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Going into a horror movie is quite an experience. Even the least faint-hearted of audiences must brace themselves for the fear to come. What’s harder to get ready for is a terrifying scene unexpectedly present in a non-horror movie.
Some of these scenes have gone down in movie history as traumatizing moments in childhood classics, such as the boat scene from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, while others mix fear and suspense perfectly, like a certain “funny” scene in Goodfellas. What they all have in common is that no one saw them coming.
The First Ritual Scene from ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’ (1984)
A prequel to the classic adventure film Raiders of the Lost Ark, Steven Spielberg‘s Temple of Doom follows the adventures of Indiana Jones as he tries to help the inhabitants of a small village in India, whose children have been abducted.
The movie was darker than its predecessor in every single way, and this was especially clear in the horrifying scene that first introduces viewers to the cult behind the village kidnappings. The scene, which shows the villain extracting a man’s heart, was so gruesome that the PG-13 rating saw its inception thanks to this film.
Judge Doom’s Reveal from ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’ (1988)
One of the most visually distinct and narratively creative movies Disney has ever produced, Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a noir-like adventure comedy about a toon-hating detective who has to defend a popular animated rabbit after he’s accused of a crime he didn’t commit.
The villain of the movie, played brilliantly by the hilarious Christopher Lloyd, is incredibly intimidating. Yet there’s no moment in the movie as terrifying as the final battle against him, when he’s flattened by a steamroller and then melts in acid. This may sound like it’s too grisly for a family film—And it probably is, but audiences still love this phenomenal movie.
“Funny How” Scene from ‘Goodfellas’ (1990)
One of the most perfect gangster movies ever made, Martin Scorsese‘s Goodfellas chronicles the rise and fall of real-life figure Henry Hill (played by Ray Liotta), from his early days in the mafia to the epic conclusion of his criminal career.
The film is dynamic, compelling, and fun; but one thing you wouldn’t expect it to be is scary. And yet, when Hill is joking with his friend Tommy DeVito and it seems that Tommy is offended, suspense quickly morphs into terror. The story has painted DeVito as such a sadistic and unpredictable figure that first-time viewers might think the movie is about to turn into a slasher.
Pee-wee Hitchhiking With Large Marge from ‘Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985)
A parody of the classic Italian film Bicycle Thieves, the first Pee-wee Herman movie follows the title character on a nationwide search for his bicycle, which was stolen under mysterious circumstances.
During his journey, Pee-wee recurs to hitchhiking. One of the people that picks him up is Large Marge, the eerie and ominous ghost of a truck driver. Pee-wee’s Big Adventure was the directing debut of Tim Burton, and though it isn’t a horror movie, there are certainly indications of his signature creepy style, particularly in this profoundly unsettling scene that has given countless children nightmares through the years.
The Chocolate River Boat Trip from ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’ (1971)
This highly rewatchable adaptation of a classic children’s book is a delightful musical adventure, following a poor kid who wins a visit to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory along with another four children.
One of the things that Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is so famous for is having one of the most out-of-the-blue terrifying scenes in a children’s movie. This moment comes when Wonka takes the visitors through a Tunnel of Terror in his chocolate river, a place of flashing colors and unsettling images which can be incredibly creepy even for adults.
The Unveiling of the Ark’s Secrets from ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ (1981)
Raiders of the Lost Ark, the first Indiana Jones adventure, follows the famous archaeology professor as he’s hired by the government to locate the legendary Ark of the Covenant, finding himself up against the entire Nazi regime.
Temple of Doom may be the scariest Indy movie overall; but when it comes to individual scenes, there’s nothing quite as horrifying as the climax of Raiders, where the villains open up the Ark and are obliterated by its mystical power. This scene very nearly got the film an R rating, what else needs to be said?
Chigurh and Moss’s Face-Off from ‘No Country for Old Men’ (2007)
One of the Coen brothers’ most gripping and admirably-made films, No Country for Old Men is a Neo-Western thriller about the chaos that’s let loose after a hunter stumbles upon two million dollars from a drug deal gone wrong.
Throughout the film, antagonist Anton Chigurh (one of the best movie villains of the 21st century) hunts the protagonist until they finally clash in a motel. The whole shootout sequence, masterfully crafted by the Coens, is equal parts thrilling and scary, with Chigurh’s terrifying but almost invisible presence looming over viewers from beginning to end.
The Opening Interrogation from ‘Inglourious Basterds’ (2008)
Quentin Tarantino‘s highly acclaimed war drama Inglourious Basterds parallels the story of a group of soldiers planning to assassinate Nazi leaders, with the vengeful plans of a Jewish theater-owner.
Hans Landa, the villain, is such an unsettling and terrifying character that Tarantino almost gave up on the film purely because he couldn’t find the right actor, until he came across the sensational Christoph Waltz. The opening scene of the movie is when audiences are first introduced to Landa, and it’s a truly nail-biting and fear-inducing sequence in every possible way.
War Crime from ‘Come and See’ (1985)
An anti-war film as staggering as it is harrowing, the Soviet masterpiece Come and See follows a young boy who joins the Soviet Resistance against Nazi forces during WWII.
The entirety of Come and See is a dozen times more horrifying than the majority of history’s horror movies, but perhaps no scene is as hard to watch as the sequence that recreates one of the many war crimes committed by Nazis during the war. The amount of inhumanity portrayed in the scene, as well as the soul-crushing way in which it’s shown, make for a truly unforgettable nightmare of a scene.
The Pale Man Scene from ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ (2006)
No one would blame you for thinking that Pan’s Labyrinth, Guillermo Del Toro‘s dark masterpiece about a girl fascinated with fairytales who retreats to a mysterious world of fantasy, is actually a horror film.
Undoubtedly the scariest scene in the whole movie comes in the section with the Pale Man. The monster’s design is terrifying, Doug Jones‘s performance is incredibly eerie, and the sense of urgency and tension that Del Toro imbues the scene with makes it perhaps the most frightening scene in any non-horror film ever made.
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