Molly Buccini

Picture yourself at the movies, chomping on popcorn and catching the latest horror blockbuster. An uneasy feeling creeps up as you watch – something terrifying is undoubtedly going to happen. You’re tempted to turn your face from the screen and bury it into your neighbor’s shoulder.

The reaction to watching a horror flick is similar to the way we felt every time we saw a social media brand fail this year. It was cringeworthy to watch, and yet we couldn’t turn away.

In the spirit of Halloween, here are 13 scary social moments of 2014 – what went down, how the brand handled it – and our advice for next time.