Shining tops screen horrors

The scene is an iconic moment

Actor Jack Nicholson's cry of "Here's Johnny" as he axes his way through a door in pursuit of his wife is the most terrifying screen moment of all time, according to a poll.

The scene in Stanley Kubrick's The Shining topped a poll for a Channel 4 special on The 100 Scariest Moments on TV and film.

It beat classic terror scenes such as the head-spinning scene in the 1973 horror film The Exorcist and the moment a severed head tumbles from a hole in a boat in Steven Spielberg's Jaws.

A run down of the top 50 scenes was shown by the UK's Channel 4 on Sunday night.

Viewers voted for their top scene over a number of weeks after a shortlist was drawn up by a panel of experts.

Two of the scenes are from once-banned "video nasties", The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) and The Evil Dead (1981) .

They were both chosen for their overall effect rather than specific moments.

The Exorcist is considered a classic

The oldest film in the list is Nosferatu, from 1922, which was at number 38.

The most recent entry, in 18th position, is the scene of fleeing zombies in UK hit 28 Days Later, directed by Danny Boyle.

The scene in The Shining has become one of cinema's iconic images and Nicholson is said to have ad-libbed the famous line.

The film is based on a Stephen King novel of the same name and established Nicholson as an actor for crazed roles.

Horror films remain one of the most popular film genres - a remake of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre recently topped the US box office.

The show's producer Mark Murray said: "The top 10 is full of images which have now entered pop culture history.

"Anyone who has seen Jaws will never feel the same way again about dipping their toe into the ocean.

"And the winning 'Here's Johnny' scene from The Shining has become one of the most iconic screen images of all time, spoofed by other films and countless TV shows over the years."

The 10 top scary moments are:

1. The Shining (1980) - Jack Nicholson chops through the door and shouts "Here's Johnny!"
2. The Exorcist (1973) - Possessed girl's rotating head and projectile vomit
3. Jaws (1975) - Severed head falls from boat
4. Alien (1979) - Alien bursts out of John Hurt's chest
5. The Blair Witch Project (1999) - Heather Donahue in tears in the woods
6. Ring (1998) - Sadako crawls through the television
7. Halloween (1978) - Serial killer Michael's face appears behind Jamie Lee Curtis in a house full of dead bodies
8. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) - Leatherface's general reign of terror
9. The Omen (1976) - Oscar-winning eerie music score
10. A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984) - First appearance of horror icon Freddy Krueger