# Movie moments that caused genuine shock **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [September 17, 2020, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807 "2020-09-17T03:58:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2020, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807/61 "2020-09-17T22:21:22Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > I genuinely think its hard to pull a shock like “Luke, I am your father” or “You _blew_ it _up_ ! Ah, damn you! _God damn_ you _all_ to hell!” nowadays. > > Between the internet and trailers showing you every goddamned thing in the movie. I can’t think of anything remotely close to that in a recent movie. _Spider-Man: Homecoming_ had one that audibly wowed the audience when I saw it. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2020, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807/62 "2020-09-17T22:22:19Z")
_The China Syndrome_ was released twelve days before the meltdown at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania. I’d never heard an entire theater gasp at once before… > If the core is exposed for whatever reason, the fuel heats beyond core heat tolerance in a matter of minutes. Nothing can stop it. And it melts down right through the bottom of the plant, theoretically to China. But of course, as soon as it hits ground water, it blasts into the atmosphere and sends out clouds of radioactivity. The number of people killed would depend on which way the wind is blowing. _Render an area the size of Pennsylvania permanently uninhabitable,_ not to mention the cancer that would show up later. (italics mine) ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2020, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807/63 "2020-09-17T22:27:50Z")
> [@Max\_Torque](#): > > There are videos out there of the audience losing their freakin’ minds in _Endgame_ when Captain America picks up Thor’s hammer. I was one of those who absolutely lost it. One of my favorite movie moments ever. They totally laid the groundwork for that too. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2020, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807/64 "2020-09-17T22:32:30Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > Good one. In the book the narrator is Bromden himself and the moment is less startling, but still powerful. Of course, if you’ve read the book, you know what’s coming. I was disappointed in the movie because I felt it really didn’t capture the whole flavor of the book. In the book, Bromden was narrator, and the whole story was told in the first person through his eyes. Through Bromden’s eyes? Bromden was thoroughly totally insane, having utterly bizarre and sometimes horrifying delusions and hallucinations, which he narrated as if they were really happening. To call him an “unreliable narrator” would be a massive understatement. It takes the reader quite some time to begin to sort out what’s real and what isn’t in his narration. IIRC none of this is shown in the movie. As the story progresses and McMurphy interacts with him, Bromden gradually becomes more sane. The real turning point, IMHO, comes when Nurse Ratched calls for a vote on whether they should all go out for a field trip (which she absolutely is against). Bromden believes that the fluorescent lights are mind-control rays controlled by the staff. Nevertheless, with great effort, he votes for the field trip, knowing full well that Big Nurse is against it, and he realizes for the first time that he is able to act of his own free will. Bromden’s character development is a major theme throughout the book, and that is totally lost is the movie. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2020, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807/65 "2020-09-17T23:14:44Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > I didn’t see it in a movie theater, and I already knew there was a twist, but the “big reveal” in _The Crying Game_ was certainly shocking. IIRC Teresa Strasser of “While You Were Out” TV home makeover show said something to the effect that having lived in San Francisco they were going to have to do better than that to fool her. I was as surprised as you, though. > [@chappachula](#): > > Planet of the Apes… > Yeah, I was just a 12 yr old kid, but damn that ending hit me hard. Yep. All those eggs in one basket and if you don’t see it coming, it flattens you. I think that’s an excellent example of “Don’t spoil it for your friends who haven’t seen it yet.” Invasion of the Body Snatchers. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/g2ah2mwo1oM/maxresdefault.jpg "Human Dog Invasion of the Body Snatchers") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2ah2mwo1oM) The end of “The Deer Hunter” with the Russian Roulette. I suppose I knew it was coming but I didn’t know how graphic it would be. A good startling moment from the small screen, Better Call Saul. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/PdsG5vWv3fY/maxresdefault.jpg "Better Call Saul - Kim crashes her car") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdsG5vWv3fY) ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2020, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807/66 "2020-09-17T23:32:18Z")
Apropos of that car crash, there was an amazing, unexpected scene in Ulee’s Gold, where they are backing the car out of the driveway, everything seemingly normal, and the car gets T-boned by someone driving down the street. It’s filmed from inside the car, so one second someone is talking, and the next they are covered with glass and flying across the car. Extremely well done. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2020, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807/67 "2020-09-18T01:07:04Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Of course, if you’ve read the book, you know what’s coming. > > I was disappointed in the movie because I felt it really didn’t capture the whole flavor of the book. In the book, Bromden was narrator, and the whole story was told in the first person through his eyes… > > Bromden’s character development is a major theme throughout the book, and that is totally lost is the movie. I agree completely. As much as I love the film (a _lot_), the book is far, far better and has been one of my two favorite novels for 45 years. FWIW I saw the movie before discovering Kesey’s amazing book. ---
**Author:** ![XOldiesJock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2020, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807/68 "2020-09-18T01:35:12Z")
In the 1970 filming of “Catch 22,” there is a recurring sequence in which Yossarian, played by Alan Arkin, is in a crashed plane with a flyer named Snowden, who is injured in some way. The scene plays over and over again throughout the movie, each time progressing a little further from the last time. Finally, Yossarian opens Snowden’s flight suit…and his guts fall out. It’s a very quick scene, but is it ever effective. When I saw that movie, with a theater full of people, there was an audible gasp, a sudden, loud intake of breath, and everyone pushed back in their seats, as if to escape what they were seeing. I know I did. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2020, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807/69 "2020-09-18T01:42:55Z")
In the same vein - the ending to _Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry_. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2020, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807/70 "2020-09-18T01:48:47Z")
For those not familiar with the Hong Kong inspiration, there are a few scenes like that in Scorcese’s, _The Departed_. I was surprised and shocked, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2020, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807/71 "2020-09-18T02:07:43Z")
What about the Alec Baldwin movie, _Nuremberg_? ISTR it used actual footage from the death camps in World War II. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2020, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807/72 "2020-09-18T02:34:33Z")
> [@XOldiesJock](#): > > Finally, Yossarian opens Snowden’s flight suit…and his guts fall out. It’s a very quick scene, but is it ever effective. I remember that scene, too, and it **was** shocking. That was back when there was a limit on what movies would show (unless they were horror movies). That limit no longer exists-- Now you’re likely to see something like that in a mainstream TV show. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2020, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807/73 "2020-09-18T02:36:53Z")
The last dream scene in _Carrie_ had me hanging over the theater seats, gasping for twenty minutes. ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2020, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807/74 "2020-09-18T02:42:36Z")
Large Marge on Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2020, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807/75 "2020-09-18T02:51:20Z")
In the Kurt Russell version of _The Thing_, the scene where the decapitated head grows spider legs and goes scuttling for the door. [“You’ve got to be fuckin’ kidding!”](https://youtu.be/0mELdCU1GSw?t=110) ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2020, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807/76 "2020-09-18T03:26:56Z")
So many scenes in that movie scarred me for life as a far too young child. Which probably goes a long way in me declaring it my favorite movie ever since nothing else has ever affected me in such a way before or since. But yes, that scene specifically is probably one of the few huge reasons that I’m icked out by spiders. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2020, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807/77 "2020-09-18T03:41:49Z")
I can’t remember the name of the movie (I’ve asked here before, a long time ago), but there’s a particularly surprising and completely unexpected scene in it. Two low-life drug dealers are sitting across from each other at a table, talking (maybe having coffee), when one of the guy’s head explodes. It’s so completely unexpected, that the audience just gasped. The backstory is that their neighbor downstairs (the protagonist of the movie) is an ex-military sniper, and was pissed off at these guys, who have been acting like complete assholes, so he positions himself on a hillside around a mile away, and… bam! ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2020, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807/78 "2020-09-18T04:02:49Z")
The “Every Sperm is Sacred” number from _Monty Python’s Meaning of Life_ opened to a sort of awkward “Springtime for Hitler” silence in the audience I saw it with. By the time the dancing nuns show up, everybody was laughing their asses off. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2020, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807/79 "2020-09-18T04:27:13Z")
What happened to the young girl towards the end of _Pan’s Labyrinth._… That scarred me permanently. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2020, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807/80 "2020-09-18T06:56:42Z")
Nitpick: I think the plane was still in flight, returning from a mission. But I saw the movie about 40 years ago, so I could be mistaken. I remember Yossarian saying (before he saw the extent of the wound) “You’re gonna be all right,” and the crewman replying “I feel so _cold_!” So the reveal was even more shocking than it might have been. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807.md?page=5)