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9 Movies That Made Us Afraid To Leave Our Houses … During The Daytime!

In most horror movies, the scariest stuff tends to happen at night. The flame-haired sorceress Melisandre on Game Of Thrones perhaps put it best when she proclaimed (promised?) that “the night is dark and full of terrors.” Consequently, we have been trained to view daylight as a traditional safe haven, a time when the vampires, ghouls and the Monsters That Live Under Our Beds can’t do us any harm.

That said, some of the most frightening moments we have ever seen on film have happened during the broad daylight. Millions of years of evolution and biological conditioning have reinforced to us that it’s okay to keep our defenses down while the sun is up, so those unexpected encounters with terror during daylight tend to carry extra resonance and stay with us longer. To that end, here are 10 of the creepiest, sunlight-drenched scenes that will make you want to do nothing more than stay inside until the moon rises.

1

'Zodiac' (2007)

Picnics are fun, right? Grab a blanket, find a sunny spot near a lake, and maybe, if you’re lucky, you’ll even get to indulge in a little makeout sesh. All the makings of a great day, right? WRONG! Director David Fincher ruined picnics forever with this terrifying scene from the film that many consider to be his masterwork. [Where to stream Zodiac]

2

'Mulholland Drive' (2001)

Note to self: Never ever EVER go out to the dumpster behind your local Denny’s. Recycle elsewhere. That is all. [Where to stream Mulholland Drive]

3

'The Host' (2006)

Virtually every monster movie ever made involves the big bad first showing its face at nighttime, but Korean director Bong Joon-ho goes completely in the opposite direction with The Host. Here, the river monster that would cause even Jeremy Wade to crap his drawers emerges from the Han River during broad daylight as unsuspecting parkgoers soak up the sun. [Where to stream The Host]

4

'Twin Peaks' (1990)

When it comes to peeling back the layers of Suburbia with the intent of exposing its dark underbelly, few directors can compare to David Lynch. One of his most lasting images will always be that of Sarah Palmer’s vision of the evil spirit B.O.B. peering out from behind her daughter Laura’s bed in broad daylight. [Where to stream Twin Peaks]

 

5

'Signs' (2004)

VAMANOS! M. Night Shyamalan has made a lot of crappy movies, but Signs is not one of them. In particular, the scene where the alien is first revealed—during a birthday party full of kids, no less!—still gives us the heebiejeebies. [Where to stream Signs]

6

'Creepshow 2' (1987)

Lakes are pretty scary no matter the time of day. What’s going on beneath the surface, who even knows? Just pray that next time you’re out on a floating dock in the middle of nowhere a murderous oil slick doesn’t decide to pick on you. [Where to stream Creepshow 2]

7

'Jeepers Creepers' (2001)

The creepiest thing about Jeepers Creepers is that the director of the film, Victor Salva, is a convicted child molester. The second creepiest—and TBH it’s a distant second—is this scene where JC himself chases down our heroes in his scary ass truck, nearly running them off the road. [Where to stream Jeepers Creepers]

8

'The Mist' (2007)

Most of Frank Darabont’s The Mist, which was adapted from a Stephen King short story, takes place in a grocery store … AT NIGHT! However, the most terrifying/emotionally devastating moment of the film comes during the daylight. (It’s foggy outside, BUT STILL…) [Where to stream The Mist]

9

'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' (1974)

Decider’s own Olivia Armstrong recently broke down all the ways in which Tobe Hooper’s original Texas Chainsaw Massacre is still influencing films today. Meanwhile, we still have daymares—they’re related to nightmares, duh—about this scene in which an unwitting dude wanders into Leatherface’s house at exactly the wrong moment. [Sadly, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is unavailable to stream]