Let’s face it—some clips scare us more than others. They stick with us. They hide in our minds and pop up years later, out of nowhere. Be it a big shock, deep sadness, or just a real mess, these are the moments that make you say, “Why did I watch this before bed?” Here are 9 scary clips from movies, TV, and games that still haunt us—and we’ve ranked them to get you ready as we go on.
9. Little Nightmares & Sally Face – Video Game Frights That Linger
Before movies and TV, let’s talk games that leave you creepy-crawly. Little Nightmares traps you in a dark world with giant eaters and tiny scared kids. Sally Face blends sad tales, odd fears, and brain haunts in ways that stick. One player said Sally Face is “burned in my brain,” which says it all. These aren’t just games to play; they challenge you. They get in your head and don’t leave.
8. Shameless – Fiona’s Dark Fall
Shameless mixes laughs with tears, but Fiona’s downfall cuts deep. Watching her little brother find and take her drugs is tough. A fan shared, “She was doing fine. Watching her almost kill her brother and land in jail shattered me.” It’s not the blood—it’s watching someone fall apart as they were doing better. That shock hurts.
7. Goosebumps – Kids’ Frights That Went Too Far
Though it’s a children’s show, some Goosebumps tales were straight-up nightmares. The Haunted Mask wasn’t just spooky—it made you question yourself, your fears, and lose grip. Terror Tower brought old frights, close calls with beheading, and creepy time leaps.
A viewer noted, “I’ve seen scarier adult movies that were less intense.” Goosebumps didn’t hold back, and it still bothers us years later.
6. The Walking Dead – Glenn’s Harsh Exit
We expect gore in zombie tales—but The Walking Dead pushed too much with Glenn’s death. Negan’s bat, Glenn’s eye, his painful last words—it was brutal. A viewer said, “It made me sick, and I quit watching after that.” Fear isn’t just about zombies; sometimes it’s the cruel, too-real violence that stays inside you.
5. Twin Peaks – Bob’s Creep & Maddy’s Death
David Lynch knows how to get under your skin, and Twin Peaks proved it. There’s Bob—smiling, emerging from behind a couch as if coming right at you. Then, Maddy’s death: intense, sad, prolonged. A fan said it was “pain you can’t turn away from.” It was when the show’s dreamy weirdness turned into pure fear. And if you’ve seen it, you know—it never really leaves you.
4. Martyrs – The Peeling That Breaks People
Martyrs is beyond frightening—it’s sheer agony. When Anna is skinned alive while still awake, the movie has already pulled you through sad, painful stuff. A viewer confessed, “I broke then. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.” The harsh reality, the cruelty, the feeling of being trapped—it’s unforgettable. This terror is built to wound, and it succeeds.
3. Requiem for a Dream – The Downward Spiral That Feels Too Real
There’s not just one moment in Requiem for a Dream—it’s a relentless descent. The images, the sounds, the cuts—they all drag you down with the characters. From shock therapy to that final scene, it’s a continuous drop. A viewer said, “I stared at my blank TV for an hour after it ended.” It’s more about deep sadness than horror, and that hits harder than most frights.
2. Dogville – Three Hours of Deep Sorrow
On paper, Dogville sounds artsy. But in reality, it’s one of the most emotionally exhausting films ever. Nicole Kidman’s character is shamed, hurt, deceived, and betrayed, over and over. There’s no one big event—it’s death by a thousand sad moments. A viewer explained, “Hope appears, only to be crushed time and again.” By the end, you feel beaten—both mentally and emotionally.
1. Eyes Without a Face – The Surgery Scene
A black-and-white French scary film from the ’60s shouldn’t still shake us… but Eyes Without a Face does. The scene where the doctor calmly marks his daughter’s face and begins to cut it away—without looking away—eases the terror in. It’s not flashy. It’s careful. Cold. True. A viewer recalled, “You think they’ll cut away… and they don’t. Then the skin peels off.” No blood, no screams—just a pure scare that lingers.