A lot of people cite the "Miss Jessel on the lake" scene as being the scariest, but I personally think the scariest moment in the film is when Miss GIddens is playing hide and seek with the children, and we get a glimpse of Miss Jessel passing through the corridor— it happens so quickly and the image is so unsettling... I get chills just thinking about it. The image of Quint up in the watchtower is also horrifying.
shareJust saw it again yesterday and it scared me to death even though I’d seen it several times before. I watched part of it on my phone and was creeped out especially by the scene where she wanders through the house at night hearing Jessel and Quint laugh and talk. I held it up to my ear and listened— really listened for the first time — and boy are those sounds creepy. Miss Jessel panting “Love me, love me” while the curtain pull bangs against the window. Quint muttering something gutteral I couldn’t understand but which sounded demonic. And the child’s voice saying “You’re hurting me.” Just that much more creepy because you don’t hear a lit of it clearly.
shareFro me the creepiest moment given today's sensibilities is Miss Giddons kissing Miles on the mouth after he dies. I think everything Giddons saw or heard took place in her own mind. She had heard the story of Miss Jessel and Peter Quint, and her repressed imagination ran with it. She as much as killed Miles and caused Flora to have a breakdown.
shareI think the moment he kissed her was even creepier.
shareI agree. I think the moment Jessel moves across the hall is the creepiest moment. But this whole film has lots of creepy moments. Great film.
shareOne of the most subtly scary films of all time.
No need for loud bangs or gallons of blood. Just simple eeriness.