderson thriller filled with well-crafted jump scares. Explore the horror movie potential of ventriloquist dummies, Dead silence Tells the tale of a determined man searching for answers about his wife’s mysterious murder, for which he was initially blamed. He traces clues to a mysterious figure in the history of his hometown, an old ventriloquist, whose ghost may be claiming the life of the family that wronged her in revenge.
The ghost of the villain Mary Shaw is quite frightening when suddenly inflicted on the audience, as James Wan is wont to do as a horror director.
Dead silence May have a bit of an impenetrable narrative, but that doesn’t mean it can’t use jump scares and terrifying imagery to its advantage. The ghost of the villain Mary Shaw is quite frightening when suddenly inflicted on the audience, as James Wan is wont to do as a horror director. It helps that the unnerving ventriloquist dummies surrounding her also make for good jump scare material, even if they are comedic at times.
1
The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia
The movie was released in 2013
The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia
- Director
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Tom Elkins
- Release date
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February 1, 2013
- Writers
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David Coggeshall
- Figure
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Chad Michael Murray, Katee Sackhoff, Abigail Spencer, Cicely Tyson, Emily Alyn Lind, Andrea Frankle
- runtime
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100 minutes
If every horror movie has a certain number of jump scares housed in its final cut, it stands to reason that somewhere out there must be the horror movie with the single highest number of jump scares. That movie very well could be The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia, That tops the list wheresthejump.comA website dedicated to chronicling the art of the jump scare. In a whopping 32 jump scares, the spiritual successor follow-up to The Haunting in Connecticut is one of the most jump scare-rich films of all time.
The movie chronicles the supernatural experiences of a family that moves into an old Georgia home, whose history as a stop on the Underground Railroad comes with some very real ghosts. Unfortunately, the movie also proves that jump scares are no indication of quality for a horror movie, relying on the cheap jarring nature of the technique over establishing genuine suspense. Hopefully, one day a more worthy one Horror Film as the reigning champion of jump scares in the future.