Darkest Moments From Harry Potter Film:
This list highlights the darkest moments from the Harry Potter series that made the series much more than just children’s movies and those instances where we were reminded that this story could be a jarringly adult. The scenes are not just the deaths of the major characters but simply moments that made us extremely uncomfortable and often times scared to the core.
1. Voldemort drinking Unicorn blood
Remember the scene in the very first movie where Voldemort who was still attached to Quirrell’s body was drinking a dead Unicorn’s blood in the forbidden forest? Well, it is definitely one of the darkest scenes of the series and still scares the hell out of most people. The scene is quite intense and horrific for a children’s film and sets the dark tone of the series early on. It is probably the darkest scene that takes place in the forbidden forest in any of the films.
2. The basilisk in the chamber
This whole sequence in the chamber of secrets is horrifying and hard to watch even as an adult. The chamber was given this eerie look with snakeheads on the sides obviously signifying the Slytherin imagery but it is simply too scary. When the Basilisk enters the scene, everything becomes even more intense and simply traumatic. As Harry fights the giant snake we all route for our Harry and tries to look away at the same time. The whole sequence is pretty scary in the book as well and the whole film had this creepy feel to it.
3. Dementor on the Hogwarts Express
This scene is simply hard to forget and scared every kid who watched the movie. Alfonso Cuaron wanted his film to set apart and gave it a more mature look and feel than its predecessors. This scene early on in the film sets the tone and scares the hell out of everyone. As the train stops midway and the trio along with a sleeping Lupin are inside their cabin a shadow shows up outside it and then a particularly gross and scary hand opens the door. This is still one of the darkest moments of the series.
4. Amos Diggory grieving Cedric’s death
Death is a big theme of the series and gets really frequent after the fourth movie which features the demise of the loved Hufflepuff Cedric Diggory. Cedric’s death was a big shock as well as a moment that made you realize how dark the series would get from then on. However, it is his father Amos’s reaction to his death that gives you goosebumps every time. The father’s screams are simply haunting and echo in the silent environment where kids witness one of their peers who has passed.
5. Harry’s detention with Umbridge
Dolores Umbridge is easily the most despised character in the series. The fact that the woman felt good about torturing children shows what kind of person she was. In the fifth movie, there are many scenes where Umbridge can be seen doing horrible stuff but the one that sets our teeth on edge is definitely Harry’s detention with her where she makes him write ‘I must not tell lies’ with a torture quill that engraves the sentence into Harry’s hand. The scene was definitely quite dark and made us all hate the toad faced the witch.
6. Dumbledore drinking the potion
This is the most vulnerable and helpless we had ever seen the Hogwarts headmaster. The scene sent a chill down our spines when we first saw it. Dumbledore and Harry were inside the cave in search of a Horcrux and this leads them to a bowl filled with a deadly potion that is meant to be drunk. The potion has the power to paralyze and torture the person who drinks it. Dumbledore takes it upon himself to drink the potion and Harry is instructed to make him drink the whole thing in order to obtain the Horcrux. The scene is really intense and simply one of the darkest moments of the series.
7. Hermione’s torture scene
Deathly Hallows part 1 is probably the most mature out of all the Potter films as it is the most distanced from the actual magical feel of the series. One extremely dark scene that still gives us goosebumps whenever we watch it is when Hermione is being tortured by Bellatrix in Malfoy manor. Bellatrix engraves the word ‘mudblood’ on Hermione’s arm and we can only imagine the pain she must have felt. Her screams make the scene rather difficult to watch but also shows Emma Watson’s amazing acting chops.
8. Snape crying over Lily
The whole Prince’s tale is portrayed really well in the last movie and the sequence is beautiful and at the same time dark and mature. It is the moment when a young Snape enters the Potter’s house at Godric’s hollow and spots a dead Lily on the floor that makes it to our list because of how heavy and emotional it is. Snape weeping over the corpse of Lily is simply the saddest scene of the film and also shows Snape’s regrets and shortcomings. The scene is given life by the masterful skills of Sir Alan Rickman that make it too real for us.
