Hooper finding a severed head in Jaws, Psycho’s shower scene, and Drew Barrymore seeing Ghostface for the first time in Scream – research reveals the 20 most terrifying moving jump scares.

20 Most Terrifying Jump Scares in Film History

Researchers quizzed the nation to reveal the biggest “jump scare” moments from our favourite films, with Hooper finding fishermen Ben Gardner’s boat (and his head) in the 1978 classic, Jaws taking the top spot, with 31 percent of the vote.

The shower scene from Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 Psycho scooped second with 25 percent of the vote, while Dallas discovering the alien in an air shaft from Alien (18 percent) came third.

Carrie’s hand bursting out from her grave, in the 1976 adaptation of Stephen King’s first novel (17 percent) and Drew Barrymore’s character, Casey seeing Ghostface for the first time in modern horror classic, Scream (17 percent) round off the top five in the list, which was released by Papa John’s, to celebrate their new Halloween shaped pizza, the Jack-o’-Lantern.

Other scenes to make the list, include Robbie’s clown doll coming to life in Poltergeist (16 percent), Pennywise coming out of the screen as the children watch an old scratchy film in scary movie, It (16 percent), Mills and Somerset discovering a body that isn’t quite dead in Se7en (12 percent) and the kitchen exploding in Paranormal Activity 2 (11 percent).

Modern Classics Make an Appearance

Modern classics also make an appearance in the top 20 with Beau’s noisy spaceship getting him taken by a monster (nine percent) in The Quiet Place and Cecilia pouring white paint from the attic and revealing the invisible man right in front of her in the 2020 film, The Invisible Man (seven percent).

Three quarters (73 percent) admit they end up jumping when they watch a scary movie, with one in three (36 percent) hiding behind a cushion to get through it. Modern Brits (18 to 29 years-old) are most on edge (82 percent), while over 60s (59 percent) are the most relaxed.

One in three (30 percent) say they grip their partner too hard, while 25 percent have ended up turning a film off because they were too freaked out. 21 percent have screamed so loud that their dog has jumped out of its skin.

We Love a Good Movie Scare!

Despite this, 66 percent thrive on being scared with one in three (32 percent) confessing they LOVE the jumpy bits in a movie. In contrast, a quarter (25 percent) hate them. Men are more likely to relish the scares (38 percent) compared to women (26 percent).

Almost half (47 percent) say that horror is their favourite genre, with women the biggest fans (85 percent compared to 82 percent for men).

Cardiff residents are the biggest horror fans in the UK, followed by London and Liverpool. Anyone wanting to avoid a scare should visit Cambridge, Bristol and Plymouth as they are the least likely to pop on a scary movie.

One in three (36 percent) like to snuggle down with their partner to watch a scary film, while a brave 18 percent prefer to watch them on their own.

Four in ten (38 percent) think there is nothing better than a take-away and a scary movie, with pizza (51 percent), Chinese (20 percent), burgers (15 percent) and curry (12 percent) are the top choices.

Pizza and Movie Time

A spokesperson for Papa Johns commented: “As pizza is revealed as the takeaway of choice to enjoy at home this Halloween (51%), we’re delighted to launch our limited-edition Jack-‘o-lantern pizza on the menu just in time for Halloween.”

Half (49 percent) love to give scares by jumping out in front of friends and family, however, one in five (15 percent) say their friends and family don’t find it funny.

The 20 Best Ever Movie Jump Scares

1. Jaws (1978) – Hooper finds fishermen Ben Gardner’s boat – and his head! – 31%

2. Psycho (1960) – The shower scene – 25%

3. Alien (1979) – Dallas suddenly discovers the alien in an air shaft – 18%

4. Carrie (1976) – Carrie’s hand bursts from her grave – 17%

5. Scream (1996) – Drew Barrymore’s Casey sees Ghostface for the first time – 17%

6. Friday 13th (1980) – Jason Voorhees jumps out of the water of Crystal Lake – 16%

7. Poltergeist (1982) – Robbie’s clown doll comes to life – 16%

8. It (2017) – Pennywise comes out of the screen as the children watch an old scratchy film – 16%

9. Insidious (2010) – The red-faced demon appears behind Josh – 15%

10. What Lies Beneath (2000) – While paralysed in the bathtub, Michelle Pfeiffer’s Claire suddenly turns into a corpse – 13%

11. Se7en (1995) – Mills and Somerset discover a body that isn’t quite dead – 12%

12. The Grudge (2004) – a screaming woman slams her hand against the car window – 12%

13. The Conjuring (2013) – Carolyn is beset by a clapping ghost in the dark basement – 12%

14. Paranormal Activity 2 (2010) – The kitchen explosion scene – 11%

15. A Quiet Place (2018) – Beau’s noisy spaceship gets him taken by a monster – 9%

16. The Descent (2005) – Trapped in a cave system Sarah discovers the Crawlers for the first time – 8%

17. Hereditary (2018) – Peter wakes up and his mum, who is possessed by a demon, is crawling on the ceiling – 8%

18. The Invisible Man (2020) – Cecilia pours white paint from the attic and the invisible man is right in front of her – 7%

19. Sinister (2012) – Bughuul’s face appears just before the credits roll – 7%

20. Lights Out (2016) – The opening scene when Rebecca turns off the and there’s a figure watching her – 7%

The Jack-o’-lantern pizza is available to order in store, on the website and via the Papa John’s app from 24th October-31st 2023.

Did you enjoy this article? Browse the latest exclusive special offers and discount codes from my affiliate partners. Click here.

Note: Research of 2,000 British film fans was commissioned by Papa Johns and was conducted by Perspectus Global in October 2023. This article contains affiliate links, meaning that if you shop using the links I share, I receive a small income at no extra cost to yourself. Thank you for supporting SpookyMrsGreen!