Top 10 Terrifying Pitch Black Scenes in Horror Movies

Director James Wan mixes amazing haunted house atmosphere with campy storytelling in this flick about malicious ventriloquist dummies. After Jamie’s wife becomes the first victim of Billy the puppet, he brings her body to Henry the mortician. Things take an eerie turn as we learn that old Henry knows all about Billy, who appears to be possessed by the spirit of the evil Mary Shaw. While deciding on how to deal with this situation, Henry hears his wife crying and follows her voice into a crawlspace, armed only with a flashlight. As the door shuts behind him, his last sliver of light is gone, he suddenly realizes what is hiding in the darkness, and can do nothing but scream.

#9: First Attack “The Descent” (2005)

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“The Descent” uses its entire location as an excuse to plunge its characters into actual darkness. The story of six women who go spelunking in a dark cave is ripe for some optimal thrills, and the film utilizes the setting, as well as the crew’s headlamps and night-vision equipment, to perfection. Now lost in this cave, our characters realize that they may not be alone, with the minimal light allowing only glimpses of the creatures around them. When they stumble upon a huge pile of bones, we are greeted with an up-close, yet brief, look at these crawlers. Thanks to the darkness, we, and the girls, cannot see where and when the crawlers will strike next.

Based on a supposed real haunted doll now in the possession of famous ghost-hunters Ed and Lorraine Warren, this prequel/spinoff of “The Conjuring” series does an excellent job of proving to us that there is something scarier hiding behind a creepy doll face. Since the presence of the new doll in her home, Mia has experienced a crazy number of supernatural occurrences, none more petrifying than her visit to her building’s storage area. With a demon teasing her with flickering lights, crying baby sounds, and an elevator going nowhere, Mia realizes that she needs to race through the darkness when the lights go out. She then stumbles up the stairs, with only lightning strikes offering us glimpses of things we wish we could un-see.

When you find yourself in a dire situation, like being stalked by a monster for example, sometimes ignorance is bliss. The horror film “Cloverfield” uses all the found-footage tricks in the book, especially when our group of heroes is travelling through the New York City subway tunnels for safety. The darkness is a momentary comfort, as they use the camera light for guidance since the world above them is overrun by a rampaging monster. Survival instincts are thrown out the window though when they stop to investigate weird noises in the dark. They will wish they had never turned on the camera’s night-vision though, because they instantly realize that the danger is not only above ground.

#6: Dark Corners “The Babadook” (2014)

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No matter how old you are, you can always be afraid of what lurks in the dark corners of your bedroom. Although Amelia is a mother, and needs to teach her son not to be afraid of the dark, her own fears are justified as she is convinced something is lurking in the blackness at the end of her bed. When the Babadook first crawls out of the darkness, Amelia is helpless under her sheets, cowering even with her son sleeping next to her. In a later confrontation, though, Amelia fends off the evil being by fighting against the darkness, keeping the creature in his pitch-black universe. Her character arc is an epic one, and one in which we see motherly-love triumph over all.

Ed and Lorraine Warren are at it again, in another adaptation of one of their real-life case studies. Carolyn, the loving matriarch of the Perron family, has of course been experiencing some strange happenings in her picturesque Rhode Island home. Living the ‘70s, with its serious lack of smartphones, their family finds other ways to have fun, like playing hide and clap. But it’s not only the living that like this game. One day, as Carolyn investigates mysterious noises, malicious spirits lead her into the dark basement. Lights go out, matches are burned, and the innocent and playful clap of ghostly hands becomes the most iconic and vivid moment of this franchise, and an integral part of their marketing campaign.

#4: Night Vision “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991)

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As seen with many entries, night-vision is effective in causing immense dread, as the audience knows so much that the characters don’t. A prime example is when rookie FBI agent Clarice Starling is trapped in total darkness in a psychopath’s basement. Although “The Silence of the Lambs” is fondly remembered as Hannibal Lecter’s breakthrough, many forget that the big baddie of this thriller is serial killer Buffalo Bill. When agent Starling stumbles upon Bill by accident, she begins her pursuit, which leads her down to his dungeon. Bill gets the upper hand by shutting off the lights and tracking her moves with his night-vision goggles. As she stumbles blindly, Clarice must literally take a shot in the dark.

In nature, far from the city, you can’t expect much more light than what the moon provides. If you are camping out in the woods, or, like our unlucky trio of filmmakers, you get completely lost in the woods, be prepared for nights of total darkness. Although Heather, Josh and Mike decided to go looking for the infamous Blair Witch in the Burkittsville woods, no one expected to find anything. During these pitch-black nights, however, they get more than they bargained for. Apart from glimpses from their camera light, we see what they see, which is absolutely nothing. But we also hear what they hear, which is nearby footsteps, in the middle of nowhere. Who said you needed lots of fancy special effects to scare the bejesus outta people?

#2: Pig Mask “Saw” (2004)

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Although a very dark movie, “Saw” does not have much darkness. Its visceral and grim horror is in bright perspective, especially in our main location, the room bathed in fluorescent light where Dr. Gordon and Adam find themselves. A notable exception though is Adam’s flashback which shows how he found himself in this predicament. If the average person finds him or herself in his or her home with the power out, convinced there is someone lurking in the darkness, he or she picks up the nearest deadly weapon. Adam’s weapon of choice, however, is his camera. The camera’s flashes provide him with small glimpses of what is hiding nearby. However, it puts us on the edge of our seats, until the final shocking reveal. Before we reveal our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions: - Night Chase “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” (1974) - The Basement “Signs” (2002) - The Cellar “Evil Dead” (2013) #

1: Final Confrontation “[•REC]” (2007)

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Topping our list is another brilliant and effective use of night-vision, courtesy of the cameras of a news crew that finds itself stuck in an apartment building. During a routine investigation, they end up getting locked in with the tenants and a zombie virus that’s spreading among them, while the government tries to keep it contained from the outside. Determined as an investigator to get to the bottom of this, reporter Ángela and her cameraman find themselves in the penthouse, which is scattered with clues and evidence. With only the night-vision feature leading them through the blackness, it quickly becomes apparent they are not as alone as they thought. Do you agree with our list? What other movies left you shaking in the dark? For more shocking top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.