5. “Kay Reveals About Her Abortion to Michael”, Godfather Part II (1974)
To all those who can’t figure out why this movie is making this list, just look at the above picture. Doesn’t it terrify you? Godfather II is made of many terrific sequences but the scene which shakes me to the core is when Kay tells Micheal that it was she who aborted their child and she is going to take the children away from him. That’s when we witness the pinnacle of acting. Micheal personifies fury and breathes fire. For a moment we would feel grateful for not being Kate. He beats her in her head and shouts “You won’t take my children”. It is not the writing of this scene that sends a chill down my spine, it is AL PACINO.
4. “Buffalo Bill’s Basement”, The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
The Silence of the Lambs brought one of the most terrifying characters on screen. It has lots of scenes that could possibly leave you shell shocked but there is one scene that tops all of this. I’m talking about the Buffalo Bill basement sequence. The setting in itself is not gory. But there is something damn frightening there. Viewing through those night vision goggles of the murderer, we know that Starling is blind and helpless. We could smell danger at arm’s length and that’s enough to send the adrenaline gushing through our veins.
3. “Here’s Johnny”, The Shining (1980)
This is the look that made all the kids go like “Oh god.. Please get it out of my head”. Giving one of his best performances, Jack Nicholson is terrifying to say the least. He is like a ticking time bomb and when he finally goes off, there’s nothing much we can do. Jack hunts his family in the hotel with an iconic axe and after breaking his way through the door, he pokes his head through it and gives this sadistic smile before exclaiming “Here’s Johnny”. Jack Nicholson has done many dark roles but nothing can come close to this particular sequence which is further elevated by the brilliant direction of Stanley Kubrick.
2. “Winkies Sequence”, Mulholland Drive (2001)
Let me get this straight. This is the best jump scare ever constructed on screen. The scene is question consists of two men talking in a dinner, as one of them recounts a dream in which there is a mysterious figure waiting for him behind the restaurant. His fear and paranoia starts to rise and so does ours and eventually he decides he has to check behind the building. He creeps to the alleyway, and then all of a sudden, Bam. I knew that there was something coming, something is going to happen. But that didn’t help me. I almost got a heart attack, at least I think I did. That’s what surreal writing and impeccable direction could do. You would end up having your heart in your mouth.
1. “The Ending”, Psycho (1960)
Well, I can’t think of any other sequence that could top this list. It has to be Psycho, the ultimate torchbearer of psychological thrillers. In the climax, not for the faint-hearted, Norman is sitting in his cell, with his mother’s voice nattering on and on about how she “wouldn’t even hurt a fly.” This is topped off by a creepy, creepy smile and a ghostly image of mother’s skull superimposed over Norman’s face. What more can one possibly ask for. The best part of this scene is that smile, that damned smile from Anthony Perkins which gave me nightmares for weeks.
