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Top 20 Scariest Scenes From Non-Horror Movies

Top 20 Scariest Scenes From Non-Horror Movies
VOICE OVER: Rebecca Brayton WRITTEN BY: Billy Keeley, Telly Vlachakis, Nick Spak
They may not have been labeled as horror, but these scenes are guaranteed to terrify you! For this list, we're looking at the most terrifying, disturbing, and chilling scenes from movies outside of the horror genre. Our countdown includes Park Da-song's Ghost, Pale Man, How About Another Joke Murray, Riders as Black as Night, Face-Melting Terror, and more!


Top 20 Scariest Scenes from Non-Horror Movies


These are the most frightening scenes never labeled ‘horror!’ Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the top 20 scariest scenes from non-horror films.

For this list, we’re looking at the most terrifying, disturbing, and chilling scenes from movies outside of the horror genre.

#20: Park Da-song’s Ghost

“Parasite” (2019)
Director Bong Joon-ho has described his black comedy thriller as a “ghost story” of sorts, and a pervasive sense of uncertainty runs through the film. The ghost in question once appeared before young Park Da-song in a doorway leading into the basement. The experience left Da-song traumatized, but the explanation behind this encounter is creepier than anything supernatural. The ghost is really the former housekeeper’s husband, Geun-sae, who’s been hiding from loan sharks in the house’s secret bunker for years. When Geun-sae emerges again, his presence causes Da-song to suffer another seizure before all hell breaks loose.

#19: His Fangs Are Sharp

“Jumanji” (1995)
Many family films have been considered unsuitable and disturbing for children, but none flows like a horror movie for kids quite like “Jumanji”. The intense ‘90s adventure classic follows Robin Williams as a man who gets sucked into a sadistic board game...literally. In a world where creatures come to life with every roll of the dice, most memorable is when the children land on the wrong spot and are suddenly attacked by a lion. Featuring one of the game’s many man-eating creatures, this scene had us checking our closets for years to come.

#18: Beware the Wheelers

“Return to Oz” (1985)
L. Frank Baum’s universe is no stranger to disturbing imagery geared towards children. This fantasy adventure follows Dorothy as she finds her way back to Oz, only to find it in tatters. In one part of the deserted land, Dorothy runs into the Wheelers, characters who have wheels for limbs and carry creepy masks reminiscent of the Wicked Witch’s flying monkeys. As if the cabinets of disembodied heads the Princess keeps, and all of Dorothy’s friends being turned to stone wasn’t enough – ‘80s kids also know to beware the Wheelers because of this flick.

#17: Night on Bald Mountain

“Fantasia” (1940)
Many grew up thinking this experimental and one-of-a-kind animated classic was for kids, and although some parts are curiously strange, confirmation that this wasn’t your typical Disney fare came with its final sequence. Animators took the already frightening Mussorgsky composition “Night on Bald Mountain”, and invented even more terrifying imagery to put behind it. We follow the devil Chernabog as he summons demons, ghosts and witches in an orgy of madness and celebration. Although the classical music and animation are fascinating and have captivated audiences for the better part of a century, the subject matter will always be the stuff of nightmares.

#16: Sleep on It

“The Godfather” (1972)
As one of the most celebrated crime thrillers of all time, “The Godfather” has its fair share of unnerving scenes. This is no small part thanks to Vito Corleone’s manner of taking care of business. When studio head Jack Woltz refuses to give Vito’s godson, singer Johnny Fontane, a shot at the big time, the crime family takes their anger out on Woltz’s prized stallion. He wakes up to find his sheets soaked in blood and a surprise inside . . . This unforgettable and shocking scene builds up to an unexpected climax we won’t soon forget, and neither will poor Jack.

#15: The Witching Hour

“The Wizard of Oz” (1939)
For all the magic and musical glee in this timeless classic, there are just as many bizarre and startling moments. With her ghastly visage and shrill voice, the Wicked Witch is one of the 20th century’s most memorable villains. Her entrances were as unexpected as they were terrifying - whether in Munchkinland or inside her crystal ball. It’s difficult to pick just one scary scene, but our childhood nightmares include her commanding her army of flying monkeys, and setting poor Scarecrow on fire. Even her death scene is somehow terrifying, with her body melting and her shrieks filling the castle.

#14: Doom & Gloom

“Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” (1988)
We move from one megalomaniacal villain to another, as we visit Roger Rabbit’s fearsome foe. A sworn enemy of all toons, Judge Doom sadistically hunts and disposes of them using his dreaded “Dip”. But it’s in the film’s finale that he does his worst. After being flattened into a pancake by a steamroller, Doom eerily rises to life, inflating himself until… well, this. A helium-fuelled half-man half-toon, his grotesque transformation turns an already-menacing character into an outstanding screen oddity. Those burning red eyes! That high squeaky voice! Doom is truly nightmare fuel.

#13: Becoming a Jackass

“Pinocchio” (1940)
Of Disney’s many traumatizing scenes, none is scarier than Pinocchio’s Pleasure Island trip. Newly-transformed into a real boy, Pinocchio finds all sorts of amusement. But there’s a downside: delinquents on the island eventually turn into donkeys and are used for back-breaking labor. Who expected a charming tale about a wooden boy to devolve into child slavery and human trafficking?! Pinocchio escapes, but his friend Lampwick isn’t so lucky. A morality tale for the ages, this story scared an infinite number of kids straight with Lampwick’s panicked meltdown.

#12: Pale Man

“Pan’s Labyrinth” (2006)
A fantasy drama about a child’s forays into a mythical world - sounds fun, right? Well, think again. Set during the Spanish Civil War, Guillermo del Toro’s 2006 film features a slew of magical creatures, but they’re more horrifying than enchanting. And scariest of all is the Pale Man. Before our heroine Ofelia encounters him, she’s given one rule: don’t eat anything from his table. Well, we all knew what was going to happen next. But that didn’t make the Pale Man’s pursuit of Ofelia any less terrifying. Keep in mind, this emaciated monster EATS children. Doug Jones’ performance as the Pale Man is as memorable as it is chilling.

#11: A Nightmare Scenario

“Trainspotting” (1996)
Danny Boyle’s black comedy crime flick horrified audiences when it showed a drug addict’s infant daughter dying of neglect. However, Renton’s subsequent nightmare while going through withdrawal is what really left its mark on horror history. In a soul-wrenching scene, the baby’s deformed and bloated corpse appears, crawling on the ceiling and performing an Exorcist-like head spin – all set to a pulsating techno beat. Given the baby’s tragic demise, it’s a serious gut-punch. Added to the gross-out visuals, it’s a nightmare not easily forgotten.

#10: How About Another Joke Murray

“Joker” (2019)
Heath Ledger’s Joker chilled us to the bone with his stories about his scars. But we had to give this spot to Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck, specifically his appearance on “Live! With Murray Franklin” opposite Robert Deniro. The talk show host sees an opportunity to score a few more laughs at Arthur’s expense, but once his guest starts telling some of his quote unquote jokes, Murray realizes just how unstable Fleck is. Because we’ve already seen Arthur commit one murder, the suspense is palpable. And sure enough, he’s prepared one last “joke”. The building tension, gritty realism, and sense of panic amount to a downright disturbing sequence.

#9: Large Marge

“Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” (1985)
How can a film with such childish glee and comedy scare the pants off people? When Pee-wee goes cross-country to find his stolen bicycle, he meets many bizarre characters, but none as strange as Large Marge. When the trucker picks him up on the highway, she decides to casually share a story about a violent accident she witnessed. With Pee-wee sensing that something is off, Marge gives us a jump-scare for the ages. Although this scene seemed to come out of nowhere, we would later learn to love it as a Tim Burton signature.

#8: Coin Toss

“No Country for Old Men” (2007)
Javier Bardem picked up an Oscar for his performance as hitman Anton Chigurh, and it’s easy to see why just from this movie’s famous coin toss scene. After killing a sheriff and a man whose car he wanted, the hitman pulls into a gas-station. Given the preceding events, we know from the get-go that the gas-station owner is in trouble. But the suspense is dialled up to a gazillion when Anton tosses a coin and demands that the old man call it. We know what’s riding on it, but Anton’s prospective victim can’t be sure - which just increases the tension.

#7: Riders as Black as Night

“The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” (2001)
Frodo and the Fellowship face many visually-stunning challenges on their quest to destroy the One Ring. Yet, it’s their blood-curdling encounters with the Nazgûl that are among the most notable. We were ready to be scared after the scene in which a Black Riders searches for Frodo by the roadside. But nothing quite prepared us for their attack at Weathertop, which left the hobbits - and audiences - quaking. When Frodo puts on the One Ring to escape, we learn that they’re even more frightening underneath their dark cloaks.

#6: A Dream at Winkies

“Mulholland Drive” (2001)
David Lynch is the king of metaphor and surrealism. He also knows how to scare us. In a film about Hollywood making dreams come true, Lynch is sure to remind us that some of these dreams can turn to nightmares. In one of his famous disconnected scenes, we listen to a man, at a diner, describe a terrifying dream he had, the hideous face he encountered, and the awful feeling he still can’t shake. Eerie like only Lynch can do, the man starts to realize that maybe he can’t escape the nightmare he built for himself.

#5: Tell It to My Heart

“Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” (1984)
Steven Spielberg and the “Indiana Jones” franchise are no strangers to thrills and chills. This second installment and prequel finds Indy helping a small Indian village investigate a possible ancient cult for kidnapping their children. His theory is proven correct when he and his team stumble upon the Thuggee cult, led by the imposing and bloodthirsty high priest, Mola Ram. What they find here is a violent ritual filled with smoke, skulls, fiery pits and human sacrifice that left many movie-watchers covering their eyes, and all of us knowing that Indy was in big trouble.

#4: The King of the Dinosaurs

“Jurassic Park” (1993)
The raptors in the kitchen scene certainly had us on edge. But when it comes to intimidating creatures, the Tyrannosaurus Rex is king. With the park’s visitors stuck outside the T-Rex enclosure, a simple cup of water becomes more foreboding than anyone could have imagined. The goat leg on the roof of the jeep wasn’t really a good sign either. When the T-Rex finally showed, it shocked a generation of movie-goers with its theater-jolting roar. We all held our breath as Lex and Tim screamed inside the overturned jeep. And we all froze as T-Rex’s breath blew the hat right off Dr. Alan Grant’s head.

#3: Shrouded in Mystery, Man

“Lost Highway” (1997)
Though not his most popular work, this David Lynch film features one of his most unsettling scenes. Fred Madison worries he’s being stalked after receiving videos filmed inside his home. He’s soon approached at a party by a man with a bizarre claim. With an understated, tense delivery, Robert Blake’s Mystery Man sends chills down your spine. His white Kabuki makeup was apparently his own idea, but it’s arguably his eyes - sans eyebrows - that really sell the scene. The performance is made even creepier by his subsequent real-life murder trial.

#2: Tunnel o’ Fear

“Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” (1971)
Designed as a tasty treat for children, filled with moments of delight, this movie has just as many scenes that will scar them. The greatest scare comes early: Willy Wonka takes his visitors on a boat ride through what looks like the tunnel to Hell itself, while delivering a fiery and dark sermon. What even makes a grown man build something like this in the first place?! Is it just to scare the hell out of children? An unnerving cross between a fever dream and psychedelic psychosis, this scene stands tall as the movie’s most horrific.

Before we reveal our top pick, here are some honorable mentions.

Bear Attack
“The Revenant” (2015)

A Slippery Death
“X-Men” (2000)

The Chamberlain Banished
“Dark Crystal” (1982)

The Steak Knife
“The Lobster”

Cannibal Basement
“The Road” (2009)

#1: Face-Melting Terror

“Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981)
This explosive introduction to Indiana Jones incorporates many genres, from action to romance, suspense to adventure. However, it isn’t until the film’s conclusion that horror rears its ugly head. With Indy and his partner captured, the Nazis prepare to open the Ark of the Covenant. Luckily, Indy knows to avert his gaze before the awesome power that’s unleashed. Cursed by the spirits of the Ark, the Nazis are roasted in a visually terrifying and effects-driven climax so unpredictable it’s guaranteed to haunt every viewer.
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