Revealed: The scariest movie moments of all time
- The shower scene from Psycho has been named the scariest movie moment
- The Shining and The Exorcist also appear in the top three
Ahead of Halloween, Brits have named the iconic shower scene from Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 thriller, Psycho, as the scariest horror moment of all time.
The study, conducted by Gala Spins, asked people to name which scenes they find the scariest, with over a quarter (27%) rating the murder of Marion Crane in the shower as their scariest scene.
Brits prefer classic scary movies over their newer counterparts, with all the top five released in 1980 or earlier.
Top 10 scariest horror movie moments
- Psycho – Shower scene (27%)
- The Shining – “Here's Johnny” (24%)
- The Exorcist – Head spinning moment (24%)
- Alien – Chest bursting scene (20%)
- The Texas Chainsaw Massacre – Leatherface introduction (18%)
- The Blair Witch Project– Final scene (17%)
- The Ring – TV scene (16%)
- Jaws – Surprise body (15%)
- Paranormal Activity - Stood by the bed (13%)
- Halloween – Closet scene (13%)
Ranking fourth, Alien is the highest rated non-horror film, with the famous chest bursting scene ranking above horror classics like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (fifth) and Halloween (tenth).
The rankings changed depending on both age and gender, with men naming the chilling “Here’s Johnny” moment from The Shining (28%) as their scariest scene, whilst women chose Psycho’s shower scene (27%).
Top five scariest horror movie moments for men
- The Shining – “Here's Johnny” (28%)
- Psycho – Shower (28%)
- Alien – Chest bursting scene (23%)
- The Texas Chainsaw Massacre – Leatherface introduction (22%)
- The Exorcist – Head spinning moment (21%)
Top five scariest horror movie moments for women
- Psycho – Shower (27%)
- The Exorcist – Head spinning moment (26%)
- The Shining – “Here's Johnny” (22%)
- Alien – Chest bursting scene (18%)
- The Texas Chainsaw Massacre – Leatherface introduction (16%)
The “Here’s Johnny” scene from The Shining was commonly chosen as the scariest moment across most age groups, with the exception of 55-64 year olds, who chose the terrifying head spinning scene from The Exorcist (32%), and over 65’s, who rated Psycho’s shower scene (43%).
Additionally, nearly a quarter (24%) of millennials (25-34 year olds) named the famous TV scene from The Ring as their scariest movie moment.
Karina Adrian, Head of Brand Marketing and Partnerships at Gala Spins, said: “As Halloween approaches, it’s no surprise that horror films are once again on the menu for many film fanatics.
“We hope that this research provides horror lovers, or even just those looking to give themselves a scare, some inspiration for a terrifying film night.”