Horror fans know the anticipation of wading through the plot, waiting for the truly creepy moments. It’s those scenes—Regan’s head spin in The Exorcist, Annie’s self-decapitation in Hereditary, Leatherface’s skin mask—that stick with us. While some horror flicks are better than others, most have at least one scene hardcore fans can’t get enough of. Ready to revisit some chill-inducing moments? Here are the top 10 most unsettling scenes from horror movies and series. (Spoilers ahead!)
10 mother! – Baby scene
Mother! isn’t for everyone. Javier Bardem and Jennifer Lawrence star as a couple whose lives are disrupted by unwanted guests. As their house is systematically destroyed, a beating heart inside the wall suggests the house is alive. With shocking scenes like bloody organs in the toilet, sibling rivalry, and point-blank shootings, the film doesn’t hold back.
The most unsettling scene is when Lawrence’s character gives birth, and her husband allows the newborn to be crowd-surfed by looters. Her desperate attempts to retrieve the baby climax in a nauseating and shocking moment.
9 Lovecraft Country – Ghost with baby head
Lovecraft Country is full of scares. This horror drama series, a continuation of the novel, revitalizes horror tropes. Named after H.P. Lovecraft, it delivers some truly weird scenes and monsters.
The adult ghost with a baby’s head is particularly haunting. Part of an exorcism scene, this freaky ghost chases off home invaders, inspired by the Tuskegee experiments, according to creator Misha Green. Be warned: the end of this clip is graphic and gruesome.
8 The Orphanage – Tomás
The Orphanage, a Spanish horror movie, revolves around the living and dead inhabitants of an abandoned orphanage. The film builds suspense without relying on cheap jump scares, leaving viewers questioning what they’ve seen. One of the spookiest scenes features a child in a sack-cloth mask who enjoys staring and locking people in rooms.
7 Channel Zero – Tooth Child
Channel Zero, a horror anthology series based on internet creepypastas, aired on Syfy. Episodes draw from Candle Cove, No-End House, Slender Man, and The Dream Door.
Candle Cove tells the story of a cursed children’s show haunting a small town. The Tooth Child, a monster made of teeth with no discernible features, is particularly chilling. In one scene, it puts a living person’s fingers in its ‘mouth.’ You’ll never think of the tooth fairy the same way again.
6 Paranormal Activity 2 – Exploding kitchen
Toby, the main entity in Paranormal Activity, is involved in several unsettling scenes. He sets a Ouija pointer on fire, creeps toward sleeping characters, kills a man by bending him backwards, and even bites people.
Toby seems most active in the kitchen. In the second movie, all the cabinet doors suddenly fly open, scaring a character half to death. It’s a simple yet effective scare.
5 The Haunting of Hill House – Horror in the dumbwaiter
In 2019, Netflix introduced The Haunting of Hill House. Viewers were freaked out by the ghosts, especially the Bent Neck Lady, introduced in a truly terrifying scene.
As the episodes progress, the ghosts become more apparent. One of the creepiest scenes features a messed-up looking ghost crawling towards the exit of a dumbwaiter, using atmosphere and choppy light to induce goosebumps.
4 The Conjuring 2 – The nun comes to life
The Conjuring 2 features many hints of the ugly nun, Valak, and several jump scares. Demonologist Lorraine Warren encounters a little ghost boy, a ghost family, and Valak.
The nun’s scenes are the scariest. The part where Valak comes to life from a painting is well done. Warren uncovers a mirror and sees Valak materialize behind her, resulting in a sequence straight out of nightmares.
3 The Haunting of Bly Manor – Boy with no face
The follow up to Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, is fantastic storytelling. It starts slow but includes frightening scenes like a silent man with shining glasses, wheezing ghosts, and a lady in the lake.
Flora, an adorable 8-year-old, has a doll house that adds to the eeriness. She sees a little boy playing with it, but he has no face. She gives him a story’ and puts a nightmarish-looking doll’s face on him, which is truly creepy.
2 The Visit – Crawling grandma
M. Night Shyamalan’s The Visit proves that comedy horrors can be scary. Two siblings visit their grandparents, who start acting strange. There is projectile vomiting, requests to climb into an oven, and a dirty diaper smeared on a sibling’s face.
The reveal that the old people are imposters kicks up the scares. The old woman follows her ‘grandchildren’ in a cramped crawl space, galloping towards them and creating an anxiety-inducing scene.
1 American Horror Story – School shooting
American Horror Story is known for being ‘bonkers,’ with white weddings, life-sized corpse toys, and the controversial Addiction Demon.
The ‘Piggy Piggy’ episode, inspired by the Columbine tragedy, aired in 2011. Despite controversy, some fans agree that the depiction of the school shooting is one of the truest on TV, and the gunman is a known character. Fifteen students die in one of the most chilling scenes on TV.
These unsettling scenes highlight the diverse ways horror can disturb and thrill us. From ghostly apparitions to disturbingly realistic scenarios, each moment leaves a lasting impression, solidifying these movies and series in the annals of horror history.
Which of these scenes scared you the most? Leave your comment below!
