The Most Traumatizing Horror Movie Moments

Some shocking horror movie moments live rent free in our heads, whether we want them to or not—like these nine nightmare-inducing scenes.

Have you ever found yourself watching a horror movie, when all of a sudden, there’s a scene that makes you go “Oh shit!” and you just know that scene is gonna stick with you forever? Yeah, me too. There are plenty of horror movie scenes to pick from, but here are a few of the most memorable horror movie scenes that left us absolutely traumatized.

Note: Spoilers abound, as we’ll be discussing the details of particularly shocking and devasting scenes in our favorite horror films. 

1. The Infamous Car Scene, Hereditary (2018)

This 2018 horror film has several memorable moments, but it is this particular scene that left audiences gasping (myself included). In the scene that is arguably the most popular from the film, Peter (Alex Wolff) goes to a party and is forced to take his little sister, Charlie (Milly Shapiro), with him. Charlie, who has a severe nut allergy, accidentally eats something with nuts in it and is struggling to breathe.

Peter rushes Charlie to the car and drives as fast as he can, trying to get her to a hospital. Charlie begins to panic, so in an attempt to get some more air, she rolls the window down and sticks her head out of it. Peter swerves the car, and before she is able to pull her head back in, Charlie’s head collides with a pole, leaving her decapitated. Peter pulls over, sees his headless sister in the back, and drives home. In a state of shock, he leaves her body in the car, leaving their mother to find the body in the morning.

When I first saw this horrifying moment, I was taken aback. There is absolutely no indication that this is going to happen, and it happens so fast that you don’t even have time to catch your breath (I’m sorry… too soon?). The acting in this scene is heartbreaking, and it’s hard not to go from a state of shock to a state of loss for the characters.

2. Friend Gets Sawed in Half, Terrifier (2016)

After being stalked by a creepy-looking clown, Tara (Jenna Kanell) finds herself tied to a chair with duct tape over her mouth. The clown, Art (David Howard Thornton), antagonizes her a bit, then walks over to a sheet that is covering something in the room. Art removes the sheet to reveal Dawn (Catherine Corcoran), Tara’s best friend, hanging upside down by the ankles, naked, duct tape covering her mouth as well.

With his hand saw, Art begins sawing Dawn down the middle (starting, unfortunately, exactly where you think), and all Tara can do is scream behind her duct-taped mouth and watch in horror as her friend is killed before her very eyes. 

This movie scene not only shocked me but also showed me the intensity and brutality of Art the Clown. It was at this moment that I knew there really was no limit for this sadistic killer. He was going to do what he was going to do, and nobody was going to stop him. It is a very graphic scene. Compared to what I’ve heard he does in the other Terrifier films, it actually ends up being on the tamer side. Still, amidst all the horrifically brutal kills in the series, this one remains one of the most unforgettable. 

3. Megan on the Table, Re-Animator (1985)

After he is killed and decapitated, then brought back to life by scientist Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs), Dr. Hill (David Gale) goes crazy in his newly zombified form. He enlists some help from another zombified professor in order to kidnap Megan (Barbara Crampton), the girlfriend of student Dan (Bruce Abbott). After she is placed on the table, unconscious, Hill’s body and head proceed to strip Megan, strap her to the table, and then sexually assault her. It’s as uncomfortable as it sounds. 

This sick scene may be short, but it has stayed with me ever since I watched this film. Sexual assault scenes in horror films are almost always unnecessary, and this one is absolutely unnecessary. I know it is intended to shock audiences and show how gross the villain in the movie is, but… I really don’t think resorting to assaulting female characters is the answer. 

4. Paul’s Permanent Bedridden State, Misery (1990)

After he is kidnapped by superfan Annie (Kathy Bates), Paul (James Caan) finds himself desperate to escape. He uses a bobby pin to pick the lock of the room he is in, then roams around the house, but returns to the room, thinking he has cleaned his tracks. Unfortunately for him, Annie discovers his secret and ties him to his bed. Paul watches in horror as Annie uses a sledgehammer to break his ankles. 

This scene is absolutely brutal, and I find myself cringing even now whenever I watch it. The worst part is that this “hobbling” scene is much worse in the book. This is truly the moment we learn just how crazy Annie is and how far she will go to make sure Paul can never escape.

5. The Test Room, Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)

After he has discovered something fishy is going on in the Silver Shamrock facilities, Dan (Tom Atkins) is taken to a control room by the man behind the factory, Cochran (Dan O’Herilhy). It is in this control room that Dan watches in horror as a family that is visiting the facility is placed in Test Room A, not fully understanding why they are there. The son (Brad Schacter) sees the Silver Shamrock commercial come on and, as instructed by the ad, puts his pumpkin mask on.

As the music plays, the symbol on the back of the mask activates, and the boy cannot take off the mask and drops dead. Bugs and snakes crawl out from under his mask. The mother (Jadeen Barbor) has a heart attack, and the father (Ralph Strait) is bitten by one of the snakes, leaving the entire family dead in the test room.

As a kid, this particular scene was the scariest part of the movie (and even as an adult, I still feel this way). It also is a bit sad. Here is this poor, innocent boy who simply dies for wearing the Halloween mask he loves. Halloween III may not be the favorite of many Halloween franchise fans, but it is hard to deny just how absolutely chilling this scene is.

6. The Fatal Accident, Pet Sematary (1989)

The Creed family and new friend, Jud (Fred Gwynne), sit outside and appear to be enjoying a picnic. Louis (Dale Midkiff) is letting his son, Gage (Miko Hughes), play with a kite. Louis turns his back for just a moment to talk to the family while Gage plays with the kite. Louis doesn’t realize that the kite is drifting closer to the road since little Gage dropped the handle. The small boy waddles towards the road, where a semi-truck is approaching quickly.

Jud and Louis’s wife, Rachel (Denise Crosby), both scream for Louis to get Gage, and we watch as Louis runs as fast he can to catch the little boy and save him from the upcoming truck. Unfortunately, Louis is too late, and the boy is hit by the truck, killing him.

The most heartbreaking part of this scene is that we don’t see the body of the boy, just one single bloody shoe. I’m pretty sure this is the scene that scared my mom so much that she never allowed any of us kids to cross a street without holding her hand as we grew up (and the reason why we all never let my nephew play too close to the road now). It is a shocking scene that will leave any parent or anyone who takes care of small children feeling absolutely devastated. 

7. Helen’s Chase Scene, I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)

In possibly my favorite chase scene of all time, Helen (Sarah Michelle Gellar) finds herself as the target of the fisherman with the hook – the man that she and her friends thought they had killed a year prior, but were wrong. After she watches in horror as a cop is killed by the fisherman, she realizes she has got to find safety. She seeks refuge in her sister, Elsa’s (Bridgette Wilson) store, but the fisherman kills her, too. Helen finds a way out of the locked store and runs through the alleyway, running to the street for safety, where a Fourth of July parade is happening. Right before she reaches the street, the fisherman captures Helen and kills her.

The thing that gets me is just how close Helen is to reaching safety. She literally fights the fisherman right until the bitter end. Many fans of the film (myself included) wish Helen would have survived and been the second final girl of this movie. If you want to relive the moment of rooting for this character, followed quickly by the hopelessness of her being killed mere feet away from safety, revisit this iconic horror movie.

8. The Crucifix Scene, The Exorcist (1973)

After she has become possessed by a demon, Regan (Linda Blair) begins to act violently towards herself and the people around her. In one particular shocking scene, her mother, Chris (Ellen Burstyn) hears Regan screaming, as well as the roars of the demon, and she rushes to Regan’s room. She is horrified to find Regan (taken over by the demon) stabbing her vagina with a crucifix, while chanting “Let Jesus fuck you!” The possessed Regan also shoves her mother’s head down to her vagina, telling Chris to lick her.

This may be a very short scene, but that does not take away from the impact it has had on horror fans. What makes this moment even more shocking is the fact it takes place in 1973, a year when horror was still relatively tame (for the most part) compared to horror today.

I can only imagine just how disgusted audiences were when this film was first released in theaters. It is a truly horrifying scene, and if you’ve never seen the movie before, this will definitely be a moment that stays with you.

9. The Nail Gun, Final Destination 3 (2006)

After trying (and failing) to warn fellow classmates of their impending deaths, Wendy (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and Kevin (Ryan Merriman) go to warn the goth couple Ian (Kris Lemche) and Erin (Alexz Johnson), who work in a hardware store. These two do not take the warning seriously, but as things slowly begin to happen in a chain reaction, Mary dives to save Ian right in time before he is struck by pointed wooden posts. Unfortunately, death skips to Erin, who falls back from the insane accident by the forklift gone loose and falls onto a nail gun, which shoots her multiple times through the head.

I would argue that this is the most gruesome death in this film. And I know there are other shocking and disturbing moments that traumatized fans, but for the 9-year-old me, this scene had me steering clear of nail guns for life.

Always remember, death is always watching, and if you try to avoid it, you’ll end up in a much more horrific death than you would have had you not tried to avoid it. 

There are so many horror movie moments that absolutely shocked and traumatized viewers; this list just barely scratches the surface. What are some disturbing horror movie moments that have stayed with you?