10 Greatest 'Stranger Things' Jump Scares of All Time, Ranked

1 week ago 20

Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers and Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler in the melting room on Stranger Things.

Published Jan 24, 2026, 3:54 PM EST

Jumpscares are a horror trademark, but I won't pretend that I love them. They're often treated as cheap tricks meant to give the viewers a momentary boost of adrenaline that fades almost instantly. Shock value, however, alone can't sustain fear, and when a story relies on it too heavily, it begins to lose its impact. That's why Stranger Things has always stood out to me. The sci-fi horror series has never used gimmicks to terrify its audience because its sense of fear comes from its mythology and world-building.

Still, the show understands the genre it exists within, and that's why it doesn't completely avoid jump scares. Instead, it incorporates these moments within the story, punctuated by tension that feels earned. Jump scares in Stranger Things actually matter and serve as extensions of the narrative, and these moments are the perfect example of that.

10 Nancy in the Upside Down

Season 1, Episode 6 "The Monster"

Nancy looking scared in the Upside Down in Stranger Things.

The third-to-last episode of Stranger Things Season 1 begins with Nancy (Natalia Dyer) finding herself trapped in the Upside Down. Things pick up from the previous episode, after Nancy spots a Demogorgon feeding on a deer and accidentally alerts it to her presence. She screams and runs to find an exit while following Jonathan's (Charlie Heaton) voice from the other side. Within the first minute, as Nancy desperately tries to find the gate that will take her back to her world, a jump scare occurs when the Demogorgon suddenly appears behind her.

Thankfully, Nancy manages to run and hide behind a tree while the monster wanders off trying to look for her. In the meantime, Jonathan contemplates going into the Upside Down through the gate at the base of the tree. As he peeks in, a hand suddenly reaches out and startles him for a second before he, and the audience, realize that it’s actually Nancy. That's two jumpscares in the span of about two minutes. The gate closes just as Jonathan pulls Nancy out, and that sets the stage for one of the most high-stakes episodes in Season 1.

9 Bob Attacked by the Demodog

Season 2, Episode 8 "The Mind Flayer"

Sean Astin as Bob Newby looks ahead in Stranger Things.

Bob Newby (Sean Astin) was Joyce's (Winona Ryder) boyfriend and a primary protagonist in Stranger Things Season 2, who has gone on to become a fan favorite. Even the most devout Jopper shippers have to agree that Bob and Joyce were perfect for each other. He becomes essential to the group's survival as they are trapped inside Hawkins Lab. This is the moment where he is established as more than just a love interest and becomes the hero who saves everyone. Everyone but himself, that is. In one of the most heartbreaking scenes of the show, just as Bob is running toward the exit, a demodog starts chasing him.

The beloved character almost makes it out, but within seconds, the demodog breaks through the locked door and lunges at him in one of the most defining jump scares of the show. Bob is killed instantly as Joyce watches helplessly. Hopper (David Harbour) rushes in to help him, but when he sees other demodogs charging toward them, he is forced to pull Joyce away and run for their lives. The moment is one of the most shocking scenes in the series because you're almost convinced that Bob is safe. However, when he turns his back for a single second, it costs him his life.

8 The Mind Flayer Drags Billy

Season 3, Episode 1 "Suzie, Do You Copy?"

The Mindflayer drags Dacre Montgomery as Billy away with blood coming out of his mouth in Stranger Things.

Now, Billy (Dacre Montgomery) wasn't exactly a fan-favorite character, but the way the Mindflayer used him was undeniably brutal. The menacing creature captures Billy as he is driving late at night to meet Karen Wheeler (Cara Buono) at a nearby motel. Billy is driving late at night as he rehearses what he plans to say to Karen in his usual cocky, confident manner. Then, all of a sudden, something smashes through his windshield, and his car is sent spinning before it crashes. When Billy steps out and notices a strange, slick substance coating the glass, before he can react, he gets the sense that he’s not alone, and we see a brief glimpse of a Demogorgon running by.

Within seconds, a fleshy tendril coils around Billy's ankle and drags him screaming into the mill's basement. The moment is not just terrifying because of the Demogogon's jump scare appearance, but also because it's the exact moment where the Mind Flayer turns Billy into its vessel. The creature then uses him to manipulate and abduct people in Hawkins to build the Spider Monster we see later in the season.

7 The Mind Flayer Attacks the Group

Season 3, Episode 7 "The Bite"

The cast hold onto someone as they are being pulled upward in Stranger Things.

In Stranger Things Season 3, Episode 7, the kids, along with Nancy and Jonathan, take refuge in Hopper's old cabin in the woods. They barricade the doors and windows to convince themselves that they've bought some time before the Mind Flayer attacks. However, it doesn't take long before Will's neck flares up, and he announces that the monster knows where they are. Outside, the woods go unnaturally quiet, and everyone braces themselves for the worst. Nancy has her shotgun ready, and Jonathan picks up an ax, ready to defend everyone.

The waiting is almost unbearable before it finally happens. A fleshy tendril explodes through one of the cabin windows, and chaos ensues. It's the perfect jump scare, not because it comes out of nowhere, but because the show takes its sweet time to build the tension beforehand. You expect the attack, but the way it suddenly arrives, with the monster going straight for Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), still lands perfectly.

6 Max Scares the Gang

Season 2, Episode 2 "Trick or Treat, Freak"

The kids dressed as Ghostbusters walk down a school hallway in Stranger Things.

This has to be one of my favorite Stranger Things episodes of all time because Halloween just feels like the perfect backdrop for the show. The night is supposed to be fun, but it quickly becomes a reminder of how things will never be the same in Hawkins anymore. Things kick off with the gang, Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo), Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin), and Will Byers (Noah Schnapp), going all in on their Ghostbusters costumes, just to realize that they are the only ones to show up to school fully dressed for the occasion.

Dustin and Lucas want to invite Max (Sadie Sink) to join their group, but decide against it, given how embarrassed they already are. Later on, while the boys are out trick-or-treating, someone dressed as the iconic Michael Myers jumps out of nowhere and scares them half to death. Soon enough, they realize that the person playing the prank on them is none other than Max. After making fun of the gang for a while, Max decides to join them, and that sets the foundation of this new friendship.

5 Barb's Final Moments

Season 1, Episode 2 "The Weirdo on Maple Street"

Shannon Purser as Barb Holland with glasses talking in a school hall in Season 1 of Stranger Things.

Barb's (Shannon Purser) disappearance in Stranger Things Season 1 is one of those moments that establishes just how merciless the Demogorgon really is. It all begins when Nancy and Barb go to Steve's (Joe Keery) house party. Now, Barb is visibly uncomfortable, while Nancy is too busy to notice. She tries to fit in and shotgun a beer, but cuts her hand while doing so. After that, Barb ends up alone by the pool as she tends to her bleeding hand. The moment is almost mundane because you don't really expect anything to happen to her. However, as her blood drips into the water, the lights begin to flicker.

The Demogorgon doesn't appear right away, but you know that something is coming. However, when it finally emerges from the dark behind the barb, the jump scare is fast and brutal. The poor girl doesn't even get a chance to fight or run. You hear her scream, and all of a sudden, she's gone. The jumpscare itself lasts a few seconds, but Barb's death remains one of the most heartbreaking moments in the show.

4 Holly Meets Max

Season 5, Episode 3 "The Turnbow Trap"

Holly and Max looking down at the camera in Stranger Things.

"The Turnbow Trap" shows Henry Creel (Jamie Campbell Bower) bringing Holly (Nell Fisher) into what the viewers still believe is the Upside Down's version of his house. The place looks warm on the surface, and Holly is practically convinced that Henry is doing all of this to protect her from the monsters that are about to attack Hawkins. Henry has one rule for her, and tells her that she is not allowed to go into the woods. However, when Holly finds a letter in the mailbox, allegedly from Henry, asking her to meet him at a marked location in the woods, she's obviously confused. She finally decides to follow the map and does the very thing Mr. Whatsit told her not to.

The sequence is deliberately stretched out as Holly walks through the confusing landscape. When she finally reaches the "X," she slows down and uses her telescope to scan the cavern. That's when a shadowy figure jumps out, and Holly makes a run for it. For a minute, you fear that it's Henry or one of his monsters. Holly tries to hide, but she knows that she has been caught, so she raises her fire poker to defend herself as the footsteps close in. Thankfully, though, the shadowy figure is Max. This is the first time we see her character in Season 5 and learn that she is alive after everything that happened to her in Season 4. The fear of the jump scare suddenly dissolves into relief. Of course, though, that doesn't last very long when you realize that Max has been trying to escape this place for four years.

3 Vecna Chases Max

Season 5, Episode 4 "Sorcerer"

Max in the Upside Down looking anxiously at something off-camera in Stranger Things.

This episode is where things finally click into place in Season 5. Much of the episode is spent inside Vecna's mindscape as Max explains the truth to Holly and talks about how they might escape this literal nightmare. Max tells Holly the truth about Vecna and how this world that they are in is a prison built from his memories. The whole thing feels even more haunting when Max explains how close she once came to getting out. She recounts breaking free of Vecna's looping memories and reaching the moment in 1986 when he cursed her.

That's when Max followed the sound of "Running Up That Hill," the song Lucas would constantly play at the hospital to get her to wake up. For a moment, she felt like she was going to make it out, and then the music stopped. You don't even get to experience the heartbreak of the moment, though, because Vecna is standing right there, ready to punish Max for almost making it out. The jump scare isn't dramatic, but Bower's menacing presence and the way Vecna relentlessly starts chasing Max is one of the most unsettling scenes in the entire show.

2 Will Byers' Disappearance

Season 1, Episode 1 "The Vanishing of Will Byers"

The kids riding on bikes in the dark in Stranger Things.

This is the moment where everything begins, and marks one of the scariest jumpscares the show has featured in the span of its five seasons. The episode opens with Mike, Lucas, Dustin, and Will playing Dungeons & Dragons in the Wheelers' basement. Soon enough, though, it's time to go home, and Will is biking all alone in the dark. At the time, Hawkins was still considered safe, and none of this felt out of the ordinary for Will. Then, the light on his bike flickers, and Will is distracted for a moment.

When he looks up in front of him, he sees a tall, shadowy, inhumane figure standing on the road, just a few steps away from him. Will's bike swerves off the road and crashes in the woods. He knows something is wrong, though, so he runs home, tries to call 9-1-1, and then picks up a rifle with his clumsy hands as the monster's voice grows louder in the background. You're waiting for something to happen again, but as Will turns to face the monster, the lights flare, and in an instant, he's gone.

1 Max Hears the Clock

Season 4, Episode 3 "The Monster and the Superhero"

Stranger Things Season 4 spends a lot of time focusing on Max's arc and the way Vecna preys on her grief after Billy's loss. During the final moments of this episode, Max and the gang are trying to make sense of what has happened to Chrissy (Grace Van Dien) and Fred (Logan Riley Bruner), who were both seeing the school’s guidance counselor, Ms. Kelley (Regina Ting Chen). Max breaks into Ms. Kelley's office late at night, and as she tries to find Chrissy and Fred's files, she hears the sound of a grandfather clock that she just can't ignore. She steps into the hallway to follow the sound, and that's when she spots the clock that seems to be embedded in the wall, almost like it belongs to another world.

Max moves toward the clock, and the screen goes black. That's when we hear Vecna's voice calmly calling out her name. However, the true jump scare lands in the final moments of the episode, when we see Vecna's eyes snapping open in the Upside Down just before the credits roll. This single image confirms what the entire episode has been building toward, and establishes Vecna as the big bad of Season 4.