10 Best Movie Jump Scares!

Meg Shields and Film School Rejects posted their choices for 10 Jolting Jump Scares That Don’t Feel Cheap.  Let me say from the start that I’m a sucker for a good jump scare.  It’s not safe to be sitting to close to me during a horror movie because I will not only flinch, I will jump.

Sheilds’ list is a good one, but there are three great jump scares that didn’t make her list that would have made mine…

Play Misty For Me (1971)  Clint Eastwood plays a popular DJ who’s had a one night stand with a woman who comes unhinged when he dumps her.  There’s a scene where Eastwood wakes up to find her in his bedroom that has a great jump scare.  I saw this in a drive-in when I was 13 and I’ll admit that I jumped more than Clint Eastwood — and he came out of his bed!

Carrie (1976)  The final scene of the movie.  I saw this at a midnight movie when I was 18.  I came out of the seat and probably scared my date more than the jump scare.

Friday the 13th.  Again, the final scene.  I saw this on HBO and had no idea what was coming.  In fact it was well after midnight and I got up to walk over to turn off the tv (no remote control in those prehistoric days) thinking the credits were about to roll.  They were but not before that classic jump scare!