12 Disturbing Horror Movie Moments You Can't Forget

      We warned you: These are some extremely unsettling horror movie moments.

      The Basement Scene in The Blair Witch Project (1999)

      Credit: C/O

      The eeriest aspect of this horror movie scene is… the posture.

      Few things on screen are as terrifying as Mike's body language towards the end in the basement—his shame, fear, and surrender. He recognizes his wrongdoings but is too frightened to resist.

      The cast of The Blair Witch Project—Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Michael Williams—are celebrating its 25th anniversary and seeking more funding and "meaningful consultation" from Lionsgate for future projects. Regardless of the outcome, Williams certainly earned his pay with the basement scene.

      What we appreciate most about this unsettling sequence is that it required no elaborate VFX, large budget, or dialogue—just exceptional physical acting.

      The Tongue Trap Scene in Spiral (2021)

      Dan Petronijevic in Spiral (2021) – Credit: C/O

      In the opening of Spiral, corrupt detective Marv Bozwick (Dan Petronijevic) finds himself ensnared in a trap meant to punish him for his deceitful tongue. Suspended by a vice gripping his tongue, he's placed directly on the tracks of an approaching train.

      His only means of escape is to leap down from the box and tear out his tongue. He hesitates too long, losing both his life and his tongue. It ranks among the most disturbing and unsettling horror movie scenes.

      The Picnic Scene in The House That Jack Built (2018)

      Matt Dillon in The House That Jack Built (2018) – Credit: C/O

      In Lars Von Trier’s 2018 horror film The House That Jack Built, Matt Dillon portrays a deranged serial killer over a 12-year span of his life as he takes lives. One of the most unsettling scenes occurs when Jack takes a woman and her children on a hunting trip. What she fails to realize is that they are the ones being hunted.

      Jack kills both of her sons and then compels her to have a picnic with them, despite their lifelessness. He even forces her to feed their dead bodies before he ultimately kills her, arranging the three of them in a grotesque display beneath a series of birds he has also killed.

      Annie’s Possession Scene in Hereditary (2018)

      Toni Collette in Hereditary (2018) – Credit: C/O

      In Ari Aster’s chilling directorial debut, Toni Collette stars as Annie, a mother of two haunted by a malevolent force following the passing of her secretive mother.

      In this memorable creepy horror movie scene, Annie, now possessed by a demon, chases her son (Alex Wolff) and violently slams her head into the attic door when he locks her out.

      Inexplicably and with a demonic strength, she manages to enter the attic and begins to decapitate herself with piano wire while suspended in the air.

      The Opening Scene of Midsommar (2019)

      A still from Midsommar. Photo credit: A24 – Credit: C/O

      Ari Aster’s remarkable second film Midsommar is best remembered for its eerie Swedish village and the horrific events that unfold there, but its opening scene is one of the most unsettling horror movie moments.

      With a sharp transition from a pleasant yet foreboding view of a snow-covered forest to the main character Dani’s (Florence Pugh) family home, we learn that Dani’s sister has murdered their parents in their sleep using carbon monoxide poisoning.

      The Killer’s Method in What Have You Done to Solange? (1972)

      Credit: C/O

      This 1972 Giallo horror film focuses on a teacher who is having an affair with one of his students, played by Cristina Galbó. However, the teacher-student relationship isn't the most disturbing aspect.

      A killer lurks on the campus, targeting young women, and the method of his killings, illustrated in a pelvic X-ray scene, is profoundly disturbing.

      The Walk Into the Water in Last House on the Left (1972)

      Credit: C/O

      Last House on the Left features a horrific, drawn-out scene of some villains tormenting young women they have abducted. The most distressing part comes at the end when one victim, Mari (Sandra Peabody, left), is so broken and resigned to her fate that she walks helplessly into the water.

      Wes Craven went on to create Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream, but this remains the most terrifying scene he’s ever directed.

      The Walk With Jesus Scene in Saint Maud (2019)

      Morfydd Clark in Saint Maud (2019) – Credit: C/O

      In this British horror film directed by Rose Glass, Morfydd Clark plays Maud, a devout young nurse who embraces Roman Catholicism following a traumatic event