# The 1972 movie scene Stanley Kubrick called “the most terrifying ever put on film”

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/the-1972-movie-scene-stanley-kubrick-called-the-most-terrifying-ever-put-on-film/
- Published: 2026-11-09T19:15:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-09T19:22:48+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/movie-scene-stanley-kubrick-called-most-terrifying-ever/
- Topics: Entertainment, Film

## Key points

- Kubrick reportedly found a scene in *Deliverance* exceptionally terrifying.
- The scene influenced his decision not to meet actor Bill McKinney.
- John Boorman said McKinney was simply a skilled actor.

## Summary

Stanley Kubrick reportedly called a scene in John Boorman’s 1972 thriller *Deliverance* “the most terrifying scene ever put on film”. The episode, in which a mountain man forces Ned Beatty’s character to squeal like a pig, left such a strong impression that Kubrick later avoided meeting the actor who played him.

Boorman said Kubrick contacted him while considering Bill McKinney for a role in *Full Metal Jacket*. Boorman assured him McKinney was a good actor rather than like the character he portrayed, but Kubrick remained unconvinced and abandoned the idea. McKinney went on to appear in seven Clint Eastwood films, often as a villain.

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