scare the hell out of
Cause extreme terror
To scare the hell out of someone is to frighten them severely—beyond ordinary fear into visceral terror: That movie scared the hell out of me.
The phrase intensifies scare, suggesting fear so strong it could drive out one's very soul.
Variants include scare the shit out of, scare the living daylights out of, and the milder scare the heck out of.
- haunted houseDwelling believed spirit-inhabited
- things that go bump in the nightFrightening nocturnal phenomena
- adrenaline rushIntense sudden excitement
- heart poundingIntense cardiac sensation
- petrifyFossilize or paralyze utterly
terror · give someone the creeps · horror movie · dread · fight-or-flight response · startle · nightmare · goosebumps · spook · unnerve · panic · ghost story · trembling · fright · gasping · alarm · screaming · terrify