Everyone knows a jump scare when they see one, or otherwise get frightened by one. Predominantly found within the horror genre, a jump scare intends to hit viewers with an unexpected sight and/or sound, and the anticipation of one that might or might not come can also cause terror in itself. The more effective, the higher the number of viewers who’ll jump… andthe higher those who do jump might well soar (if the scare in question is particularly nasty).
But jump scares are only most common within the horror genre; they don’t belong there entirely, and can be found in all sorts of movies. Hopefully, the following titles will demonstrate this well, as these movies are superhero films, thrillers, dramas, and sometimes even comedies, yet remain perfectly willing to execute the odd jump scare here and there. If anything, the fact that they appear in non-horror movies might well make them even more surprising.
10’Spider-Man' (2002)
Director: Sam Raimi
Spider-Manhaving a jump scare isn’t the most surprising thing in the world considering thatSam Raimi, the film’s director, found breakout success within the horror genre (namely, directingthe first threeEvil Deadmovies). In fact, there are almost as many jump scares hereas there are memorable one-off characters, andSpider-Man 2also has its share of jumpy moments.
In both movies, it’s the lead villains – the Green Goblin in the first, and Doc Ock in the second – who are responsible for the jump scares in question. One of the most effective in the first movie, at least, comes whenthe Green Goblin disguises himself as an old woman inside an apartment building that’s on fire, revealing who he truly is when Spider-Man approaches him unaware, attempting to save someone he believes is frail and old.
Spider-Man
9’Knives Out' (2019)
Director: Rian Johnson
While blending a multitude of genres,Knives Outcan’t exactly be called a horror movie by any means. It’s a murder mystery for sure, which also makes it a thriller, and there’s a crime of some sort at the center, plus some family drama, andthen it’s all quite comedic, too. It balances such genres surprisingly well, and it also finds some time to briefly adopt the feel of something more horror-related.
One of the film’s central characters, Marta, discovers someone’s unconscious body in the dark, turning a light on and revealing a spider crawling across the individual’s face. Then, the person wakes up, which adds another shock to the already very suspenseful scene.That sudden waking up makes it a little reminiscent of the infamous Sloth scene inSe7en; not as strong or as disturbing as that one, butSe7enfeels close enough to horrorthat it can’t get a full-on mention for current ranking purposes.
Knives Out
8'127 Hours' (2010)
Director: Danny Boyle
Tellinga harrowing and suspenseful true story,127 Hoursis infamously “that movie where the guy gets trapped while hiking alone and eventually has to cut his arm off to free himself.” Of course, there is more to it than that, but so much of the film does spend time with the lead character as he struggles to survive and maintain his sanity before choosing to do the only thing he can.
127 Hoursisn’t a horror movie, but the situation its protagonist has to overcome is the stuff of nightmares, making it incrediblycathartic when he comes out the other end. It makes sense in context, but Scooby-Doo does factor into the story, and the trapped man,Aron Ralston, does at one point take a photo of a dark area with his flash,which briefly reveals a hallucinated inflated Scooby-Doo, who then laughs, frightening/baffling Aron and viewer alike.
7’No Time to Die' (2021)
Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga
James Bondgetting thrown into a full-on horror movie would be kind of cool, but it’s probably not going to happen.These movies blend action, adventure, and thriller genres, all being broadly classifiable as spy movies, too, some leaning more into drama, while others are a little campy and more comedic.
As for scares, some of the007villains have been relatively intimidating,because a hero as iconic as Bondneeds some formidable foes to go up against. InNo Time to Die, the central villain, Lyutsifer Safin, spends the film’s prologue basically being a slasher movie villain, killing the mother of Madeleine Swann in a flashback all while wearing a Noh mask and doing things like refusing to die and popping out from hidden places without warning (and with accompanying musical stings).
No Time to Die
6’Hulk' (2003)
Director: Ang Lee
Looking over the filmography ofAng Leewill reveal numerous films often belonging to very different genres, as he’s done dramedies, romance films,a martial arts movie, thrillers, survival films, and even a superhero flick:Hulk. This 2003 movie came a few years before the titular character wasrebooted and introduced into the MCU, but Ang Lee’sHulk, while perhaps messier, is very interesting.
Also, it blends genres and is pretty tonally wild, much like Ange Lee’s body of work as a whole.Hulkaims to really capture the look and feel of a comic book, including the fast-paced way stories in that format can jump around and deliver wild emotional highs and lows with little to no notice. As such, there’sa pretty nasty jump scare at one point that briefly turnsHulkinto something of a psychological horror movie. It involves Bruce Banner looking at his reflection in the mirror during a dream, with that reflection appearing to be the Hulk, and then the Hulk bursts through the mirror without warning, grabbing Bruce.
5’The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring' (2001)
Director: Peter Jackson
It is pretty much impossible to talk about iconic jump scares – those belonging to the horror genre or otherwise – without mentioning one particularly jarring one found inThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.This pretty much perfect first chapterofThe Lord of the Ringstrilogy does have its scarier moments (like the other two movies), but never emphasized enough to make it a horror film.
Though it’s worth noting that, like Sam Raimi,Peter Jackson’s earlier workbelonged to the horror genre, so he might well have tapped into that for some of his Middle Earth trilogy’s darker moments. And inThe Fellowship of the Ring, one jump scare comes right out of nowhere, and fairly early on: Bilbo’s face contorting as he tries to grab the Ring off Frodo,briefly overcome by the influence such an object possesses and temporarily looking like an almost literal demon. It does entirely drive home what kind of power the Ring has, and what danger Frodo will be in while he carries it.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
4’Gravity' (2013)
Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Gravityis a survival movie that centers on two people who survive a disaster in space, and find themselves battling orbiting debris in an attempt to get back to Earth alive. It is more of a thriller/drama film than an outright horror movie, but that premise is a uniquely terrifying one, andGravity, though often more about suspense, does find one moment to horrify with a jump scare.
Much of the time, the chaos in space is eerily silent, even when destruction is raging all around, but a brief expedition back to their damaged space shuttle reveals that there are no other survivors.One dead body pops into view quite abruptly, and proves to be the jumpiest moment of the film. Elsewhere,Gravityfindsterror through less in-your-face – and arguably more effective – ways.
3’The Dark Knight' (2008)
Director: Christopher Nolan
Sam Raimi and Ang Lee put forth some good jump scares in their superhero movies, but perhaps the greatest of all superhero movie jump scares can be found inChristopher Nolan’sThe Dark Knight. This is one of the best and most intensemovies based on comic book charactersever made, withthe central villain here – the Joker– making the entire film consistently uneasy. Throughout, there’s a sense he could always strike at just about any time.
One of the most unexpected moments he makes an impact is when Harvey Dent and Gotham’s mayor are talking inside a building.The latter approaches a window to look out, and then a corpse swings into view, smashing into the window. Even when you know it’s coming, it still might well prove startling, and is one of those moments that makesThe Dark Knighthonestlypretty full-on for something that’s rated PG-13.
The Dark Knight
2’Mulholland Drive' (2001)
Director: David Lynch
Mulholland Driveis honestly right on the cusp of feeling like a horror movie, crossing into nightmarish territory during its final scenes for sure, and featuring one of the most iconic jump scares of all time earlier on. Still, the film is perhaps more ofa psychological thriller or mystery moviethan an outright work of horror, at least generally speaking.
As for that jump scare, it’s one of those where you know something bad’s coming, butthe perfect amount of time elapses for you to feel maximal dread and maximum shock when it does happen. The man behind Winkie’s scene perfectly captures the feeling of an incredibly bad dream; one you’ll want to wake up from, no matter how many times you revisitMulholland Drive. It’sunforgettable and mortifying every single time.
Mulholland Drive
1’Citizen Kane' (1941)
Director: Orson Welles
Generally speaking,Citizen Kaneis considered to be one ofthe very best movies of the 1940s, and sometimes even proves to be a contender for the title of best movie ever made. It is a drama with a little by way of the mystery genre, owing to its flashback-heavy narrative that revolves around trying to uncover the meaning behind the final words spoken by a powerful yet troubled publishing tycoon.
It’s one ofthe all-time great rise-and-fall movies, and is also noteworthy for having an incredibly early jump scare, as far as cinema goes… and one that didn’t occur in a horror movie. During a scene transition near the film’s end, a very loud cockatoo suddenly appears and screeches, perhaps towake up anyone who was feeling tired. Not only is it loud and unexpected, buta technical error led to its eye disappearing and being see-through, which just makes the cockatoo even more unnerving. It’s an early jump scare, it’s entirely unexpected, it still proves startling, and it’s not from a horror movie. This is about as good – or as bad, depending on your outlook – as jump scares get, really.
