How to Write Jump Scares (Writing Advice)

Learn how to write Jump Scares--with examples from Alien, Halloween, Jaws, and more!
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[@AskAScreenwriter]

I'm not generally a fan of jump-scares, but in The Lord of the Rings, when Bilbo Baggins suddenly reaches out for the ring that Frodo is holding I thought was a good one.

[@ScrambledAndBenedict]

Jump scares have their place. They only really get bad when they're overused. The original Resident Evil, for example, had very few jumpscares and most of the horror is slow and foreboding, and foreshadowed in a way that makes it far creepier than if something leaped out at you (like the pov of the zombie staggering down the stairs), but the most iconic scare in the game is the jump scare when the zombified dogs leap through the window.

[@bobstanley8376]

Those damn dogs jumping through the window in resident evil… still have feelings of unease

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

I considered including RE1’s dogs and Oven Man from RE4 in this video

[@ElliYeetYT]

What makes the Jaws one also so effective is that first time viewers hadn’t seen what the shark actually looked like until that very moment. So it gives us not only a jumpscare, but also fear in what Brody and his team are actually going up against.

[@jesusromanpadro3853]

And we were used to hear the theme music every time the shark appeared, but they didn't play it, so we had no idea it was coming. 🦈

[@gtube6913]

I enjoyed Jurassic Park. It covers a lot of what you mentioned in one act. Ellie is in desperate fear to re-engage the power lines manually knowing theres raptors in the vicinity. The last she knew there was another survivor. So she falls to her ass and suddenly theres Mr Arnold's hand dropped on her shoulder from behind, and her tension is high and then settled only to reignite when she discovered the arm is severed from the body. So she is alone again and the threats are further intense. It shows how even when shes being brave shes still hopeful for other survivors to comfort her.

[@JohnnyWordSmith]

That’s what I was thinking of!

[@francolmable]

I love the anti-jumpscare in "nope" where we have a character checking the cameras, and the in the background we see a shadow followed with a musical queue. And there the shadow is reavealed to be a coworker of the character and just goes and pokes him in the shoulder which makes the character jump. It was really funny when it happened

[@marcofernandes8912]

Appropriate video for Halloween, Brandon.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Thanks!

[@KutWrite]

"Let's go, Brandon!"

[@anon_y_mousse]

I completely forgot about that scene in the Dark Knight. I was confused at the start because it's not a scary movie, but somehow that drop got me even though you were clearly setting it up.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

TDK has a couple sneaky good jump scares. The pool table scene also comes to mind

[@DatsWhatXiSaid]

There was a great jump scare in the Simpson's Halloween Special that parodied "The Shining." Like in Jack with Wendy in the movie, Homer is backing Marge up the lounge area stairs and starts exaggerating Jack's facial expressions until... he scares **himself** with a mirror. So, it's a gag for the audience, but a jump scare for a character. Odd hybrid stuff, but classic.

[@KutWrite]

I haven't seen that show in a long while, but remember its having GREAT concepts and writing... and guest characters!

[@leyenda6149]

The best written jump scare I can recall was in Nineteen Eighty Four when Winston & Julia are discovered by the disembodied voice. That scared the 💩 out of me!

[@educatetheleft]

Ben Gardner’s corpse reveal in Jaws was a HELL of a jump-scare!!!

[@jesusromanpadro3853]

And added after the movie was already on theaters.

[@Coroplocs-Chameleon]

As soon as I saw Michael Myers in a Brandon video, I clicked on this video faster than my reaction to getting jumpscared.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Haha thanks!

[@nelsonbutler2801]

The ring jump scare is still my favorite, I remember seeing it at 6 years old and being caught completely off gaurd. The sound of it was horrifying too , glad you included it.

[@wombat6]

My most memorable jumpscare is in the movie "The Game" (with Michael Douglas). There's a scene in the movie where the main character comes home and finds his house has been broken into. We hear noise upstairs, he takes out his gun and goes through both floors of the house, finding nobody. He then calls the cops from inside the house, with his back to the glass door. The cop on the other end of the line asks him something along the lines of "are you sure they aren't still in the house?" and BOOM someone slams against the door from outside.

[@Mistashiba]

the scariest jumpscare of all time was the body in Se7en. Not just becasue it was unexpected but because it made a terrifying scene even scarier. I'd love to see an analysis of that scene cause it me its easily the scariest scene in a movie ever.

[@erakfishfishfish]

It’s easily the most disturbing jump scare out there!

[@theresaginaaust6815]

I keep a gif of that exact jump scare from It Follows. Gives me the willies every time.

[@ElevenElevenElevenEleven]

First, your videos have helped me tons. Thanks brandon!

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Thrilled to hear it! Thanks for watching

[@brandonlunnon9041]

Favourite jump scare is either Pennywise coming out of the projector in IT part 1, or when the Nun comes out of the painting in The Conjuring 2. Thanks for the videos, they really help. 👍

[@andevious4743]

Favorite jump scare has to be in Smile when she's listening to the audio recording. You know it's coming, but the delivery is unexpected and made me throw the remote.

[@j-rey-]

This might qualify as a jump scare in a novel. I didn't jump obviously, but felt the horror hit me in one line when reading the Red Wedding chapter in A Song of Ice and Fire (books that Game of Thrones was based on). Spoilers: For the entire last book and a half, we are told that Walder Frey is vindictive, vicious, and untrustworthy, so when Robb Stark betrays his marriage pact to one of Walder's daughters, we expect harsh revenge. When they try to make it up to him by marrying Robb's uncle to one of Walder's daughters, we feel uneasy throughout the whole wedding chapter, wondering if this peace offering really worked. The chapter is full of foreshadowing, a grim tone with a horrible storm occurring outside the castle, odd character interactions, and descriptions of disgusting food, but still, nothing seems overtly amiss until Robb's mother, Catelyn, notices one of the Freys be extremely rude to Dacey Mormont, one of Robb's bodyguards, for seemingly no reason. Cat grabs one of Walder's fleeing sons by the arm, where she feels chainmail. I didn't quite know what that meant at first. Then, Cat slaps him. Still, I was a little confused, but on edge. At that point, one of Robb's other bodyguards sees the slap and asks if something is wrong. I finally understood what was to come when a crossbow bolt suddenly sprouted from his face. It really is a masterful chapter that hits you in the gut brutally. After reading that one line, I read the rest of the chapter with one hand over my mouth in absolute shock, even though I felt stupid for being shocked. I couldn't wait to see my friend's face when the Red Wedding episode aired later that year.

[@mohammedfaqih499]

I hope to learn more of the difference between terror and horror

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Good idea for a video. I'll add this to my list

[@Joey7Z7Horror]

You should always have at least one or both in a horror movie

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

What's your favorite jump scare? Let us know!

[@Coroplocs-Chameleon]

That one jumpscare in Temple of Doom. It's the one that catches Willie and Short Round off guard. The scene is built up to make you think that the gang is safe and undetected in the underground mines, until the members notice.

[@Galvatron759]

My favourite is in Final Destination, when Terry walks across the road and suddenly gets splattered by a bus. I like that it’s set up when Alex sees the reflection of a bus in the window so we know that Death is going to use a bus, but we have no idea when it’s coming or who is about to die

[@tacoforce5]

fredy fazbore

[@BaggierMilk]

I've already commented my favorite on-screen jump scare, but I am more intrigued by the jump scare in a novel. I've read a good amount of horror and I think the only book that I would list as an effective written jump scare is Hyperion, and that's not even horror. There are certainly others with terrifying and sudden revelations, but the scene where the priest is revealed on the electric tree actually made my jaw drop in horror.

[@PurpleSun8933]

Showgirls. Whole movie absolutely frightening.

[@russellvitranoiii3504]

I've always found the TV/radio scenes where you think they're just expositing to a general audience--and then they say something to the specific character watching or listening--to be EXTREMELY creepy. That, "I SAID, LOOK BEHIND YOU!" on the radio in the PT scene you showed is excellent. Also, in Scary Movie...1? Where Regina Hall's character accidentally turns on that movie's version of The Ring, even though that's supposed to be a comedy, I found that pretty intense, too.

[@squadhoodie8895]

Can I recommend you do a video on writing sly, charismatic, cunning characters such as Saul Goodman, Nick wild, dark knight joker, house from house MD, Tyler Durden, ect, like ones that are wolves in the wolves and sheep’s metaphor or symbolic fox character in any children story’s, it would help me a lot with a character I’m writing 🧖🏾‍♂️👍🏾

[@_HOTmike_]

My take on the two main differences between video jump-scare and book-format is... 1: The obvious. You don't have image- and sound effects to work with; written words only; so you have to do all the work with words. I think maybe the biggest hazard is temptation to fully describe the scene in the moment, inadvertently killing the pacing. Build up to it, so everything is in place when you need it. 2: The tricky part. The reader's eyes will have already seen the next line with the jump-scare before it's the line currently being read. You need to keep the reader's brain from parsing the scare-effect before it hits. Like, maybe in a high-pace scene where the reader already has to pay attention to keep up. Or perhaps a hard change of context; like, from a deep internal moment to purely external events. Anyway, thanks for yet another great video. I've struggled with jump-scares in my own amateur hobby-writing for a while. The topic hasn't come up in any other author how-to I've viewed. It's great to see a video finally adressing it: which and where and why and how often to use them - and when not to, and fallout consequences.

[@LordBaktor]

The jump scare that worked on me for the longest time is when Dr. Ellie Sattler has just finished resetting all the electrical fences in Jurassic Park, leans against some pipes and a Raptor suddenly pokes it's head out next to her. I've watched that movie over a hundred times (I was a lonely kid) and I stopped jumping in my seat at around viewing 40 or 50.

[@Maratletoso]

Great video, I’m trying to learn everything I can on writing. I recently find your channel and I have to say that your videos are very clear and helpful. I’ve written a bit more than a couple scripts, but I feel that your videos had helped me to structure more the way of thinking before I seat to write. 👍👍👍

[@reubenmanzo2054]

I got 2 jump scares from the 1998 Blizzard game StarCraft, 1 expected and 1 unexpected. The expected jump scare is a cinematic in the middle of the 2nd campaign called 'Battle on the Amerigo'. This cinematic directly follows the mission 'Amerigo', where Kerrigan infiltrates a space station to study some of the ghost projects. In the cinematic, a demolition squad is sent to the space station to deal with the compromised vessel. Upon entering, one of the marines asks if they're really going to blow the place, to which another marine replies "Only if we see a zerg", and the first marine comments "I got your zerg right here", almost mocking the danger. Next thing, we see is a claw go through his helmet, killing him. I would consider this an expected scare because given the mission we just played, we as the audience would have reason to suspect that there might still be some of those creatures on board even if we didn't explicitly see any prior to that moment. The unexpected jump scare is a cinematic in the middle of the 3rd campaign called 'The Ambush'. This cinematic takes place in a terran encampment. A watchguard is on lookout and notices a probe in the distance. He reports this to his commanding officer who orders to kill it. So, they roll out a tank, fire one shell and we see the probe explode. The watchguard wastes no time to start cheering, saying "Feel that hot love right up your tailpipe", at which point a laser is fired from off screen directly at the outpost, destroying the outpost and killing the guard that was standing there. At that moment, protoss dragoons materialise in the area and destroy the encampment. I would consider this an unexpected scare because we had no indication that there was anything other than the lone probe. The dragoons materialising is just as much a surprise to us as it is to the soldiers that just got ambushed.

[@Maerahn]

Not sure if this comes under jumpscares directly, but it was certainly creepy back in its time... the game 'Black&White,' developed by genius gaming maverick Peter Molyneux, had coding included it it that enabled the game to access certain personal information in your PC's system files- like your username, stored email data, all sorts of things - and use it in the game. So, over time, for instance, you'd notice that the villagers in your little world were named after the contacts in your email address book. But one of the creepiest things was if the game could access your actual name (or whatever username you'd defined for Windows.) There was actual code in the game that would specifically kick in when you were playing it late at night - midnight onwards - where a faint, barely-audible voice from 'somewhere' would quietly whisper your name. It wasn't publicised in their website as a feature until the game had been out for several months - at which point loads of people left comments saying stuff like "oh thank god - I thought I was losing my mind/hallucinating!"

[@janataylor2721]

My favorite jump scare and the most memorable one for me was from Jaws (1975) when when Hooper finds Ben Gardener's boat and the severed head drops into view from the hole in the side.

[@DavidDavyDavidson]

The Ring closet scene is always going to be "the" jump scare for me. It's the only film to give me literal nightmares.

[@TheAzureJahk]

I love the quarantine room in Dead Space where it locks you in and slowly scans for infection before letting you through. You are on edge waiting for the attack that doesn't come. Then on the way back it locks you in as get attacked from all sides and defend until it clears the alarm. Using the same setup as an anti jump scare after a long build up then hitting you the second time.

[@EVONOPOLIS]

The first Evil Dead movie from the 80's is also a good example of writing a good jump scare when you want to write a story about demons.

[@Demonos3]

The Attack Cat in the first Horrible Bosses movie. Not even paying attention and the camera rolls by what you think is a stuffed cat. Got a good laugh out of me with it after it jumped out lol.

[@E71101]

Brandod, please, make a video about books about tropes in literature, movies, scenarios. There is so many divided videos and articles about tropes, but it's hard to find one or two books where we could find a lot of them in one place. If there is books which analyse the tropes or just try to show top 100 tropes it's will be super useful!

[@mathieuleader8601]

the sudden appearance of the Mr. Burns alien from the Simpsons episode the Springfield Files is a great jumpscare especially with the built up and the rustling of the leaves nice soundscape work involved.

[@IsmaelSilva7]

The jumpascare in the movie "The Descent" when the girls start using the night vision is EPIC. Great video!

[@gtube6913]

Yes and the vision flashback when she looks out the window when the pole comes at her.

[@reneepena2208]

My all time favorite jump-scare has to be ‘The Ring’. Absolutely threw me off, had me recovering for a good minute to only realize I can’t even truly remember what the face looked like. I just knew it looked terrifying.

[@Steelo832]

It’s either the Exorcist III hospital scene or the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre scene where Leatherface is revealed for the first time. Funny thing about that Exorcist one is that I had it spoiled for me so many times on KZbin over the years, and yet when I finally watched it, it caught me completely off guard

[@jesusromanpadro3853]

That Exorcist 3 jump scare is a classic.

[@errantwinds-up8uu]

Hi Brandon, thanks for replying to my comment last week about Eternal Darkness! Not exactly writing related here I know but the game you mentioned, PT, sounds a little like it but on a more personal horror level than a cosmic horror level. I'm not a huge gamer but I just really love suspense so I'll have to check that out! Thank you!

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Eternal Darkness had some memorable jump scares (the save data corruption one immediately comes to mind). PT unfortunately is impossible to find these days unless you buy a used PS4 that has PT installed for like $700+. Konami delisted the game years ago and refuses to let anyone download it

[@errantwinds-up8uu]

@@WriterBrandonMcNulty Oh that's really sad! I'll have to read up on it then. Sounds very cool. And yeah ED did have some excellent jump scares as well as the suspense before them. It's been a little while but I remember a creature appearing in the kitchen that almost made me fall out of my chair.

[@davidnance9462]

I’ve been waiting for this

[@LeAlzanatorLe937th]

The man at the window from The Strangers. Perfect suspense build-up letting the audience know of danger but not the character. The scream was pretty good as well

[@Reggie2000]

Fun fact! Books can have pictures. Put the jump scare picture on the following page of the book. Example: bla, bla, bla build up, tension rises, then something like: Finally Amy turned the corner, and what she saw, sent chills down the cheerleaders spine... *page turn Horrific looking picture!!! 😱

[@jesusromanpadro3853]

This is what Junji Ito do in his horror Manga. In the last panel, you see the character(s) reacting to something, and when you turn the page you see a horrible drawing that may have taken him about 8 hours to do. O_o

[@erakfishfishfish]

My favorite jump scare is from Kingpin, when Roy sees his landlady in the rearview mirror. It comes out of nowhere and is funny as hell. A very close second is from Seven when they’re investigating the sloth victim only to discover he’s not dead yet. It’s genuine;y frightening and incredibly disturbing.

[@whobitmyname]

Best non-horror jump scare has to be that dock scene transition in The Usual Susoects.

[@dawnkravagna3200]

For me, the movie that most effectively used sound to create jump scares was the first Robocop movie directed by Paul Verhoeven.

[@houseofjanzen]

Great video dude. Thank you

[@siegfriedmordrake3229]

Mentioning PT as an example? I see you're a man of culture as well

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

It scared me in broad daylight with friends around. Game is on another level

[@talanodea]

the 2023 movie '65' has a combination of expected and unexpected jump scares from what I remember the last time I watched it, which was in theatres.

[@FuzzyFoot58]

Worst jumpscare: random cat jumps out from somewhere and hisses.

[@horrortopia]

DISCLAIMER - UNSPONSORED 00:21 - 1. Spoiler Warning 00:26 - 2. What is a Jump Scare? 00:48 - 3. Why use Jump Scares? 1:29 - 4. Two Types of Jump Scares 1:51 - 4.a. Expected Jump Scare Example 2:18 - 4.b. Unexpected Jump Scare Explanation 2:32 - 4.c. Unexpected Jump Scare Examples 3:18 - 5. Can Jump Scares Work in Books 3:59 - 6. 5 Tips for Using Jump Scares 4:04 - 6.a. Tip #1 - Create a Clear Setting & String Atmosphere 5:42 - 6.b. Tip #2 - Story Consequences 6:06 - 6.c. Tip #3 - Don't Force a Jump Scare 7:20 - 6.d. Tip #4 - Avoid Cheap Fake-outs 8:28 - 6.e. Tip #5 - Anti-Jump Scares 9:28 - 7. What's Your Favorite Jump Scare 9:34 - Support Mr. Brandon Macnulty

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Thanks for doing this!

[@mystbunnygaming1449]

What I hate is the cheap jump-scare where they have the sound down really low, force you to turn up the volume to hear what anyone is saying, then loud noise with thing. It just comes off as lazy. I'm blanking on the name of a game that did this where you have to max out the volume to hear the footsteps you need to hear to avoid something.

[@FanFavoriteToasted]

Not Fnaf 4 making you listen for breathing

[@reubenmanzo2054]

I've had that in a few movies as well. It would go from really quiet dialogue to really loud action, often without warning.

[@lotharrenz4621]

@@reubenmanzo2054 "THX: The Audience Is Deaf."

[@mystbunnygaming1449]

@@FanFavoriteToasted Oh that's the one I was thinking of, it wasn't footsteps, it was the breathing. I seem to remember listening for footsteps too though, but could be mistaken.

[@the7thseven873]

“She walked slowly. Thoughts running through her mind. She opens the door, looked at the window and - BRAAWRRRARRWAA GHOST HAND!” That’s one way of doing it.😂

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Hahaha never fails

[@Pharaoh_Tutankhamen]

this was more funny then scary honestly

[@the7thseven873]

@@Pharaoh_Tutankhamen Yup. That was the idea.

[@AlmostEthical]

When I was young, Dad took us to see Count Yorga at the drive-in. The final scene was not only a jump scare, but the darkest possible ending. Not sure if it was my age but nothing since has terrified me as much. Sometimes a character will suddenly say something that makes your blood run cold (OMG, she's a vampire!) that has a similar effect to jump scares.

[@justinromano1989]

LOVED the video. Great examples of how to include jump scarves in movies and video games. How would we write a jump scare in a novel?

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Thanks! I had hoped to include a novel example but I ran out of time this week (I had to travel yesterday, which meant the video had to be finalized by Tuesday night). Stephen King pulls off some jump scares (or jump reveals) in Salem's Lot, IT, and The Shining. If I get some time this weekend, I'll try to pinpoint the chapter they appear in. ***Salem's Lot spoilers*** Pretty sure there was one in Salem's lot when the vampire wakes up in the doctor's office. Also, there was a similar moment when Danny Glick appears in Mark Petrie's window.

[@errantwinds-up8uu]

So I'm obviously not Brandon, nor even author, but I'm an avid reader! I think possibly sudden revelations in novels can provide the same kind of energy as a visual jump scare. Like, not quite the same, but say there's a scenario where you're provided with a really quick and unexpected piece of information. Uh something like "She turned the corner and approached the body. Lightning flashed. It was her boyfriend George." Obviously with better writing haha, but that's the kind of thing that came to my mind!

[@user-gb7ji6xy5d]

I think the novelization of Interstellar does a stellar job on this. When they explore the planet of Miller, Cooper is extremely distraught by the time dilation and distracts himself by looking closely at the mountains in the distance. He finds the mountains somewhat reminiscent of home, but he can't quite grasp the "what" behind this eerie familiarity, as the mountains look nothing like the jagged, snow-capped mountains back on Earth. In fact, they're unnaturally smooth and uniform. And then it hits him: the mountains actually remind him of approaching sandstorms that long plague his hometown: an imminent disaster that closes in for the kill. Shortly before he discovers that the "mountains" are actually mile-tall waves.

[@ludovico6890]

​@@WriterBrandonMcNultyDracula has a few good jump scares, big and small. Like when Jonathan Harker shaves.

[@tomlewis4748]

The Haunting. (the original) I saw it in the theatre as a kid, and I nearly passed out. I think I screamed, but that was likely drowned out by everyone else screaming. Probably the only time I ever screamed in my entire life. I had to sleep with the lights on for a week. It also has this terrific sequence of people struggling on a metal circular staircase that is about to collapse. I'd have to say the alien bursting out of Kane's chest in Alien might be the best one. Even if my girlfriend spoiled it for me … 'You wont believe what happens when …' (Okay, Linda, shut it, please) You write novels. Your audience does, too. The irony? 40 seconds of your 10-minute video addresses that. The other 93% is about movies and video games, which can use them as a tool effectively. How about some literary examples? Or are there none? How about your own scary jump scares? I honestly don't see the value in non-horror or non-thriller. In a courtship love story, I prefer surprises. Unexpected developments. Even in a noir detective story, I don't really see the value. It's a tool we sometimes see in horror or thrillers that might work there if done well (as you describe), but that's really about it. How wonderful jump scares aren't is why we no longer have dumb movies like The Blair Witch Project. Aren't we over that? It's not 1999 anymore. I see no value in goons jumping in front of the camera accompanied by a blast from a brass section. I think we've outgrown that. At least I hope. BOO! There. How effective was that?

[@KunKosh]

I don't think that jumpscares can be written. They too heavy rely on technique of the certain shot, on loud music and noise.

[@That1guywhocomm3nts]

My favorite is also in alien but in the air duct scene

[@BaggierMilk]

Hands down the best jump scare I've ever seen is in The Haunting of Hill House. If you know, you know.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

At the end of the 3rd or 4th episode? I think I know the one

[@johntabler349]

The hag in house in haunted Hill gets me every time it shouldn't be that scary but it always is

[@Xobik1]

Hi Brandon. You didn't give us an example taken from books. The Shining has the Old Lady scene. It gave me goosebumps...

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Yeah, it was a busy week and I ran out of time. I need to look up that scene---it's been forever since I read The Shining.

[@SanketKanchan27]

As jumpscare is something typical to add in a book. You should had given at least one example from a novel.

[@mohammedfaqih499]

I love the premise of your two books u mention at the end of the video

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Thanks!

[@errantwinds-up8uu]

They're both very good!

[@Eldanogrande]

Expected jump scare: any time a character is looking at a bathroom mirror, opens the medicine cabinet for something, and closes the cabinet again.

[@browneyeofsauron1244]

Okay, but imagine if the camera was behind the person opening the mirror, with the monster in the frame. The character opens and shuts the mirror, but it doesn't show the monster, while the audience can see the monster the whole time.

[@KutWrite]

Great points. I used a few of 'em in my most recent novel (about to be published). My least-favorite jump scares were the many fake ones in the "new, improved" "Blair Witch." I kept watching because of it had some positive attributes.

[@LauraDan777]

Bless u, Mr McNulty!! This advice is clear, useful, timely (for something I'm writing), AND the video was devoid of 'rated R' level gore. So classy. THANK u so much!! This made me so happy. :)

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Glad it helped. Thanks for the kind words!

[@studebach47]

I think my favorite jump scare is in The Thing (1982) when MacReady is testing the blood to see who is the thing.

[@erinaltstadt4234]

Thank you

[@beescheeseandwineplease889]

The dilophosaurus in Jurassic Park

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Yes! That was the first movie I ever saw in theaters and that particular scene scarred me for life

[@lindildeev5721]

The Weeping Angels in Blink and other Doctor Who episodes. They made me so paranoid when I saw them for the first time that I went to the end of the video and I spent the whole night imagining that they were in my bedroom.

[@josephrowlee]

Thanks for the video! I love the Five Nights at Freddy's jump scares.

[@studyid6437]

Waiting for a video on good drama writing

[@kentjensen4504]

I bet a lot of people have already named the hospital corridor scene in The Excorcist III as the greatest jump scare of all time.

[@CyrilleParis]

Best example in book : the red wedding in Game of Thrones

[@1PositiveDude]

Best Jump scare is in the haunting of Hill House on Netflix, hands down. Second place is Insidious

[@williambienz8238]

Jaws. They condition you to the shark's presence with music. The biggest scare is when the shark attacks and everything is quiet. Though I will say, Alien and specifically one of the early alien PC game was so thick with tension, my heart was pounding like I was running fast

[@NostromoVA]

The most effective I've ever experienced was when Hooper was prying the tooth out of the hole in Ben Gardener's boat. The tension was wound up with him being in the water at night. We all knew that monster was lurking and could come up from behind at any moment. I swear popcorn bounced off the ceiling of the theater when that chewed up head popped into frame. Nothing I've seen since has ever come close.

[@TheWorldOfDK]

Thank you Brandon, great video! What are some examples of (written) jump scares though. Your video examples are helpful, but it would be more helpful to see how other writers approached their scares in their books (through words, not video and sounds), how they built the suspense, and whether they were effective with them or not. Thanks again!

[@dawidwidera1819]

My favorite jump scare is from "The Departed" 2006, elevator secene.

[@JonathanMoffat]

Exorcist 3 has a near perfect jump scare

[@codylewis8807]

Love these videos, I was wondering if you can make a video for writing paranormal horror stories

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

I’ll add it to my list. Thanks!

[@hokutoshinken-chrisarmstro131]

I've been writing in my comics recently about one of my characters, who is meant to be a co protagonist, and he's the one who deals with the threats to the heroes. I've been building him up as this massive threat, with snippets of back story showing he's trained with combat and violence, and has no trouble taking out enemies. But I've been trying to present it in a way that when the tension breaks and he is 'unleashed' that the other characters, and audience, is frightened by what he can do. Do you have any tips for writing in a comic book format?

[@kevingluys3063]

For me it's the demon over the shoulder and the ghost next to the clock in Insidious.

[@RobbieC813]

Hi Brandon. Great videos! Please keep them coming. I was hoping that this video might have shown more examples from novels (The Shining, Swan Song, Hellbound Heart, Entry Wounds, etc.). Any chance for an updated video featuring examples from novels?

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Hey thanks! I had hoped to include some examples from books but ran out of time (had to catch a flight the other day and I wanted to drop this video before Halloween) I don’t want to make any guarantees, but I’ll try to revisit book jump scares in the future

[@Jamesington]

@@WriterBrandonMcNulty Agree with Robbie that while I think *most* writing advice that covers storytelling concepts can translate well from movies (and I get that we're on KZbin and movie clips probably help with audience retention) I think this particular advice video would really benefit from some written examples and how they differ.

[@afifaimanazli4287]

can make “ how to write psychological horror “

[@fabianschmitz6587]

In Sinister, there is a scene with a safe place where the protagonist just watches information on his laptop with a picture of the supposed demon. And without even him noticing but only the audience, the demon on the picture starts moving. That absolutely fucked me up and I still remember that scene picture by picture ..

[@jordandietrich4236]

I appreciate and value your content. This video was frustrating because in all the examples given, none were literary.

[@ScrambledAndBenedict]

You know a brilliant use of an anti-jump scare? The original Resident Evil, where zombified dogs leap through the windows. It has zero foreshadowing and just sort of happens, but its the only jump scare like that in the entire game. Every other jumpscare is slow and foreboding, or foreshadowed, or built up in some way, and the rest of the game's horror is atmospheric and is slow-paced. But that one dog jumpscare happens very early in the game and puts you on guard, thinking another jump scare like it is right around the corner, and so it itself is a cheap scare but it also heightens the tension for the rest of the game. You spend the rest of the game on-edge expecting more jump scares lol

[@Maerahn]

BRANDON!!! I turned the volume DOWN so I wouldn't get freaked out by any jumpscares... but you calculated for that on that blimmin' computer game clip, didn't you? You MEANIE!!

[@moycorbin4750]

The best jump scare i have experienced is the baby from RE Village even i already know due to spoilers i was scared as hell

[@wolvmarine313]

The jail scene in Salem's Lot introducing Mr. Barlow.

[@vinu3541]

Bro Brandon, The movie the ring gave me a chest pain. Literally... In a scene when the ghost passes quickly Meaning that jump scare was so powerful.. Remember?

[@FooBar-ie8pq]

Sinister and specially the lawnmower scene

[@tomarnold7284]

Still, how do you do jump scare on text? Can you show us some examples?

[@xxlCortez]

Writing a jumpscare in book needs real talent. Movies are easy but they also doing it wrong most of the time (Insidious is a notable example). A loud sound makes it easy to scare the audience, so I appreciate when movies can do it with visuals alone.

[@TheRealMalvaX]

Best jump scares *ever*: Five days a stranger

[@Buffy8Fan]

He didn't bring up _Hill House._ The best jump scare of all time.

[@lkruijsw]

In a horror movie the first explicit opening of a door is always nothing. The second is the jump scare.

[@yusaji]

can you do how to write psychological horror

[@klaus.sfc01official30]

Honestly a jumpscare via scream is just cheap in my opinion i like it when they are done with music or with the environment like a door opening behind you

[@silverharloe]

"don't overdo fake outs" go back 40 years and explain that to the Department Of Putting Cats In Cabinets.

[@lotharrenz4621]

"Mrowr?" *paws at you as you open the cabinet*

[@jetsdude8]

That video game i was like nope

[@kennethfeller3939]

The Simpsons: BART YOU WANT A BROWNIE BEFORE YOU GO TO BED!?