JUMP SCARE! The Spookiest Non-Horror Movie (& TV!) Moments

The horror genre doesn’t have a monopoly on scary stuff. Because genres bleed (pun intended) into each other, we often get a mix of themes and motifs within a single film or show. Indeed, media may be stronger when it doesn’t stick rigidly to a single genre. Think, for instance, of fantasy, science fiction, and even super hero genres. They’re not actually as distinct as those simplified categories seem to imply. Genres overlap and build upon one another to create compelling stories.

Compelling, that is, and creepy. In honor of the spooky season, we’re looking at the scariest non-horror movie and TV moments that have crept up on the silver and small screens. Proceed at your own peril!

*Content warnings for violent descriptions and images of blood and gore!*

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Scarlet Witch’s Goes on a Killing Spree (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness)

Hey, we support women’s rights and wrongs. But this one was a little too wrong. Fully in her villain era, Scarlet Witch travels through time and space to absolutely annihilate some of the most powerful Marvel super heroes in existence. She does so in a montage of body horror and blood. It’s creepy, it’s upsetting, and it’s got all the trademarks of a horror film without actually being horror. We’ll also give a special shout out to Dead Doctor Strange, a magical, flying corpse who also appears in Multiverse of Madness. Eek! This MCU film is absolutely bursting with scary supes!

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Ed and Al Transmute Their Bodies (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)

Ultimately, the action genre can get a little gory. Yet Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood doesn’t limit the gore to fight scenes. Instead, the scariest part of the anime comes when two young boys try to resurrect their deceased mother through transmutation. Already, our hearts hurt from this depressing set-up. But then Ed and Al Elric break the laws of alchemy and have to pay a hefty price. Edward loses his arm. Alphonse loses his entire body, and his soul has to be contained in a suit of armor. Worst of all, their mom does come back – but it’s a gurgling, inhuman creature that resembles a mass of organs and tissue rather than a human, and it quickly perishes. Uh … yikes.

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Gregor Clegane Crushes Oberyn’s Head (Game of Thrones)

Often, we can separate ourself from the scariness because it’s so outlandish. Horror and gore are fantastical by nature, which helps us see them as fake. That’s not the case in Game of Thrones, specifically during Oberyn Martell’s death. After a brutal battle with Gregor Clegane AKA The Mountain, victory is within Oberyn’s sight. Maybe that’s why Clegane uses his last bit of strength to leap on Oberyn and crush his skull through his eyeballs. The worst part of this is … how could you do that to the beautiful Pedro Pascal!?

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Agent Smith Seals Neo’s Mouth (The Matrix)

Ugh! We don’t even like looking at that screencap. Scary and sci-fi intertwine in this interrogation scene. Here, Agent Smith seals Neo’s mouth by sticking it together with his own skin. While it happens kind of quickly in The Matrix, the slow, melting, squelching visual is enough to make you shiver. Plus, the entire idea of silencing someone is horrible, especially when it’s so Neo can’t fight back or scream. But that’s what oppressors will do when their authority is challenged!

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Dale Cooper Enters the Red Room (Twin Peaks)

Yes, yes, Twin Peaks is technically kind-of horror. But it’s more murder-mystery/sci-fi/soap opera if we’re splitting hairs. David Lynch’s genius television series blends small-town drama with surrealist tendencies, making for a tense, trance-like, and atmospheric viewing experience. That tension reaches an all-time high in the Red Room. Dale Cooper runs from his evil doppelgänger, encounters Bob, and witnesses a screaming Laura Palmer — a woman who’s meant to be dead. Add those bloody curtains and black and white swirls, and the entire experience is pulse-pounding and hypnotic.

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The Squad Discovers the Starro Experiments (The Suicide Squad)

Hello, nightmare fuel! In DC’s The Suicide Squad, the team infiltrates a secret scientific base in order to shut down Project Starro. Everyone except Peacemaker suffers a major shock when they find solid proof of human experimentation. In these experiments, Starro’s spores have been forcibly attached to subjects. Essentially zombified due to their psychic connection to the Conquerer, these adults and children can feel and “talk” but can’t die. How do we know? They’ve been mutilated and brutalized for the sake of scientific advancement. The images shown during this scene are unnerving and gruesome to say the least, and absolutely belong on this list.

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Which of these moments is the scariest? Did we miss one that you believe is even scarier? Share your thoughts at side.show/geekgroup or in the Sideshow Social Network. And as always, don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!

Do you have a taste for terror? Are you ready to party like a vampire and wake up screaming? Run while you can … Spooktacular has come home!

Kiss your nerves goodbye during Sideshow’s Spooktacular 2024, a celebration with ghastly giveaways, deathly deals, eerie exclusive perks, and more. Join us from October 21 – October 31 by visiting side.show/spooktacular and don’t forget — sleep is for the weak!