20 Scary Movies with One Iconic Scene, but an Otherwise Silly Story

There are many awful horror films to provide as evidence that some movies should never be produced. One particularly outstanding sequence, however, manages to save those terrible horror films, as can be noted in these 20 movies called up on an online forum.

1. Halloween 2 (2009)

WEALTHOFGEEKS FeaturedImageTemplate 3 11
Image Credit: Wireimage.com.

Most people dislike Rob Zombie's Halloween II, but it does have redeemable qualities. Such as the scene where Sheriff Brackett comes home and finds Annie dead is an amazing performance.

2. Sleepaway Camp (1983)

Sleepaway Camp 1983 American Eagle Films e1692729904953
Image Credit: American Eagle Films.

Sleepaway Camp is one of those movies that could've been a classic but somehow fell short. However, the ending of the film is so good, that it makes the rest okay. 

3. Ghost Ship (2002)

Ghost Ship Emily Browning
Image Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures.

The opening scenes are all friendly and lovely until a thin metal wire is suddenly released by two gloved hands onto the dance floor, cutting almost everyone in half. Beyond this, there isn't much to keep you going with the film. The best sequence occurs five minutes into the film, and the rest drags on like a trip to the dentist.

4. Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)

Halloween 5 The Revenge Of Michael Myers, Danielle Harris
Image Credit: Galaxy Releasing.

One scene, the extremely tense set-piece when Jamie hides in a laundry chute while Michael stalks her, almost justifies the movie's existence. This is the only sequence in the film that John Carpenter could have directed.

5. The Strangers: Prey at Night (2018)

The Strangers: Prey at Night, Bailee Madison, Lewis Pullman
Image Credit: Aviron Pictures.

This largely forgettable movie has one outstanding scene that belongs in a far greater film. The concluding scenes showed Luke's fight with the strangers, where he was ultimately saved by his sister, Kinssey, after being stabbed by the last poacher.

6. Choose or Die (2022)

Choose or Die, Iola Evans
Image Credit: Anton Stigma Films / Netflix.

Choose or Die is a very forgetful Netflix movie, according to a viewer But they did stress that the scene where the girl's mom is running from a huge rat and can only hear her voice over the phone is unbelievably creepy. It was a creative scene that had the desired effect on viewers, making us wonder why such creativity wasn't replicated throughout the movie

7. Annabelle (2014)

Annabelle, Annabelle Wallis
Image Credit: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

The Conjuring Universe's worst movie, Annabelle, is an unsettlingly hilarious farce with terrible acting and tedious genre clichés that lacks atmosphere. However, just one scene genuinely encapsulates James Wan's vision for the first Conjuring. It takes place in the basement of Mia's apartment, where a supernatural force is pursuing her.

8. House of Wax (2005)

House of Wax, Paris Hilton
Image Credit: Warner Bros.

This remake isn't quite in the bottom tier of pointless horror remakes. However, it's still far from being a truly fantastic movie. It doesn't offer much beyond its respectable sequences of bloodshed. But if you can manage about the one-hour running duration of the film, you'll be rewarded with a meaty act. The moment in question is the death of Paris Hilton's character, Paige Edwards, a vacuous young woman in a frontal spoof of her real-life image.

9. Darkness Falls (2003)

Darkness Falls, Emma Caulfield Ford, Chaney Kley
Image Credit: Sony Pictures Releasing.

In this highly ludicrous and unconvincing horror movie, Kyle Walsh (Chaney Kley) returns to his childhood home to face the supernatural being known as the Tooth Fairy, which killed his mother 12 years earlier. Even if most of the film is corny, the first scene where we see Kyle's mother's life snuffed is disturbing.

10. Friday The 13th (2009)

Friday the 13th 2009
Image Credit: Paramount Pictures.

Friday the 13th gets off to a beautiful start, establishing a fast-paced tone, but it loses steam after the first 20 minutes. Before the title card, we witness a bunch of stoners discussing the Jason Voorhees mythology over a campfire, with black and white clips of some of the most iconic scenes in the show. Around the 25-minute mark, nearly everyone the movie introduced is no more, with another group of teens taking their place.

11. The Human Centipede (2009)

The Human Centipede, Dieter Laser
Image Credit: Bounty Films.

Another movie fan said Human Centipede was a terrible movie but the scene where the doctor describes the procedure with crude pen diagrams is a really good scene. It's just the right amount of clinical detachment while everyone else is overacting and sells how back alley the whole operation is.

12. Jason X (2001)

Jason X, Lexa Doig
Image Credit: New Line Cinema.

All bets are off with the tenth installment set in space; no one can expect anything exceptional. That's what Jason X is, except for a single slaughter that is so masterful that it makes the entire film eternal and stands out as one of the most inventive bloodshed scenes the genre has ever seen.

13. Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 (1987)

Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2
Image Credit: Silent Night Releasing Corporation / Ascot Entertainment.

The “Garbage Day” segment doesn't belong in the movie and comes as a bit of a surprise. The look on his face and his ludicrous, over-the-top laughter is a cinematic achievement. They are not as quickly forgotten as the rest of the movie when Ricky fires at his unaware neighbor, who innocently brings out the trash.

14. Deep Blue Sea (1999)

Deep Blue Sea, Samuel L. Jackson
Image Credit: Warner Bros.

The redeeming act in this otherwise dumb movie is when Russell Franklin (Samuel L. Jackson) tries to give the gathered survivors a stirring rallying speech after the genetically modified sharks escape and cause mayhem. Russell is dragged into the murky depths and torn apart by a shark who jumped out of their enclosure as he was about to convey his plan.

15. Saw V (2008)

Saw V, Costas Mandylor
Image Credit: Lionsgate Films.

In one of the finest moments of this fifth installment, Strahm performs an impromptu tracheotomy that allows him to breathe.

16. Diary of The Dead (2007)

Diary of the Dead,
Image Credit: Third Rail Releasing.

The most memorable sequence concerns a deaf Amish farmer named Samuel (R.D. Reid), who arrives out of nowhere to assist some students whose RV breaks down in Pennsylvania. As three zombies approach, Samuel throws a stick of dynamite in their direction and exterminates them. Unfortunately, a fantastic combat sequence turns into a heartbreaking farewell when Samuel tries to end his own life with a scythe after being bitten in the neck.

17. Final Destination 5 (2011)

Final Destination 5, Emma Bell, Nicholas D'Agosto
Image Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures.

Although following in the path of the previous four, the fifth movie brings an unexpected and unique twist. The heroes ultimately decide to start a new life after escaping what seemed to be their impending demise. They board a flight for Paris, an aircraft that turns out to be Flight 180, which combusts mid-air at the start of this franchise, purporting that the events here happened before the first installment.

18. Tusk (2014)

Michael Parks in Tusk
Image Credit: A24.

Tusk is a very interesting and dark film about an egotistical man who finds an interesting interview subject in a recluse older man, who turns him into a walrus. While the film is so strange, a lot of the scenes seem to stick with the viewers, especially the final scene of the movie.

19. The Bye Bye Man (2017)

The Bye Bye Man 2017
Image Credit: STX Entertainment.

A lot of people were pretty excited when they saw the opening scene of The Bye Bye Man, but it was the best scene of the entire film. The rest of the movie felt pretty mediocre and people wished the entire film was as good as the opening few minutes.

20. Antlers (2021)

Keri Russell in Antlers
Image Credit: Searchlight Pictures.+

One of the best parts of Antlers was when the monster revealed itself to the audience. Now, if the entire movie felt as tense and as scary as that moment, it would have been a much better film across the board.

Source: Reddit.

Author: Amaka Chukwuma

Title: Writer

Expertise: Lifestyle and Finance

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Amaka Chukwuma is a finance and lifestyle writer with a real knack for the craft. She's been at it for over four years, making her mark on places like FinanceBuzz and The Buttonwood Tree, not to mention some cool collaborations with various brands. Her work with Wealth of Geeks has been widely appreciated, with syndication across multiple platforms and publications. Amaka's got a BA in Linguistics. When she's taking a break from her writing adventures, you'll probably find her digging into some delicious pies or exploring the food scene. Want to see what she's up to or get a taste of her work? Hit her up on LinkedIn and Twitter.