One good jump scare is all it takes for even the bravest souls to swear off horror games for the rest of their lives. Indeed, some of the absolute best jump scares in all of horror can be found in video games.
While there will always be those who would rather look down on all jump scares rather than simply enjoy the fun of being “got” by them, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t jump scares that are a cut above the rest. They’re the payoff of the perfect set-up, the perfect atmosphere, and the perfect timing.
While horror is filled with things suddenly going “boo” that only scare you because they trigger an almost unavoidable natural reaction, the best jump scares are so much more than that. While I’m in my grave, I’ll leap out and scare anyone who comes to celebrate the death of anyone who would defend one of the most wrongfully reviled tropes in horror. I’ll go to my grave defending good jump scares from all that oppose them.
