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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… and the 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
Image via Sony Pictures Releasing Spider-Man having a jump scare isn't the most surprising thing in the world considering that Sam Raimi, the film’s director, found breakout success within the horror genre (namely, directing the first three Evil Dead movies). In fact, there are almost as many jump scares here as there are memorable one-off characters, and Spider-Man 2 also 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 when the 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 (2002)
Release Date May 3, 2002
Runtime 121 minutes
9 'Knives Out' (2019)
Director: Rian Johnson
Image via Lionsgate While blending a multitude of genres, Knives Out can’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, and then 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 in Se7en; not as strong or as disturbing as that one, but Se7en feels close enough to horror that it can’t get a full-on mention for current ranking purposes.
Release Date November 27, 2019
Director Rian Johnson
Runtime 130 minutes
8 '127 Hours' (2010)
Director: Danny Boyle
Image via Fox Searchlight Pictures Telling a harrowing and suspenseful true story, 127 Hours is 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 Hours isn't a horror movie, but the situation its protagonist has to overcome is the stuff of nightmares, making it incredibly cathartic 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.
127 Hours
Release Date November 12, 2010
Runtime 94 minutes
7 'No Time to Die' (2021)
Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga
Image via Universal Pictures James Bond getting 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 the 007 villains have been relatively intimidating, because a hero as iconic as Bond needs some formidable foes to go up against. In No 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
Release Date September 29, 2021
Director Cary Fukunaga
Runtime 167
6 'Hulk' (2003)
Director: Ang Lee
Image via Universal Pictures Looking over the filmography of Ang Lee will 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 was rebooted and introduced into the MCU, but Ang Lee’s Hulk, 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. Hulk aims 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’s a pretty nasty jump scare at one point that briefly turns Hulk into 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.
Hulk
Release Date June 20, 2003
Runtime 138 minutes
5 'The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring' (2001)
Director: Peter Jackson
Image via New Line Cinema 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 in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. This pretty much perfect first chapter of The Lord of the Rings trilogy 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 work belonged to the horror genre, so he might well have tapped into that for some of his Middle Earth trilogy’s darker moments. And in The 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.
Release Date December 19, 2001
Runtime 178 minutes
4 'Gravity' (2013)
Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Image via Warner Bros. Gravity is 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, and Gravity, 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, Gravity finds terror through less in-your-face – and arguably more effective – ways.
Gravity
Release Date October 3, 2013
Director Alfonso Cuarón
Runtime 90
3 'The Dark Knight' (2008)
Director: Christopher Nolan
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures 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 in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight. This is one of the best and most intense movies based on comic book characters ever made, with the 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 makes The Dark Knight honestly pretty full-on for something that’s rated PG-13.
Release Date July 18, 2008
Runtime 152 minutes
2 'Mulholland Drive' (2001)
Director: David Lynch
Image via Universal Pictures Mulholland Drive is 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 of a psychological thriller or mystery movie than 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, but the 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 revisit Mulholland Drive. It’s unforgettable and mortifying every single time.
Release Date June 6, 2001
Director David Lynch
Runtime 147 minutes
1 'Citizen Kane' (1941)
Director: Orson Welles
Image via RKO Radio Pictures Generally speaking, Citizen Kane is considered to be one of the 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 of the 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 to wake up anyone who was feeling tired. Not only is it loud and unexpected, but a 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.
Release Date April 17, 1941
Runtime 119 minutes
English (US) ·