Scariest movie you've ever seen?

I'm a massive film buff, but there are still a few horror flicks that scare the crap out of me.

It used to be The Shining, with the Conjuring close behind, but I saw The Exorcist yesterday (in my university lecture threatre, with the lights off and all) and that automatically topped my list. Those semi-subliminal images shot...ugh.

Out of all the films you've seen, which scared you the most? Or which films are you too scared to see?

Probably Harry Potter.

Actually scare me? None that I can recall (I don't count jump scares as real scares, only the ones that linger after the film is done) but the one that creeped me out the most? The Grudge.

Not really because of the movie itself, since it was pretty silly for most part but because a few days after I watched all 3 in a row a stray cat apparently "moved in" to my street and that damn thing would sit underneath my balcony and every night around 3am it would start doing this really weird meowing and it was exactly like the one the damn cat-boy in the movie made. Waking up to that every night ended up making me feel really creeped out at a point...Funny thing is, even if I went to the balcony I could never see the fucking cat =P This went on for like 3 months.

Lmao, that was no coincidence. That cat was smart enough to know what you've seen and haunted you.

@-paranorman-: With my luck it was in heat, heard the cat-boy and decided to camp by my door XD

Signs, Paranormal Activity, The Blair Witch Project.

The Ring. I was 11 back then and it really freaked me out.

You're a massive film buff but you'd never seen the Exorcist until yesterday?

Anyhoo, my answer would be the same. The Exorcist is probably the movie that scared me the most. At least at the time of viewing. I was 13 or 14 when I first saw it and it scared the crap out of me. Nothing since then has really had the same impact on me. Then again, I am a lot older now and age tends to take the edge off of horror movie scares.

Yep. If we're talking scary subjective to age and vulnerability, the Ring messed me up when I was 12 more than any other movie.

@SaintLeonidas: Signs? That wasn't too bad. Each to their own I guess. :P

The Exorcist, when I saw it like 16 or 17 years ago on VHS and I even watched it in the middle of the day, my mother was at the table doing bills not paying attention, my brother or sister in view upstairs using the computer, my dad walking in and out of the kitchen, I mention this because such distractions and comfort of people nearby didn't stop me from being horrified by the movie. It took me many viewings over the years to become numb to watching it. There were times though I would be adverse to watching it remembering how scared I was when I did.

Paranormal Activity, there's something to say about how the atmosphere of watching a scary movie helps, in this case this is back when the movie only played on weekends at midnight before wider distribution, and we went opening night and got in line, everyone there was stoked to see it. The theater was packed elbow to elbow. And there was a very contagious atmosphere emotionally. The tension building moments were that more effective when everybody is holding their breath, waiting for whatever to happen to happen, and in a room full of people it can really change how I might perceive such a film if I watched it under different circumstances. When one person shrills it moves through the crowd explosively and there's always a good laugh afterwards. It made for a pretty tense experience, and I thoroughly enjoyed it even though the movie wasn't anything special.

Blair Witch Project, I only mention this because expectations also play a part in how people enjoy or don't enjoy something. When the Blair Witch phenomenon happened I was out of the country, so I didn't get to hear all the hype and the disappointment from people who went to see it on that hype. When I came back to the U.S. I knew little about this movie because it's run was over and all the hype behind me. One day I was bored and my sister was going to see her boyfriend, and I noticed she had video rentals so I asked if I could watch them. She said sure if I take them back so that was the deal. I had all the lights in the house off and watched it on the big screen with the surround sound. Also worth mentioning there was a big wind and lightning storm outside which really elevated the mood. And having no expectations, as well as not being adverse to low budget indie films, I found it quite entertaining. But afterwards when I told people I enjoyed it I always got a negative reaction from that.

Can I once again ask what was so great about the Conjuring? There was almost nothing, and I mean NOTHING original about that movie. the story was predictable as hell, the "scares" were also incredibly predictable and the camera work, effective as it was, did nothing to relieve those two facts. I can't for the life of me fathom how something so thoroughly boring, cliche and flat out unoriginal could receive so much praise. I wouldn't rag on it so much if it was actually creepy, but it wasn't Every single trick in the book was used in that movie.

anyways, now that the rant is over, I haven't really seen any horror movie that truly scared me. but some of my favorites are The Evil Dead (original) You're Next, and I Saw the Devil.

As far as the Exorcist goes, I can see why it scared people at the time, but it's not very scary now. The special effects were a big turn off for me. Like the head spinning scene? CLEARLY animatronic. I get it was the seventies, but there are quite a few movies from the seventies that hold up well today. Granted, I was 16 when I saw it so that may have had something to do with the lack of scares, but nothing about the movie really jumped out at me aside from the subliminal messaging (which made me dizzy more than anything).

And to people who would say that I'm contradicting myself by saying I like Evil Dead, but not Exorcist, and like You're Next, but not The Conjuring, I will say this: In the case of the Evil Dead, part of the reason it's so good is because of the cheap ass effects. They look so bad, that it actually adds to the "grimy" and "unclean" feeling of the movie. Plus, it still manages to be pretty creepy at points (thank you, uncanny valley). This is opposed to the Exorcist, which is supposed to be flat out scary and not so bad it's awesome. And with You're Next, it is a cliche concept that was twisted on its head and incredibly well executed. The main character became the ultimate killer as the movie went on, AND, unlike in an infinity of other slasher films, no one is safe from harm in You're Next. Not the main character, not the victims, not the villains, nobody. this is opposed to The Conjuring, which uses every generic haunted house trick in the book to try and evoke "scares" and ended up failing because it wasn't even well done.

i got a few actually,

CARRIE WAS THE FIRST TO MAKE ME JUMPP OUT OF MY SEAT, ,,,, AND ITS AWAYS THAT LAST SCENE, AT THE END WHERE THAT GIRL GOES TO CARRIES GRAVE AND CARRIES HAND GRABS THE GIRL

THE DENTIST----- PUT THIS ON A DAY BEFORE I HAVE A DENTAL APPOINTMENT AND I WILL NOT GO , IM DEAD SERIOUS YOU WONT CATCH ME TO A DENTIST THE THINGS THIS GUY DOES , OMG, ------ MAKES ME REMEMBER MY OLD DENTIST IN FLORIDA DR FLOYD AND HE WAS ACTUALLY ARRESTED FOR DOING THESE THINGS TO HIS PATIENTS SO , YA GIVES ME THE SHIVERS EVERYTIME

THE DENTIST 2 -- SAME AS THE FIRST BUT EVEN MORE WORST

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 1 -- THIS MOVIE SCARED ME HALF TO DEATH ,, THE FIRST TIME ,, AND IN THE DARK OMG

LAST BUT NOT LEAST FINAL DESTINATION ANY OF THEM IM AFRAID TO GO BEHIND TRUCKS BECAuse of this one movie

Horror films don't scare me anymore, but I remember seeing the full, un-cut version of The Exorcist when I was 10. I had nightmares for weeks.

The Descent for making claustrophobia as scary as albino blind cave goblins.

The Conjuring may not have had the most original story, but it told that story incredibly well and I feel like you are just wrong in saying it wasn't well done. It is EASILY the best execution of the haunted house story to date. Even if it falls apart just a little bit towards the very end, it does so much right throughout the rest of the movie.

I will say I went and saw The Conjuring at the midnight premiere with some my GF and a friend of mine. The theater was packed with people who all got totally into the movie. The suspense in that theater was so incredibly thick and every scare had people shrieking and it was amazing. Something I noticed is that the first time I saw the movie scenes felt LONGER than during subsequent viewings and I think that was do to the sheer amount of suspense. I have never experienced that with another movie.

Those other 3 movies you mention in that second paragraph are all awesome, granted I much prefer Evil Dead 2 to the original do to how epically funny it is. I do not find those movies scary though (and I actually feel I Saw the Devil is a thriller rather than a horror movie).

I hate to say it, but people who don't enjoy You're Next and the Evil Dead movies (and for that matter Cabin in the Woods) are just people who don't get that type of movie. I feel bad for anyone who goes into those movies expecting sheer terror (and have actually seen people who hated Cabin in the Woods for not being scary...)

Completely agree on the Exorcist. Do not find that movie scary in the least....

As for the question, I would say the movies I have found scariest are The Conjuring, Sinister, and Insidious. Games tend to freak me out more than movies though...

You think Paranormal Activity was scary? All you see is a door opening and closing. Try seeing a ghost IRL and see how long it takes for you to duck your head under your covers. >_>

The EXORCIST period!! The film attacks you on a psychological level like no other! lol...I have been hearing alot about the conjuring though, but I have yet to see it....not in a real rush to tell you the truth!!

I'd have to say House on Haunted Hill. There's just something about a doctor looking directly into the camera that sends chills down the spine...

Movie so bad you'll have nightmares for a month.

I know that feel, bro...

I'm always curious on why so many people immediately say "The Exorcist". Was it because you were all really young? Was it because it was a big step up from other horror movies at the time? I can understand that, but for current days standards (while it's still a great movie) on the scare factor it's as scary as Jim Carey as The Mask puking pea soup so people who're seeing it for the first time feeling so scared is a puzzle to me. Anyone care to enlighten me? =)

Definitely exorcist 1973

I got nightmare for few days after watching it.

From the Azan opening and dog fighting at archeological site ...... the the demon flash .. the haunting demon voice, the extra decoration on virgin mary's statue and even the brain scan at the hospital scenes terrified me

the road accident scene hit me the most ......

also .... nobody mention about the movie "HOSTEL"

Ugh, that demon face scared the hell out of me. Everyone in the audience gasped in shock when we saw it, and again when it appeared in the dream and in the kitchen.
And those medicals scenes were awful.

@ShadowsDemon:

@LostProphetFLCL: I still can't fathom how anyone found the Conjuring scary. I, too, saw it in a packed theater with my ex and we both hated it. It's hardly different from say, Insidious or Sinister, except for the fact that at least the latter two had some cool ideas that aren't done to death (The Further and the killing tapes, respectively). Again, it's not that I have an issue with something having a generic story (You're Next is actually my favorite movie of 2013) but I had a huge issue with the execution. Every jump scare has been seen a million times before, and the characters were so endlessly generic that it was impossible for me to give a damn about what happened. Really, the only reason I didn't walk out is because my dad was also enjoying it (my ex came on vacation with us, my dad, me and her all wanted to see the movie).

Maybe it's because of all they hype surrounding it, but the fact that it did next to nothing original killed the movie for me. Even something generic like You're Next used ONE CHARACTER to totally flip the familiar premise on its head, and that's why it worked so well. With the Conjuring, it took no risks, had nothing inventive (aside from MAYBE the hands clapping, but when that happened, I called that something would happen so there went that effect).

Also, the scariest thing in that movie was the doll in the beginning. If it was based around that thing, the movie probably would have been a lot scarier. But the fact that the movie did nothing special made the inherent flaws of the typical haunted house story stand out all the more in Conjuring.

On a different topic, I think it's weird that my favorite horror movies aren't even meant to be too scary. I mean, The Evil Dead originally was (and it still has its moments) but it's more because of the cheap effects that I love it. And like you said, I Saw the Devil is more of a thriller than horror movie, but I thought I should mention it anyways.

Also, have you seen Inside or Martyrs?

I don't know about scariest movie, but this scene should get a mention.

Annabelle was indeed awesome. Couldn't believe that some of the reviews I have read that were even positive about the movie mentioned Annabelle as a NEGATIVE.

I don't understand why you hated the execution though. I felt like the movie took those familiar concepts but did it better than any movie had before it. The camera work is FANTASTIC and the sound design was also great. Love the way all the sound will drop out for a few seconds before a big scare happens. You know something is going to happen and he just holds it back just that little bit longer and that sound drop-out is where you are holding your breath.

While I liked Insidious, I HATED the further stuff. It almost ruined that movie for me. Thankfully it ended on a good note.

You're Next was absolutely fantastic though. Not my fav of 2013 but that has nothing to do with the movie no being awesome, but just the fact that 2013 was a pretty damn loaded year movie wise. Definitely the best main character to come around in a horror movie in possibly forever.

Horror movies need not be scary to be great. I personally am very impressed when a movie is actually able to scare me so stuff like The Conjuring gets way up there in my lists of horror movies. Thing is horror movies can either be good because they are terrifying (Conjuring), just plain cool (28 Weeks Later), or flat out hilarious (Cabin in the Woods). You just might gravitate to the funnier side of horror.

Saw Inside and absolutely HATED it. Very pissed after all the times I saw that recommended. Went and rented it and watched it with my GF and her Mom. We all flat out hated the damn movie. Not scary, not funny, not cool, just fucking stupid...

Have not seen Martyrs though.

Oh, The Conjuring was VERY well executed, and it definitely had an amazing way in which they unfolded the suspense. The basement scenes and the "clap clap" from the wardrobe will go down as some of the most memorable horror sequences ever.

But as for other films that are done "poorly" as in, low budget, unconventional styles, I don't find them scary at all. In fact they're more hilarious than not. It's the same for the original Texas Chainsaw flick. I just got annoyed at all the screaming and extreme close ups.

I honestly have no idea how could people find the shining scary.

Nothing happens in that film, really.

Well..I actually do have an idea...guess its because it's an old movie and there was nothing like it back then, but right now, if I'd recommend the shining, I'd list it as a comedy, for real.

@Mkavanaugh77 said:

IT was very scary when i watched as a kid.

Saw that when I was like 2. Shit gave me nightmares...

I don't get scared by films but probably The Thing.

The remake for Night of the Living Dead starring Tony Todd and Patricia Tallman was pretty scary to me when I was 7.

That was the first horror movie I ever watched when I was a kid. :D

The Wickerman starring Nicholas Cage

pullease .... I love that movie

you should say ************************SPOILER WARNING**************************** because this is the best part of the movie

The most scary films I've watched are, Blair witch, paranormal activity1-2, conjuring. I recently watched Sinister and found it not scary but very creepy. I also like insidious I really like the story which is quite oringinal. Close incounters1 is quite good also.

It's not exactly a movie, but this scene is the scariest ever in my opinion.
It's all because the build up is brilliant, that scene is so tense.
Mulholland Drive is an amazing movie by the way, it's on my top list with other David Lynch classics.

Horror movies don't really scare me anymore, sure I'll gasp at the jump scares but I don't give them too much thought after the movie's finished. Last films to terrify me where Nightmare On Elm St. and The Exorcist, mainly because I was really young when I saw them. Many a sleepless night with the lights on back then!

For me usually it's ghostly unknowns that get to me so ever since my childhood 'The Haunting' (1963) has always disturbed me and more recently the first 'Paranormal Activity' was pretty damn effective when watched alone late at night. These days it's usually more well crafted but disturbing things that tend to bother me over a series of days like 'Irreversible' and 'Audition'...and I'm rather intrigued by 'Inside' which I've only just recently heard about.

About to watch the much ballyhooed 'The Conjuring' which I have decent hopes for, but then again 'Insidious' has similar accolades and I found it rather disappointing when it fell apart in the last act into a world of German expressionism which, though visually kind of interesting, pretty much destroyed all its initial intensely foreboding atmosphere.

I've heard Irreversible was messed up. My film studies professor, the same one who screened The Exorcist for us, said that she can't watch Irreversible due to all the really f*cked up stuff in it.

@hippiesanta said:

@ShadowsDemon:

The power of Christ compels you to go away!

Only one that comes to mind is Event Horizon. Have still only seen it the once. I remember re watching some of the scary movies from my youth and not a one was close to what I remembered. So I am hesitant to go back to EH, as it might empty the category.

Signs scared the shit out of me when first saw it.

recently, id say Insidious.

Watched Paranormal activity the marked ones last night, as my sister said it was a good scary movie. it wasnt. it was the least scary of the franchise.