Jump scares and atmospheric thrills can be quite freaky in a film, even if the film might not be a conventional horror or thriller. Part of the scare lies in the unexpected nature and timing of such scenes. The thematic nature of the film might mostly lean towards a heartwarming tone, but just a few scenes (achieved either through special effects or through plot twists) are enough to add a spine-chilling tingle.
It’s to be noted that horrors (and even gory or disturbing thrillers like Se7en) would not be included in this list as these movies are very much freaky on purpose. Further, there would be spoilers ahead for particular scenes in particular scenes would be discussed.
Trainspotting: Exorcist Baby
Trainspotting is a raw and surreal look into the life of a few Scottish drug addicts. It’s largely a dark comedy and hence, might not be as disturbingly real as addiction films like Requiem For A Dream. The film has its fair share of laughs, fast-paced montages, and a disgusting toilet scene. But it’s the protagonist Renton’s visions that come off as pretty sudden and creepy.
With his parents fed up with his substance abuse, they lock up Renton in his room. Facing extreme withdrawal, he hallucinates a baby crawling on his ceiling. As the baby turns its neck Exorcist-style, he realizes it’s the same baby that a fellow addict lost due to her neglect. The scene makes for disturbing imagery as the infant locks eyes with him.
Full Metal Jacket: Private Pyle’s Stare
The ‘Kubrick stare’ is a fourth-wall-breaking stare sported by several traumatizing characters in Stanley Kubrick’s films. Such a stare can be spotted when Private Pyle loses all control over himself by the end of the first half of Full Metal Jacket. As youngsters eagerly volunteer for the Vietnam War, Pyle (Vincent D’Onofrio) plans to join the Marines, only to get bullied by his peers and his stern Drill Instructor.
The toxic environment drives him towards an extreme when he’s found loading live ammunition in a rifle, all alone at night. As the Drill Instructor attempts to negotiate, Pyle not only shoots him down with a creepy smile on his face but also ends up taking his own life.
Raiders Of The Lost Ark: Face Melting
For those who are well-aware of this scene, it might not come off as that big a surprise. But it’s bound to be unsettling for someone who’s watching Raiders Of The Lost Ark for the first time. The film’s plot revolves around archaeologist Indiana Jones and Nazi soldiers running a race against time to find the legendary Ark of the Covenant.
By the third act, the Nazis finally acquire the famed Ark but fail to realize the extreme divine power the artifact might carry. As the Ark is revealed, a fire flares out, shriveling a soldier’s head. Another soldier’s head explodes while a bespectacled Nazi official’s skin melts slowly as he screams to his death. For its time, the practical effects of this scene are quite visionary.
The Revenant-The Bear Attack
The Revenant, the story of Philip Glass seeking revenge and battling nature is an unapologetically gritty film. The famous bear attack scene however adds a unique intensity to this otherwise slow-burning survival story. The visual effects and makeup for Leonardo DiCaprio’s injuries are masterfully executed to make the scene as real and graphic as possible.
The bear suddenly charges at Glass from behind, drags him like a lifeless doll, scars him with his claws, ultimately leaving him to die.
Unbreakable- The Final Twist
Unbreakable deals with a man making sense of newfound powers after a train accident. All throughout the film, Mr. Glass, a paraplegic comic-book artist stalks the protagonist, urging him to be a superhero.
Mr. Glass does seem spooky at parts but viewers still sympathize with him as his troubled childhood is shown. The final ‘Shyamalan twist’ reveals that Glass was obsessed with finding superheroes (so that he could serve as a villain to them) and caused several accidents for the same. The train accident similarly killed everyone on-board except the ‘chosen one’. The big reveal plays out subtly and Samuel L Jackson’s terrific act as the maniac Glass builds a chilling atmosphere.
The Dark Knight- Bat On The Window
The Dark Knight has had a haunting, brooding tone for a PG-13 comic-book film, chiefly due to the Joker’s crazed monologues. The antagonist also murders chief figures of the city as well as random civilians. One such victim of his is dressed up in a Batman costume while Joker’s makeup is splattered on his face.
As Commissioner Gordon is having a word with the Mayor, the murdered ‘Joker-Batman’ just swings by the window with a thud sound. True to other Christopher Nolan films, the sound increases all of a sudden creating a sense of fear and tension.
Marathon Man- Dental Torture
Marathon Man can be quite an unsettling thriller with Laurence Olivier’s villainous role as the Nazi doctor Christian Szell. The film is still pretty much dosed with the average amount of 70s violence and thrills. It’s just one particular scene that has a nightmarish impact of its own.
Szell needs to extract some information from the protagonist Babe Levy. He calmly ties him to a dental chair and starts digging into his mouth with his surgical instruments. Even though the inside of Levy’s mouth isn’t shown, his screams are enough to make the scene highly sinister. The suggestive pain can be disturbing especially for those who have a fear of dentists.
The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring- Bilbo’s Transformation
Bilbo Baggins is the friendly Hobbit who is widely adored by all. However, his dark side is revealed for a split-second when he reveals the powers of the ‘ring’ and how it can tempt its wearers with vicious greed. While giving the ring to Frodo for protection, he ends up transforming into a ghoulish creature in a blink-and-miss moment. The paused frame easily seems to be straight out of a horror flick.
This only seems to foreshadow the ring’s destructive control over other characters like Gollu,
Arlington Road- Phonebooth Jumpscare
Arlington Road is an underrated neo-noir that involves a professor suspecting his neighbors Oliver and Cheryl Lang (Tim Robbins and Joan Cusack) to be members of an extremist terrorist outfit. Initially, the professor’s girlfriend (Hope Davis) doesn’t believe his suspicions but when she finally does, she rushes to a phonebooth, eager to break the news.
In a totally unexpected moment, Cheryl seems to be creeping up on Hope Davis’ character. As the camera zooms in on Cheryl’s face, her warm smile turns into a ghastly look of intimidation.
Batman- Joker’s Death
Jack Nicholson nails several energetic mannerisms and blood-curdling expressions, as can be seen in the cult horror The Shining. A close second would be his performance as Joker in Tim Burton’s Batman. As the clown falls to his death, the cops surround his corpse.
Viewers get a close-up of the face, revealing a bloodied Joker’s wide-toothed grin. It’s not just Nicholson’s fourth-wall-breaking gaze that’s unsettling but one can hear robotic laughter in the background adding to the goosebumps.
