Top 20 Most Paused Horror Movie Moments
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 20 Most Paused Horror Movie Moments. For this list, we’re taking a look at moments in horror movies that made audiences hit the pause button because they were blink-and-you’ll-miss-it fast. Since some of these moments tie into key plot points, a spoiler alert is in effect. Which of these moments shocked you beyond belief? Let us know in the comments!
#20: Pop Goes Pazuzu
Top 10 Most Paused Horror Movie Moments
“The Exorcist” (1973) Although Regan MacNeil is the face of this groundbreaking horror film, the demon possessing her, Pazuzu, actually makes a couple fleeting appearances. During Father Karras’ haunting dream, Pazuzu rears his grisly head from out of the darkness. The edit goes by so quickly, however, that audiences tend to second guess what they saw, frightening them on a subconscious level. In the film’s Director’s Cut, Pazuzu also pops up when Regan gets an uncomfortable medical exam. Later, as the lights start to flicker in the kitchen, Pazuzu briefly emerges next to Chris’ head. With a pale face, twisted teeth, and fiendish eyes, Pazuzu can send chills throughout the theater even when he’s onscreen for a mere second. His face isn’t exactly one that screams, “Captain Howdy!”
#19: Shaun of the Dead
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“Land of the Dead” (2005) “Shaun of the Dead” was a love letter to the zombie genre with its title paying homage to George A. Romero’s “Dawn of the Dead.” Romero returned the favor in “Land of the Dead,” which came out the following year. Since the film is wall to wall with zombies, it’s difficult to distinguish one from another. At a photo booth, however, a couple of chained up zombies stick out like undead thumbs. Pause your screen and tell us if these two monsters look at all recognizable. That’s right! The men underneath that makeup are actor Simon Pegg and director Edgar Wright, who co-wrote “Shaun of the Dead.” The only one missing is Nick Frost; we guess he’s still in Shaun’s shed playing video games.
#18:“MY HOUSE!”
Another Top 10 Most Paused Horror Movie Moments
“The Conjuring 2” (2017) It’s only fitting that we start off this countdown with a television that starts flipping through channels seemingly of its own will. The remote similarly appears to have a mind of its own, inexplicably moving from the couch to a chair in the room’s corner. As young Janet starts tinkering with the busted TV, she catches a glimpse of a demon channel surfing in the screen’s reflection. Cutting back and forth between the chair and the TV, the demon suddenly pops up behind Janet. With just two words, he makes it clear that she’s the one trespassing. This jump scare flies by so rapidly that a pause button is required to fully take in the demon’s pale skin, yellow eyes, and all-around fiendish presence.
#17: Wes Craven
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“Scream” (1996) When Wes Craven directed “A Nightmare on Elm Street” in 1984, many deemed it his horror magnum opus. Over the following decade, though, horror movies in general started to become over-reliant on clichés. Even the “Elm Street” sequels were widely hit-and-miss. With “Scream” in 1996, Craven aimed to reinvigorate the horror genre by playing with tropes and expectations. He also littered his film with references, including an homage to Freddy Krueger himself. Searching the school, Principal Himbry has an encounter with a janitor wearing a striped sweater and fedora similar to Freddy’s. Fred the Janitor is played by Wes Craven himself, a detail you’ll likely miss without the pause button.
#16: Where’s the Witch?
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“Blair Witch” (2016) Where the original “Blair Witch Project” kept all of the horror clouded in darkness and mystery, its 2016 follow-up peeled back the curtain - if only ever so slightly. During the film’s climax, our protagonists are chased through a familiar abandoned house. Due to the shaky camera and dim lighting, we have to pause at just the right time to spot the grotesque, long-limbed woman pursuing them. So, this is supposed to be the Blair Witch, right? Not according to screenwriter Simon Barrett, who wrote on social media that this creature is actually someone else. Although the Blair Witch remains an unseen entity, we still broke out the pause button in order to get a good look at this slender foe.
#15: Swampy Surprise
“Friday the 13th” (1980) The ending of the original “Friday the 13th” is at first a triumph, with our hero Alice having finally done away with the evil Pamela Voorhees. It’s a calm morning on Crystal Lake, the birds are chirping and the murderous psychopaths are out of the picture. While many viewers assumed the worst was over at this point, director Sean Cunningham had one more trick up his sleeve, as a decomposing Jason suddenly leaps out of the water and drags poor Alice out of the canoe. It might be one of the first truly terrifying jump scares, and it no doubt had viewers reaching for the remote either to get a better look at Jason or to simply relive the terror.
#14: Can’t Get Rid of the Babadook
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“The Babadook” (2014) The titular Babadook is wisely kept in the shadows for most of this film, adding to the suspense and uncertainty. Even when the Babadook shows up in person, we only get a few glimpses of his ghastly face. Arguably the most chilling encounter with the boogeyman occurs one night when the sleep-deprived Amelia hears her bedroom door creak open. Crawling across the ceiling, the Babadook lingers for a moment and then leaps down at the bed. In a flash, we’re given an up-close look at the Babadook, albeit only for a second. With black teeth, a white face, and dead gray eyes, the Babadook is every bit as terrifying as his popup book suggests, leaving the audience feeling like they’ve seen a ghost.
#13: “Batman v Superman”
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“I Am Legend” (2007) Vampiric mutants thankfully haven’t wiped out humanity, but this movie did predict the future in another respect. Traversing the streets of post-apocalyptic NYC, Robert Neville passes a billboard that most audiences missed. Pausing the movie, however, you’ll notice the Superman symbol encapsulated by the Batman symbol. A similar logo later surfaced at 2013 San Diego Comic-Con where Zack Snyder officially announced “Batman v Superman.” Five years before “I Am Legend” hit theaters, an alternate “Batman v Superman” movie almost went into production, the script for which got a rewrite by Akiva Goldsman, a producer and co-writer on “I Am Legend”. When that project got scrapped, it seemed like this Easter egg was the closest we’d ever get to seeing the crossover on the big screen.
#12: Monster Mash
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“Cloverfield” (2008) Clover isn’t the only massive monster who causes mass destruction in this found-footage flick. The filmmakers work in a couple clever cameos from iconic movie monsters. Although these creatures are towering in size, their screen time is limited. In one frame, the giant ants from 1954’s “Them!” are visible. Later, when the characters are navigating through the subway, the Beast from 20,000 Fathoms appears. Finally, as our heroes crash land in a helicopter, King Kong fends off airplanes atop the Empire State Building. Also, if this logo is any indication, the Dharma Initiative from “Lost” might’ve been connected to the attack on New York. Both have producer J. J. Abrams in common. Maybe Clover even knows the smoke monster!
#11: Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces
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“Saw” (2004) Billy the Puppet from the “Saw” franchise has proven so popular that James Wan snuck him into a few other movies. In “Dead Silence,” Billy is grouped in with Mary Shaw’s puppet collection and in “Insidious” his face is doodled on a chalkboard. The man behind Billy is John Kramer, aka the Jigsaw Killer. In the original “Saw,” Kramer’s true identity isn’t revealed until the very end. One little detail, however, gave away Kramer’s secret much earlier. Dying from cancer, Kramer lies in a hospital bed with a sketchbook by his side. Pausing the scene, you’ll notice that one of Kramer’s sketches looks an awful lot like one of Jigsaw’s devices, specifically the reverse bear trap. It was right in front of us this whole time!
#10: Oh, Hi Mark
Top 20 Most Paused Movie Moments
“Midsommar” (2019) Josh was likely a dead man walking the moment he set foot in this commune, but he really seals his fate when he tries taking photographs of the pagan cult’s sacred text. He’s caught off guard when somebody creeps up behind him barely clothed, but assumes that it’s his friend Mark, who disappeared earlier. He’s only half right. Pausing on a close-up of the mysterious figure, we can see that this is actually a cult member. It’s hard to say which one, however, as they’re wearing someone else’s face as a mask. Pausing the scene solves the mystery - it’s the face that once belonged to Mark.
#9: Walking with Aliens
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“Signs” (2002) At this point in M. Night Shyamalan’s “Signs,” we’d only seen an alien’s silhouette and even one of their feet. After almost an hour of buildup, this scene marks the first time the audience – and the characters for the matter – are given a full look at one of the invaders. Our anticipation is thus at its peak as Merrill watches a newscast with footage of an alien. Videotaped in Brazil, a green humanoid creature walks by. Like Merrill, the audience jumps back in terror, hits the rewind button, and then presses pause on the blurry image. This shot shares a great deal in common with a frame from the Patterson–Gimlin film in which a hazy figure that looks like Bigfoot wanders by.
#8: Crossover Evidence
“Bride of Chucky” (1998) Freddy Krueger’s glove has crept its way into a couple other horror movies, including “Evil Dead II” and “Jason Goes to Hell.” In “Bride of Chucky,” however, you can not only spot the glove, but a goldmine of other iconic horror movie items as well. In a police evidence depository, you’ll have to pause several times to observe Jason Voorhees’ hockey mask, Leatherface’s chainsaw, and Michael Myers’ mask. Keep in mind that this was five years before Freddy and Jason would finally clash on the silver screen. After rummaging through this basket of Easter eggs, though, fans wanted to see Michael, Leatherface, and Chucky join the fight too. Until that crossover becomes a reality, this awesome scene will remain paused in our nightmares.
#7: The Telephone Pole
Another Top 10 Most-Paused Movie Moments
“Hereditary” (2018) If “Hereditary” proves anything, it’s that the devil is in the details. Instead of bombarding the audience with jump scares, this film sneaks up on us with subtle scares hidden in the background, whether it’s Annie lurking on the ceiling or a naked cult waiting outside the house. In an especially ingenious bit of foreshadowing, Peter and Charlie drive by a telephone pole on their way to a party. This seems fairly irrelevant until later when Charlie sticks her head out of a moving vehicle and gets decapitated on the pole. If you go back and focus on the telephone pole, you’ll notice a symbol seen throughout the film. This mark belongs to the coven pulling all the strings, indicating that Charlie’s death was premeditated.
#6: The Bear Suit
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“The Shining” (1980) Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of “The Shining” is overflowing with surreal symbolism that audiences are still analyzing to this day. There’s one moment in particular that gives us pause every time we see it. Running through the Overlook Hotel, Wendy stumbles upon… this. Yes, that’s a guy in a bear costume and he’s doing exactly what you think he is. Some believe that this is a reference to Stephen King’s novel where a man in a dog suit had a relationship with the owner. Others believe it ties into an earlier scene where Danny was lying on a bear pillow, hinting that Jack has mistreated him. Whatever it means, we’ll never get this image out of our heads.
#5: Xenomorph Skull
“Predator 2” (1990) Sometimes a tiny Easter egg can snowball into something much greater. On the Predator’s ship, Lieutenant Harrigan stumbles upon a trophy room, which includes a skull belonging to a Xenomorph from the “Alien” movies. Astute viewers who caught on to this reference immediately started to theorize ways the “Alien” and “Predator” franchises could be linked. Although an “Alien vs. Predator” story had already been published in a Dark Horse comic several months earlier, it was this paused movie moment that really got fans excited. In the years that followed, we not only saw more “AvP” comics, but novels, video games, and board games as well. It’d take fourteen years to get a theatrical crossover movie, though.
#4: Alfred Hitchcock Presents
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“Psycho” (1960) Alfred Hitchcock had a tendency to make walk-on cameos in his movies, most of which were easy to pinpoint given the director’s unique physique. One of his more elusive cameos was in “Psycho,” which occurs early on as Marion Crane rushes into work. The man standing outside the office window is none other than the Master of Suspense himself, although this is easy to miss for several reasons. For starters, he’s wearing a hat, covering his distinctive balding head. Hitchcock’s back is also turned with only one side of his face visible. It doesn’t help that the movie is in black and white, making it harder to identify people in the background. By pausing and squinting your eyes, though, you can see that it’s definitely Hitch.
#3: “I Saw Her Face”
Top 10 Most Paused Movie Moments
“The Ring” (2002) After watching a cursed videotape, Katie meets her ghastly end at the hands of Samara seven days later. While her death takes place off-screen, Katie’s mother was subjected to Samara’s handiwork. Talking to her sister and protagonist Rachel at the funeral, Ruth recalls opening the closet door to see the petrifying sight of her daughter. Pausing on Katie’s deteriorating skin, rolled eyes, and stretched-out mouth, we’re left to wonder what kind of foul creature could do such a thing. For that matter, how did Katie’s face become so distorted? We’re better off not knowing the nitty-gritty, as this image alone is enough to make our hearts stop.
#2: The Whiteboard
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“The Cabin in the Woods” (2012) This lovingly crafted horror comedy packs so much into a single scene that requires a pause button to catch every detail. Although it’s ultimately decided that zombies will invade the cabin, there were several other candidates on the table, ranging from mainstream monsters like vampires to unconventional horror creatures like the Sugarplum Fairy. Some of the ghouls listed sound tailor-made for spinoff movies, such as Reptilius, The Bride, and The Huron. While these creatures don’t take part in the initial attack on the cabin, many of them pop up during the climatic purge. Some are even alluded to in the cellar. Studying the whiteboard, the audience is encouraged to go through the entire movie and try to spot each monster.
#1: Lipstick-Face Demon
“Insidious” (2010) Call him the Lipstick-Faced Demon, the Red-Faced Demon, or The Man with the Fire in His Face, the villain of “Insidious” had us on pins and needles going into the climax. While we had already gotten a couple of glimpses of the monster, he’s on full display in the final showdown when Josh invades his home turf. Even then, the editing is so quick that you’ll want to pause when Josh turns around to find the demon sticking out his snakelike tongue. Audiences had mixed reactions to the demon’s big reveal. Some felt he delivered on our hair-raising expectations while others argued he looked like Darth Maul with a tail. Either way, we all pressed pause when he reared his crimson face.
