Halloween Horror Marathon: The Scariest Scene I’ve Ever Seen

Over the past month (and as early as yesterday), I’ve made my appreciation for John Boorman’s Deliverance abundantly clear. So, by this point, there’s no need for me to casually remark how much this film terrifies me – it is, without question, the most horrifying film I’ve ever seen. And its most infamous scene is reason enough to thank for that.

Note: The scene in question has been discussed, mocked, ridiculed, made famous and everything in between, ten times over. With all that in mind, I’m going to discuss it in great detail. Detail that would be best appreciated by people who’ve seen the film.

Midway through the film, harmless-if-not-helpless city boys, Ed (Jon Voight) and Bobby (Ned Beatty), dock their canoe on a riverbank as a means of letting fearless Lewis (Burt Reynolds) and moralistic Drew (Ronny Cox) catch up to them. Seconds after stepping away from their canoe, down from the thick wilderness walk two mountain men. They approach the city boys, and then things get ugly.

Most everyone knows what this scene is building to, but in fact, the moments leading up to the rape are just as excruciating as the rape itself. Watch, for example, the subtle look the Mountain Man (Bill McKinney) gives the Toothless Man (Herbert Coward) after briefly interrogating Ed and Bobby:

It’s a look that says, “Yeah, we’re doing this.” And damn if our city boys have no idea what’s coming. Moreover, I’ve seen Deliverance dozens upon dozens of times, and with each passing viewing, some fraction of me hopes Ed and Bobby will somehow talk their way out of it. Such as in the brief moment when the Mountain Man slightly relents his terror by leaning against a tree and talking with his hands, asking Ed and Bobby if he heard something correctly (“Didn’t you say somethin’ bout, makin’ whiskey…”):

But moments after Voight weakly attempts to dialogue his way out of the situation: (“Gentlemen, we can talk this over, what is it that you…require?”), Ed is being harnessed to a tree with his belt, while Bobby is ordered to undress (Beatty’s half-hearted prayers during this scene, as if he’s desperately trying to remember a specific prayer, should’ve earned the actor an Oscar nomination).

And then it happens.

There’s a chase, a struggle, a brief pause. And then it happens.

Once finished, the Mountain Man (note: watch the way McKinney, exerted and unsatisfied, slowly lifts his leg all the way over not one but two branches, without using his arms. There’s something about that movement, and I’m not entirely sure what, but it’s just so uniquely mortifying) walks toward his toothless partner. There’s more to be had.

They untie Ed, who is not-so-subtly told to perform forced fellatio on the Toothless Man. And then we see it.

Cutting to Ed’s point of view, we gracefully pull focus to see Lewis and Drew dock their canoe next to our stranded victims’ boat. Now, pay attention here, because this is the moment of Boorman’s career. Most any movie (made then or now) would immediately cut to Burt Reynolds in his canoe. They’d show Lewis slowly looking around, spotting Ed on his knees, a gun to his face, before Lewis quietly scrambled to find, assemble, and prepare his bow and arrow. That’s called cross cutting, and it’s a technique that’s as effective as it’s not. So, instead of showing the action, we stay with Ed and the criminals, wondering when/if/how/when the tough, brooding Lewis will find them.

The second after Ed spots Lewis, we once again jump cut to Ed’s point of view and are privy to the finest zoom shot in cinema history. Burt Fucking Reynolds, standing tall and stiff, arrow pulled back, ready. 

Back to an objective shot, an arrow soon pierces through the Mountain Man as Ed and Drew attempt to catch the Toothless Man.

There’s a chase, a struggle, a brief pause. And then it happens. 

Then Burt Fucking Reynolds walks into frame, smiling amicably at his slayed game, proud of his victory. 

Now, I’ve spent a great portion of this post detailing the many flawless technical aspects of this scene, and that’s for good reason. I often find myself defending films that contain harsh, seemingly brutal-for-the-sake-of-being brutal, moments. I don’t enjoy watching rape in movies. In fact, it’s the thing I like least in films. Despite this, there remains a fact that many many good, worthy films contains moments of rape and/or extreme violence. I’m no proponent of violence (in film or otherwise), but, sometimes, it’s necessary. And, if necessary, hopefully it is handled in such a fashion as to not glorify it, which is precisely what Boorman did with Deliverance.

There’s nothing fancy or stylized about the horrendous act that occurs in this film. Boorman opts for long takes and controlled acting to propel the story. Deliverance is one of the best films I’ve ever viewed, and this scene is nothing if not absolutely necessary. It’s essential, but has never once shied away from scaring the shit out of me.

Halloween Horror Marathon Posts:

How Do You Define a Horror Film?
Paranormal Activity Franchise Breakdown

Friday the 13^th Franchise Breakdown
Hannibal Lecter Franchise Breakdown
Psycho Franchise Breakdown
Top 10 Horror Films
Top 10 Scariest Non-Horror Films