AHHctober: The 5 Best Moments In Horror Movies This Year

These past few years have seen the release of a lot of phenomenal horror movies and 2018 has been no different. This has opened the door not only to some good scares but also to some of the freakiest and most unforgettable movie scenes in recent memory. But which ones stand above the rest for 2018? Though it seems an impossible task, I’ve narrowed down the list to the five best scenes in horror this year. Enjoy!

5.) The Hokey Pokey– Mom and Dad

Mom and Dad quietly hit streaming services back in January but it’s dark premise and unhinged nature make now the perfect time to slip it into your que. If nothing else you’ll experience Nicolas Cage’s looniest performance yet as a hysterical father trying desperately to murder his two children. One scene sticks out as particularly Cagey wherein Nic manically bashes in a pool table with a sledgehammer while singing the Hokey Pokey. It’s joyously bonkers.

4.) Tub Birth– A Quiet Place

A Quiet Place isn’t just one of the best horror movies of 2018 so far, it’s one of the finest films of any genre period with some of the year’s best performances. Emily Blunt in particular deserves special recognition. It’s anguishing to watch as her character languishes through the impossibility of a silent childbirth as a mysterious monster that hunts by sound lurks just outside the doorway. In addition to serving as a master class in acting, this scene is gripping and deeply unnerving. As if going into labor wasn’t emotional enough.

3.) Screaming Bear– Annihilation

Annihilation is a heady horror flick for the person who enjoys thinking their way through their thrills. One scene however is disturbing on a more primitive level. Our band of heroines, who’ve been sent to investigate a growing region effected by a mysterious organism from space, find themselves tied up and at the mercy of a horrifically mutated grizzly with a skull where its face should be and that’s not even the worst part. Instead of growling, the bear emits the agonized screams of its most recent human victim whenever it opens its jaws. It’s perhaps the most unsettling scene on this list and one that will haunt your sleep long after the movie’s over.

2.) Pool Duel– The Strangers: Prey at Night

Bryan Bertino’s minimalist home invasion slasher The Strangers was not critically well-received but over time fans helped nurture it to cult status and have been calling for a sequel ever since its release a decade ago. Well the wait finally ended this past March when we got The Strangers: Prey at Night. It’s a respectable follow-up that honors the first film while also trying new things. The most memorable result of this is a life-or-death struggle between the Man in the Mask and a potential victim. It’s an exceptionally well shot sequence with some intense action paired with legitimate emotional stakes. It’s undoubtedly the technical peak of the series so far and one of the best moments in horror this year.

1.) Car Ride– Hereditary

The best moment in horror so far this year is also the most uncomfortable to watch as a teenage boy quietly sits in his car at the side of the road, struggling to process the unbearable reality of his horrific situation. Unlike other scenes on this list, this moment fully falls on the actor, in this case Alex Wolff, and his heartbreaking reaction. Like all great horror, this scene asks you to put yourself in the same situation and once you do it can be difficult not to lose your lunch in sickening remorse.