As long as horror movies have existed, they've all figured out different ways to scare the viewer. Be it by building a slow sense of dread over time that culminates in an anxiety-fueled climax, or by ...

If you've ever seen a horror film, you've likely experienced a jump scare. A mix of cinematic build-up, sonic tension, play on expectations and intent to scare, the jump scare is a classic building ...

Ghosts are known to go bump in the night without any warning. Perhaps that's why so many paranormal movies are haunted by jump scares. "Haunted" is the verb to use here because it evokes either ...

It’s one of the most well-worn tricks in the horror handbook: An innocent victim is minding their own business, nothing happening, and then…something happens to make the watcher’s heart skip a beat.

The second installment of the Final Destination franchise continues the theme of escaping death’s design. A group of survivors cheats death in a massive highway pileup as one of them foresees it.

Horror has many tropes, but one of the biggest is the jump scare. They've become commonplace in the genre over the decades as an easy way to get an audience to react, but while some, such as in ...

Fred Walton’s When a Stranger Calls features one of the most intense opening acts of any ‘70s horror film. Unfortunately, the picture meanders and loses its way in the second act, ultimately regaining ...