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Top 10 Horror Movies With the Most Jump Scares (2025 Edition)

9/20/2025•2 min read

How we ranked

This list is informed by community contributed jump scare time codes (also called screamers) on WhenJumpScare. Counts can evolve as viewers add or refine timestamps. If your experience differs, add a missing time code on the movie page via Suggest Timestamp, it helps everyone.

The list

  • 1) The Nun (and The Conjuring universe): frequent loud stings and corridor reveals.
  • 2) Insidious: classic red door jolts, dreamlike cuts, and sound spike shocks.
  • 3) Lights Out: rapid blackout bait and switch with tightly timed stingers.
  • 4) It (2017): crowd pleasing set pieces packed with startle beats.
  • 5) Annabelle: Creation: doll centric feints and moving object reveals.
  • 6) The Grudge (2004): repeated long take dread punctured by sudden apparitions.
  • 7) The Conjuring (2013): textbook misdirection and clap game jumps.
  • 8) Sinister: few but brutal spikes; reports vary by cut and playback.
  • 9) The Haunting in Connecticut: medical imagery and corridor reveals.
  • 10) It Chapter Two: bigger set pieces, steady drumbeat of jump moments.

> Note: Rankings shift as new time codes arrive. Treat this as a living snapshot of reported jump scare density, not a final verdict.

What counts as a jump scare here

We include sudden audiovisual events that create a clear startle response. Some entries list fake outs and soft reveals as Minor. Others reserve Minor for genuine but gentler stings. The point is to guide comfort, not declare a single true count. That is why Major and Minor labels matter more than the raw total.

Where and how these films generate spikes

  • Loud transients paired with tight framing and fast cuts
  • Corridor reveals and door frames used as visual gates
  • Light off, light on alternations that teach a quick safe or unsafe grammar
  • Movement in the deep background during long takes, followed by a front facing shock

Viewing tips for a calmer experience

  • Load the warning SRT on the movie page to get a short cue ahead of a scare
  • If a film uses recurring patterns, learn the rhythm and preemptively skip a few seconds when needed
  • Lower dynamic range on your device if loud accents are the main problem

Tips to survive the spikes

  • Load our warning SRT on the movie page so you get a short heads‑up.
  • Use the timeline to preview where the next scare lands relative to runtime.
  • Prefer Major vs Minor labels to plan which moments you’ll actually skip.

Help improve the ranking

Open any movie and click Suggest Timestamp to add missing time codes or refine existing ones. The most active contributors are credited in Top Contributors.

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