Effective jump-scares are notoriously difficult to pull off. While anyone can pair a freaky image with a loud noise in order to startle audiences, it takes a real master of the craft to extract tension from the moments leading up to the scare itself – and that’s not even mentioning how hard it is to […]
Effective jump-scares are notoriously difficult to pull off. While anyone can pair a freaky image with a loud noise in order to startle audiences, it takes a real master of the craft to extract tension from the moments leading up to the scare itself – and that’s not even mentioning how hard it is to make these moments serve some sort of narrative purpose.
However, if there’s one franchise that was built on the expert use of jump-scares, it has to be TheConjuring series and its numerous spin-offs. Not only are these movies a rare example of a successful cinematic universe that doesn’t revolve around superheroes, but they also seem to have perfected the formula for memorable cinematic frights. And in honor of The Conjuring: Last Rites bringing the “phase one” of the franchise to a thrilling conclusion, we’ve decided to come up with a list celebrating six of the scariest jump-scares in the Conjuring Universe!
For the purposes of this list, we’ll be considering isolated scares regardless of the overall quality of the movie they came from. We also won’t be including scenes from the new movie (or its marketing material) in order to avoid spoilers. That being said, don’t forget to comment below with your own favorite frights if you think we missed a particularly spooky one.
The first Annabelle movie is a lot more entertaining than most people give it credit for. Of course, much of the entertainment value comes from the film’s overt homages to Rosemary’s Baby in both its writing and visuals. This cinematic influence also extends to the movie’s scares, as this spin-off features one of the most traditional depictions of a demon in the entire franchise in the form of Malthus.
And in one of Malthus’ most memorable appearances, it appears to chase Annabelle Wallis up the stairs of an old apartment building before briefly teleporting above her (and the audience) in a nightmare-inducing jump-scare. This moment goes by so fast that you might not even notice that the demon’s exaggerated design makes him look a little bit like a rejected member of Gwar.
5. The Ferryman Attacks – Annabelle Comes Home (2019)
My personal favorite entry in the expanded Conjuring universe, Annabelle Comes Home feels more like The Conjuring 2.5 than an actual spin-off, with the film prominently featuring the Warrens’ iconic collection of cursed artifacts as well as including the duo themselves as minor characters. That’s why it makes sense that such an ambitious spin-off would also boast some of the best scares in the series.
One stand-out moment happens to be yet another extended exercise in rising tension where a teenager is steadily stalked by the Ferryman, a demonic entity with coins in place of eyes and a habit of carrying living souls to the other side. From the excellent use of contrasting light and shadow to obscure the villain’s face to the sudden reveal of his mangled design, it’s easy to understand why plenty of fans are still waiting for that rumored Ferryman spin-off film.
5. Runaway Sheets – The Conjuring (2013)
There’s a reason why the original Conjuring film kicked off a billion-dollar franchise, and that reason is James Wan. Not only was the celebrated filmmaker able to keep these scary movies grounded by setting up a solid emotional core in the form of the fictionalized Warrens, but Wan also delivered a series of unexpected scares that left audiences constantly feeling that any given scene was just seconds away from devolving into a nightmare.
A great example of this is the moment in the first film where Lorraine walks by some laundry that was hung out to dry when a sudden gust of wind blows one of the family’s sheets directly onto an invisible entity. It’s an unpredictable fright that caught most audiences by surprise and would likely make both Michael Myers and the Invisible Man jealous!
3. Valak’s Introduction – The Conjuring 2 (2016)
The second Conjuring film was a much more intimate affair, with Wan wanting to give our protagonists more emotional depth while also developing the Hodgson family into more than a mere collection of victims. That being said, this sequel is by no means devoid of memorable scares, with one of the best introducing a character that has arguably become just as iconic as Annabelle.
Valak’s introduction is a hair-raising sequence where Lorraine Warren is haunted by the same that entity that Ed had previously painted in an unsettling portrait, with this slow-burn scare serving as proof that the cinematic journey is more important than the destination. After all, while the pay-off isn’t all that creative (with the demon simply ramming Lorraine with the painting), I’d argue that the tension preceding this attack is the stuff of cinematic legend.
2. The Magazine Scare – The Nun 2 (2023)
The first Nun movie may have been a more stylish endeavor (with director Corin Hardy citing both the Hammer Horror films and the Castlevania games as his biggest influences when defining that film’s setting), but Michael Chaves’ sequel takes the cake when it comes to raw frights. A great example of this is the flipping magazine scare that was heavily promoted in the flick’s marketing.
In a clever throwback to the Nun’s first appearance as a painting back in The Conjuring 2, Valak is initially teased as a vague image formed out of various magazine pages manipulated by an evil wind before finally manifesting as the Nun that we all know and fear. It’s visual storytelling at its finest.
1. The Ghost Clap – The Conjuring (2013)
An innocent game of Hide-and-Clap that culminates in one of the most terrifying moments of the series, the iconic ghost clap still remains one of the franchise’s most memorable scares over twelve years later. In fact, one could argue that the entire series was built on the back of this single scene, as it was heavily featured in the movie’s promotional material back in the day – meaning that we likely wouldn’t have this cinematic universe if it wasn’t for this simple yet effective little scare.
And if you ask me, this moment also serves as proof that you don’t need complicated effects and demonic imagery to craft an effective jump scare. Sometimes, context and skilled direction is more than enough to make even the most innocuous things seem terrifying.
The Conjuring: Last Rites is now playing in theaters nationwide.
