James Bondmight have its fair share of glamor and action, but some moments in the world’s most famous spy franchise would not look out of place in a horror movie.The James Bond movieshave occasionally experimented with other genres. However, this is not always a popular decision when it affects much of the film, likeDie Another Day’s unpopular foray into science fiction. That said, whenJames Bondenters the horror territory, the scares tend to last for a single scene, which becomes iconic when it is done well, even scaring Bond himself.
Of all theactors who have played James Bond, some, like Timothy Dalton, have done their own stunts while others have relied on doubles and visual effects. The franchise is famous for its stunts and daredevil vehicle chases, butthe greatestJames Bondstuntsare generally awe-inspiring rather than horror-movie scary.WhenBondembraces the horror genre, the movies tend to play on a common fear, like spiders or sharks, or a particularly spooky location, like a graveyard.Bondcould never be described as understated, but the franchise’s approach to horror is more minimalist than might be expected.
10Scaramanga’s Funhouse Chase
The Man With The Golden Gun
Scaramanga is often consideredJames Bond’s most underrated villain, with Christopher Lee playing the hitman with a taste for killing.The Man With the Golden Gunmight have been criticized by reviewers for its underwhelming action, but the performances of the actors are some of the franchise’s best.Scaramanga had some corny lines, but he appeared to be a genuine threat to Bond, and with his million-dollar-per-kill rate, his lair was full of nasty surprises.
Scaramanga’s lair had a funhouse with disorienting projectionsthat would not be out of place in many modern horror movies and TV shows, includingAmerican Horror Storyand theSawfranchise. The zones include an American Wild West-themed area with creepy shooting mannequins, an abstract triangle world, and a London skyline. The funhouse features in a tense game of cat-and-mouse with a gangster but is not fully explored, leaving viewers wondering how far it extends.
9The Terrified Clown (& Bond’s Disguise)
Octopussy
The opening toOctopussyfeatures something that has become a common phobia since Stephen King’s “It” was releasedthree years later. A terrified secret agent who is dressed as a clown crashes through a dark estate before reaching an enormous mansion, dying before he can deliver his message. The scene might have been funny in another context, but for aJames Bondopening scene, it is unexpected. The circus theme later brings more camp toJames Bond, with Roger Moore’s 007 ending up in disguise.
The opening is a much more tense scene, and surprisingly creepy.
Octopussyis not the best ofthe 1980sJames Bondmovies, but it is memorable for its hammy action and over-the-top action sequences like the fight on the train. The scene in which Bond ends up dressed as a clown and infiltrating a circus is especially ridiculous but highlights thatRoger Moore had a sense of humor when it came to playing the spy. That said, the opening is a much more tense scene, and surprisingly creepy.
8The Home Invasion And Lake Scene
No Time To Die
No Time To Diewas Daniel Craig’s last outing as 007, and the movie revisited some major plot points from his previous movies while incorporating a new and menacing villain.The opening forNo Time To Dieresembles a home invasion-themed horror more than aBondmovie, with Rami Malek’s masked villain slowly making his way into Madeleine Swann’s house, murdering her mother, and chasing her across a frozen lake.
No Time To Die Makes It Difficult To Kill James Bond Again
No Time to Die did the unthinkable by killing James Bond, but with the franchise’s long history, can such a move ever be repeated again?
The home invasion premise would have been frightening on its own, but the scene continues to develop into something far scarier. Madeleine’s escape from the house resembles a daylit version of a scene inThe Shining, and the villain’s mask adds to the terror factor as the ice cracks under Madeleine.Characters have fallen into frozen water in otherBondmovies, includingSkyfall, but the masked villain’s relentless pursuit makes this scene cross over into horror.
7The Tarantula Scene
Dr. No
Arachnophobia (fear of spiders) is reportedly one of the most common phobias in the world, andDr. Nomakes the most of this fact when Bond wakes up to find a tarantula crawling over his chest. Filming the scene should have been easy compared to Bond’s huge action setpieces, but there was a complication:Bondactor Sean Connery is terrified of spidersandrefused to allow the tarantula to touch his bare skin.
The scene was filmed when a stuntman stepped in, allowing the tarantula to walk across him instead.Dr. Nowas the first movie in the007franchise, and while manymoments in Sean Connery’sBondmovies do not hold uptoday, this scene is not one of them.Dr. No’s tarantula scene shows that a tiny moment can be terrifying, and Connery’s genuine fear is clear in the few scenes that were captured with him and the spider.
6The Exploding Head
License To Kill
James Bondcan be gritty and violent, especially in Daniel Craig’s outings as007, but even during scenes that involve sharks and knives, the movies are rarely gory.That said, one of the goriestJames Bondmovies isLicense To Kill, which contains two scenes that are straight out of the horror genre. One features the death of Bond’s best friend, Felix Leiter when Sanchez feeds him to a shark. Though little blood is seen, this is likely the most upsetting scene in aJames Bondmovie.
The second scene is the closest that the 1980sBondmovies came to body horror.
When Bond tricks Sanchez into believing that his henchman is working against him, Sanchez locks the man in a decompression chamber, which causes his head to explode.The violence inLicense to Killmight be considered tame by modern standards, but while the 1981 cyber horrorScannershad an exploding head, this level of violence was extreme for aJames Bondmovie.
5Baron Samedi
Live And Let Die
Roger Moore’sBondmovies are often considerably datednow, especially when it comes to their portrayal of women and varied cultures.Live and Let Dieis one of the movies that has not aged well in many regards and is an odd addition to theBondfranchise.That said, Baron Samedi is one of the most memorableBondvillains, with variations of his character appearing in other more updated movies, including Disney’sThe Princess and the Frog.
How Baron Samedi Is Still Alive After James Bond Kills Him In Live & Let Die
While Live and Let Die’s henchman Baron Samedi seems to survive certain death, the James Bond adventure has a surprising explanation for this.
Live and Let Dieis the onlyBondmovie that overtly includes a supernatural element, with the Voodoo master Baron Samedi appearing to be impossible to kill.At the end ofLive and Let Die, Bond appears to have killed Baron Samedi, but he is seen alive again in the movie’s final moments. The idea of an immortal antagonist with supernatural connections is a horror movie trope, and his character, while in need of modernizing, is more of a horror villain than aBondvillain.
4Alec Trevelyan Comes Back From The Dead
GoldenEye
With Sean Bean becoming famous for dying in his movies,GoldenEyegave viewers one ofthe most shocking moments in anyBondmovie. Bean plays fellow spy Alec Trevelyan, who Bond discovers is not only alive but the antagonist.A twist like this might be a common plot in action and spy movies like the007franchise, but it is the moment of the reveal that takes this scene into the horror genre.
Bond, played by Pierce Brosnan, is walking through a graveyard alone at night, with camera angles that suggest he is being watched, and a spooky soundtrack featuring unintelligible voices. This moment alone is already a fitting scene for a horror movie, but when Alec Trevelyan walks out of a backlit mausoleum, it looks as though he is rising from the dead. Every aspect of the scene, from Alec’s magnified voice to the wide camera angles, emphasizes how spooky the setting is.
3Jaws
The Spy Who Loved Me
Though the big bad inThe Spy Who Loved Mewas Karl Stromberg with his nuclear plan for world destruction, Jaws is one of theJames Bondmovie henchmen who overshadowed the main villain.Jaws is an enormous assassin with metal teeththat he appears to be able to use to bite through anything, including a metal ski cable. This allows him to escape imprisonment and could cause serious damage if he got his teeth on James Bond.
Jaws was so popular that he was brought back inMoonrakerand even had a role in the 1990s kids' TV show,James Bond Jr. The character had extreme physical strength and many of his best scenes are jump scares which would fit right into any horror movie, includingThe Spy Who Loved Me.Jawshides in a cupboard, only to be revealed by the Bond Girl, Anya Amasova, in a jump scare that even reportedly scared the cast at the premiere.
2Silva Takes Out His Face Plate
Skyfall
Virtually all theBondvillains have grandiose plans which are eventually foiled by James Bond. However,Silva is the onlyBondvillain to succeedand beat 007, and he is such a complex and tragic character that he became a fan favorite.Unlike many villains who just want to take over the world, Silva is on a revenge mission, and when he reveals the reason for his anger, the moment resembles a horror movie scene.
Silva’s reveal is a chilling body horror moment that takesJames Bondinto the horror genre for just a few seconds.
The cyberterrorist’s main goal was to discredit and kill M after he felt that she left him to die. When he bit into his cyanide capsule, the poison gas disfigured his face, which was not obvious until he removed a plate from inside his mouth. WhileallBondvillains have something that makes them different, this can be as silly as Scaramanga’s third nipple. Silva’s reveal is a chilling body horror moment that takesJames Bondinto the horror genre for just a few seconds.
1James Bond Is Tortured With A Drill
Spectre
Though James Bond has been tortured before, withDie Another Dayshowing Pierce Brosnan suffering,Daniel Craig has brought some extremely brutal scenes to theJames Bondfranchise. His version of the iconic spy is capable of taking a beating, andthe torture scene inCasino Royaleis gritty, dark, and suited to an action movie. That said, when Craig’s Bond gets tortured again inSpectre, the scene is pure horror.
Blofeld is arguablyJames Bond’s most legendary and formidable villain, and when he returns to torture Bond inSpectre, the scene merges horror with science fiction. Seeing Bond helpless as Blofeld’s machine drills into his skull is nightmare fuel, and with its sanitized and well-lit setting, the scene is almost the exact opposite of the torture inCasino Royale. Both scenes are hard to watch, but Blofeld’s sophisticated machinery and detached manner bring the horror genre toJames Bond.
James Bond
The James Bond franchise follows the adventures of British secret agent 007 as he combats global threats. With a license to kill, Bond faces off against various villains and criminal organizations, employing high-tech gadgets, espionage, and charm. The series spans multiple films, featuring exotic locations, thrilling action sequences, and memorable characters. Bond’s mission to protect the world and uphold justice remains central, making the franchise an enduring icon in the spy genre.
