BEST JOLTS

[AntonioDelLago]

BEST JOLTS and SCARES

(1) Jason jumps out of the murky waters of Camp Crystal Lake and attacks Alice in the canoe on a very unlucky FRIDAY THE 13TH.
(2) Soul survivor Sue Snell (Amy Irving), looking like a zombie bride, is attacked by a hand from beyond the grave in CARRIE.
(3) The title creature in ALIEN attacks Dallas (Tom Skerritt) in the air duct tunnels.
(4) The possessed Gemini killer attacks a pretty night-shift nurse in THE EXORCIST III.
(5) Danny (Danny Lloyd) encountering the spirits of the dead Grady girls in THE SHINING.

[andy13]

GREAT CHOICES MINE-
1- A GUY HAVING SEX IS SUDDENLY STABBED IN THE BACK WITH A CUREVER KNIFE IN THE FINAL TERROR.
2- THE KILLERS ARM GRABBING THE MAINISH CHARACTER, THE NURSE, FROM UNDER A TABLE IN VISITING HOURS.
3- THE PHONE BASHING OF THE MOTHER BY THE STEPFATHER.
4- THE SCENE IN APRIL FOOL'S DAY WHERE THE GUY HAS BEEN JIT BY THE BOAT, AND ALL THE TEENS ARE GATHERED ROUND, AND HE COMES UP OUT THE WATER WITH HIS HEAD SQUASHED.
5- WHEN THE LIFT DOORS OPEN IN DRESSED TO KILL, AND BOBBI IS STANDING THERE.
and 6- WHEN THE DOCTOR DIES BY ACCIDENT IN PSYCHO 2, AND HE HITS THE BANNISTER AND THE KNIFE GOES EVEN FURTHER IN.

[Carl Zittrer]

These are jolt-scares, as opposed to the "unbearable suspense" scenes being discussed in the other thread. In random order:

HALLOWEEN (1978):
-Tommy, bullied by other kids in the schoolyard into dropping his pumpkin, walks dejectedly down the sidewalk.....SKEEAAZ!!! directly into the arms of Michael Myers.
-Nighttime. A cozy, well-lit house on a nicely-treed middle-class street.....SKEEAAZ!!! Michael Myers suddenly juts into the frame from behind a parked car.
-Impatient Annie tries to get the car started. Why're the windows in here so fogged?...SKEEAAZ!!! Michael emerges from the back seat wielding a 12-inch butcher knife.
-Laurie, hysterical after finding the bodies of her friends in the house across the street, stands in front of a darkened doorway, weeping. Slowly a white-masked face appears in the darkness behind her.

THE THING (1982):
-The men sit patiently on the couch as MacReady tests their blood samples by poking them with a heated wire. Petrie dish after petrie dish of blood fizzles harmlessly in response. The captives grow impatient and surly. The viewer's attention is taken away from the testing to listen to their grumbling. Beginning to worry about his theory, MacReady absently prepares to test the next dish, the hot wire inching closer and closer....JOLT the agitated blood sample jumps out of his hands.

WHEN A STRANGER CALLS (1979):
-Having just been told that the crank calls are coming from inside the house, Jill slinks towards the front door. A stab of light from an opening door upstairs hits the staircase, and the shadow of a figure is outlined in it. Frantically Jill fumbles with the deadbolt and chain lock, her trembling hands making the task difficult. The figure is descending the stairs behind her. Just then, she manages to undo the last lock and yank the door open, stumbling outside into the arms of the police detective.
-Seven years later: Getting back into bed with her husband after a late-night foray to the kitchen, Jill tries to rouse him. Slowly he rolls over and...JOLT Curt Duncan's leering face stares back at her.

BLACK CHRISTMAS (1974):
-Hearing the cat's distressed meowing, Clare heads for her closet...closer...closer...kitty, are you here?...JOLT a dry-cleaning bag is thrust over her head, suffocating her.
-Scrambling down the stairs to escape the crazed murderer, Jess makes it to the bottom and rounds the landing...JOLT her hair is grabbed by the assailant.

DEATHDREAM (1972):
-Two of the all-time scary jolts. Detailed in the "unbearable suspense" thread. I don't want to go over them again.

MURDER BY DECREE (1979):
-Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, searching the labyrinthine London alleyways for Jack The Ripper's hideout, come upon a ghastly sight. Through the window of a small house they can see a stocky figure, bent over, dismembering a young woman. The jolt-scare occurs when they burst in. He turns to them with the most psychotic, sneering, blood-splattered visage imaginable, and attacks them with a hot poker from the fireplace.

MANIAC (1980):
-A woman is chased by a creep through a subway station. Hiding behind a toilet stall until she thinks he's gone, the woman finally emerges and begins washing her face at the row of sinks. Finished, she raises her head to look in the mirror...JOLT he's standing behind her.

RELENTLESS (1989):
-A woman is chased through her house by a violent intruder. Making it to the basement, she hides in a clothes dryer. Looking through the dryer window she sees the stalker roaming throughout the basement. Then he walks out of her range of eyesight. She sighs with relief, thinking she will be safe...JOLT the man's face appears in the window.
Comparable "window" scene in PROM NIGHT.

LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (1972):
-Phyllis running towards the highway (and freedom)until...JOLT the machete blocks her progress. Quickly she's surrounded by the murderers and stabbed in the lower back.

LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE (1973):
-I remember this one scene as being among the best sudden scares ever. Haven't seen the film in a while, so I only remember it vaguely: The group of ghostbusters is casually eating dinner...JOLT a meal platter flies towards someone's face. The person ducks, and the platter crashes against the wall behind him.
-The young woman parts the shower curtain...JOLT the mangled corpse of a cat is bleeding out.

MESSIAH OF EVIL (1973):
-A large group of zombies suddenly crashes through the skylight of a beachhouse to attack the huddled residents inside.

THE SHINING (1980):
-Dancing with the beautiful young woman, Jack looks in the mirror and sees instead a shriveled old crone in his arms.
-Jack leaps out from behind a pillar and drives an axe into the chest of Halloran.

FRIDAY THE 13TH series, and other derivative slasher films:
-Too many jolt-scares to list. They are the slasher sub-genre's "bread and butter", and the shocks tend to blur together into one since they're all so similar.

[This message has been edited by Carl Zittrer (edited 07-15-2001).]

[This message has been edited by Carl Zittrer (edited 07-15-2001).]

[Carl Zittrer]

At the risk of belaboring the same movies over and over again in different threads, a few more notable examples:

TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974):
-Leatherface pops out from behind the wall to clop the hapless first victim on the head, rendering him unconscious. Great sound effect as Leatherface rumbles the heavy metal door into place.

DON'T LOOK NOW (1973):
-Once again, ad nauseum mention of the classic ending with the sudden revelation of the little red figure's face.

THE CHANGELING (1979):
-George C. Scott is looking in the mirror when it abruptly shatters. Simultaneously, one of the senator's henchmen, who had just left Scott's house after threatening him with arrest, is fatally wounded in a car crash.

LET'S SCARE JESSICA TO DEATH (1971):
-While swimming in the lake, Jessica gets a sudden fright as the vampire girl in the white dress floats to the surface right in front of her.
-Upon entering their newly-purchased house on the very first day, Jessica, Duncan, and Woody are shocked to see an intruder standing at the top of the stairs.
-Deep in the woods, Jessica stumbles upon the freshly-murdered body of the antique dealer floating in a stream.

SQUIRM (1976):
-The worms suddenly attack and burrow their way into the man's face.

CUJO (1983):
-Several jolt-laden scenes of Cujo making sneak attacks on the stalled car.
-Thinking they've finally killed the dog, the family members console each other in the kitchen of the farmhouse. In a last-gasp attack, Cujo crashes through the window.

SYMPTOMS (1974):
-Shocking murder scenes. Angela Pleasance plays a psychotic young woman who - in several similarly-choreographed attacks - jumps out at her victims from behind doorways. The viewer then sees the murders from the victim's P.O.V. as Pleasance slashes wildly at the camera with a knife.

PSYCHO (1960):
-Shower scene.
-Police officer stabbed after falling down stairs. Great overhead camera angle.
-Woman discovers "mother".

[JustOneFix]

PHANTASM (1978): Angus Scrimm taps Jody on the shoulder and goes: "The funeral is about
to begin...Sir!"

[SteveSzyk]

The opening murder in SCREAM 2 (Knife threw the ear)and all the above.

[malaria]

House on Haunted Hill (1958) - A man and woman go investigating the basement of the house and finds a secret door. A tracking shot reveals a terrifying old woman standing in the shadows.

In the Mouth of Madness - The zombie cop sitting beside Sam Neill on the couch.

The Howling - Werewolf on the filing cabinet.

Carrie - The master of jolts and the winner in my opinion. Gets me every time.

Jurrassic Park - Raptor in the generator house.

Friday the 13th - Jason in the water.

The Burning - Stranded canoe on the lake. Intrepid heros slowly approach in their own canoe. They get nearer tension mounts. They reach the boat. Instantly the killer jumps up garden shears open. Snip, snip. Chopping off fingers and limbs he hacks the entire crew to death. What a great film.

American Werewolf In London - Nazi zombies at the door. They execute David's family and then slice his throat. He wake's up. He was dreaming. Nurse Price calmly walks to the window and opens the curtains. BAM in jumps the Nazi Zombie. David wake's up again. It was a dream within a dream!