Now everyone has different ideas of what is scary. Sometimes what frightens people is based on their superstitions. Sometimes it has to do with their environment or perhaps something that happened to them personally. My Mom had nightmares for years about a giant bird attacking her and I still to this day have bad dreams about this giant quarry we used to drive past when I lived in Illinois. Now I'm sure most people in this world don't get scared by birds or deep holes in the ground because we all have different ideas and reasons for what makes something frightening, but as fellow humans we do share many of the same fears. My mother's fear believe it or not was caused by the 1957 film The Giant Claw which no one on Earth would be terrified of, yet nobody I've ever met can sleep that well after watching The Exorcist.
Personally I live for horror and particularly horror movies, but by no means do I always look to be scared. Part of what is so great about the horror genre is it's variety. You can have loads of fun watching something like The Fearless Vampire Killers or The Mummy's Ghost or you can turn on some late 90s Japanese films featuring white ghost girls and have to sleep with a night light for a week. I certainly prefer the former and usually you can find me watching Bela Lugosi movies and slasher films with exotic yet silly death scenes, but sometimes nothing beats that adrenaline pump you get from scaring yourself. Keep in mind this list solely represents horror cinema. I am certainly more scared of things that could happen in real life such as war or a prison sentence. No question watching The Day After as a kid during the height of nuclear stockpiling scarred me for life and I still am afraid of the real people Robert De Niro could be representing in films like Taxi Driver or The King Of Comedy (yet he doesn't scare me in Cape Fear...odd). Honestly a lengthy torture is the thing I fear the most yet I don't find a single film in the torture porn genre that comes across as scary. Outside of a movie like Hostel or Martyrs another huge absence from this list would be the movie Jaws. For some people this would cause them more terror than any other cinematic experience and would be at the top of their list. I remember hearing stories about beaches having to close because the film terrified such a large mass of people that it actually hurt seaside businesses for a few years. That's very impressive for something to be so terrifying that it can dramatically affect the economy, but again terror is a personal thing and we all have different fears (although after watching Jaws there's no way in Hell I'd ever go night swimming even in a lake). I'd love to hear back from you all on this list with what films still give you nightmares and if you enjoy being scared then pick up a copy of one of these movies and see what you think...
*if you have any interest or ideas on a TV, internet or radio project, email me allnewsux (at) gmail.com
Honorable Mentions That Almost Made The List:
Dark Water (2002)
Curse Of The Demon (1957)
Cape Fear (1962)
The Sentinel (1977)
Black Sunday (1960)
20. Revenge Of The Creature (1955)
To this day when I watch the titular creature freak out it gets my blood pumping...even if I'm watching the MST3K version. The movie does have some incongruity from the actors, but the scares come from the seemingly uncontrollable actions of the creature. He just terrorizes everyone during the entire film and the scene where they at first revive him and he goes crazy always scares the Hell out of me.
19. Night Of The Demons (1988)
One of the few films on the list that I would also call fun, but what movie with Linnea Quigley wouldn't be at least somewhat fun? It comes across a bit like a slasher film with "teens" being picked off one by one, but a demonic enemy is much scarier than a Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees. The horror is just relentless once it gets going and it wears you out...overall escape seems impossible for the characters.
18. Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)
A wonderful film that takes some of the most iconic TV series' episodes and turns them into more horror oriented vignettes. I remember first renting this on VHS as a kid because I liked the TV show so much. I wasn't expecting this and scenes from the creature on the airplane wing to the rabbit to the young girl with no mouth have stuck with me to this very day.
17. The Sadist (1963)
Arch Hall Jr. would never be accused of being a great actor, but he manages to pull off a once in a lifetime performance as does Marilyn Manning in a background role as Hall's girlfriend. Out of all the films that portrayed killer Charles Starkweather, I consider this to be the best (yes even better than Martin Sheen in Badlands). This movie cuts deep to a real life fear I have about guns being able to empower psychopaths or complete idiots and the ability guns can have to give them control over innocent regular people.
16. Jacob's Ladder (1990)
Saw this one in theaters and it messed me up pretty good. The twist ending is brilliant as is the acting and the script. There are numerous things against our lead and they all have an effect on your psyche. These images are going to haunt you for a very long time and drifting back and forth between realities will make for a cinematic experience you won't soon forget. Such an original look at horror visually speaking that I can't say I've ever seen anything else like it.
15. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992)
David Lynch is the master of making very confusing movies and television and giving them an air of creepiness. There are so many scenes I could name in this film that are simply horrifying in their surrealness. The truth behind some of the images we see are more awful than the images themselves, but that's because we know BOB is not real, but incestual fathers unfortunately are. Believe it or not this was my very first exposure to Twin Peaks and it scared the Hell out of me. If the actual TV series had been this scary it would have been canceled after episode 2.
14. Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1978)
No doubt the 1956 paranoid science fiction film is quite scary, but this updated version turned the terror up to 11. I always feel uncomfortable with the movies where you don't know who you can trust and who you can't. I am not a paranoid person by nature, but if I was in a setting like this I would probably become psychotic. For decades now I have had nightmares that I am being chased by a large group of people and while over the years I've actually learned to embrace this regularly occurring dream, I have to wonder if it was caused by this film which still terrifies me to this very day. And that ending...God damn!
13. Amityville II: The Possession (1982)
Let me say that I don't truly believe in ghosts or hauntings or possession but I think when these paranormal things are portrayed correctly, they can be the most terrifying premise for a story. The first film definitely has some scary moments, but the sequel covers the real story of what happened when Ronald DeFeo shot his entire family. The whole movie is just dreary and miserable with family abuse, incest and other violent acts. Top that off with some well done demonic effects and you have something you'll be thinking about for years to come.
12. Ju-On: The Grudge (2002)
While for the most part I gave up on horror in the 21st century due to the extensive use of CGI and the fact that access to a cell phone and other 21st century technology makes even the most desolate locale less horrific, I do really love what they are doing over in Asia. Ju-On, Ringu, Dark Water, The Eye, Shutter are all worth your time if you're a horror fan but be prepared to be terrified. The first time I saw this film on cable I actually turned off certain scenes because I was too scared to watch them. Remember Izumi peeling back the newspaper taped to the window...I'll never forget it.
11. The Beyond (1981)
Lucio Fulci is possibly my favorite horror movie director. I enjoy Fulci so much because he knows what horror fans want. Visceral images accompanied by surreal, atmospheric settings but normally his movies are more fun than actual terror. The Beyond is certainly an exception to that rule. This is actually part 2 of a trio of films from Fulci called The Gates Of Hell trilogy...all worth watching. There are too many absolutely horrifying scenes to mention, but when the dead start rising in the morgue I was so scared I thought I was going to burst into tears.
10. The Changeling (1980)
Everyone knows "the ball scene". If you don't, stop reading this list and find this movie right this second because it is one of the scariest scenes in cinematic history. Even outside of that iconic scene, this haunted house film will creep you out at every turn. I always think supernatural horror movies are helped by a lead who is a non-believer in part because anyone who believed in a dark haunting like this would run out of the house screaming. Instead we get the always brilliant George C. Scott searching for the truth about the murder of a crippled child in the most frightening places imaginable.
9. Last Cannibal World (1977)
I consider the cannibal horror genre to be the scariest and certainly the most uncomfortable genre of film to watch. Most of these movies make me feel like I need a shower after seeing them and by excluding any supernatural or paranormal elements they are some of most realistic horror stories. Cannibal Holocaust and Cannibal Ferox would both sneak into my top 30 scariest films, but this lesser known gem, also known as Jungle Holocaust, is the most nightmarish tale. The endless tortures and humiliations wear out the lead character as well as the audience. You want him to escape and are constantly on edge hoping that this time he'll finally get away.
8. House On Haunted Hill (1959)
William Castle is one of my favorite directors and his flair for showmanship proves how much he truly loves cinema. Normally his horror movies are certainly well done, but also fun for their gimmickry and something you'd maybe want to watch with a drunken audience at a midnight show, but this one is just plain scary. While terror is not constantly present the few shock scenes that Castle created will literally scar you. I would actually consider the scene with the people knocking on the walls to be the greatest jump scare ever put on film and it turns out even Tom Savini agrees with me on that. Don't know what I'm referring to...then watch this film ASAP!
7. Ghost Story (1981)
This one means so much to me that I wrote a whole article dedicated to it so for a more in depth review please see http://allnewsux.blogspot.com/2016/03/ghost-story-for-me-one-that-started-it.html I've watched this movie on and off since I was in 4th grade, but I will confirm from a recent viewing it is just as scary to me now as it was back then. The focus is on the accidental killing of a woman by a group of friends and both her story and her soul refuse to stay at rest. I assure you that there are about a dozen scenes in this film that will populate your nightmares for months after you see them.
6. U.F.O. Abduction (1989)
I discovered this film when I started a found footage movie whim. I know found footage cinema is huge in the 21st century but prior to that it was few and far between. The reason this particular film may be the most perfect and most terrifying film within the genre is because of how mundane most of the video is. It makes the quick shots of what may be aliens seem that much more real. This film impressed me so much that right after I watched it I wrote this short article about it
http://allnewsux.blogspot.com/2015/05/ufo-abduction-greatest-found-footage.html
5. Night Of The Living Dead (1968)
There are so many reasons people are scared of this movie. The stark black and white, the simple realistic zombie make up, the brutal ending, but the best reason I can give is George Romero. From The Crazies to Day Of The Dead to this film, the man just knows what normal people fear. I am fanatical about zombie cinema, but never do I feel like "yeah, this could really happen". Night Of The Living Dead is the only zombie movie that made me think maybe it could happen after all. On a side note the last time I brought this movie over my friend Joe's house for us to watch that evening, he flat out refused because he found the film terrifying.
4. Deep Red (1975)
In the last few years I have realized that Deep Red is probably one of the greatest horror movies ever made up there with The Exorcist and some of the Universal monster classics. It is perfect in every way, shape and form and the little twist in the end will make you watch the film very differently than you did the first time you saw it. Plenty of the bloody, visceral shots that Dario Argento and Giallo cinema is famous for, but also scary as Hell. The night time explorations along with the brutal death scenes will stick with you for some time...
3. [REC] (2007)
Easily one of the best found footage films ever made. The Spanish team on this film just nailed our fears with a confusing chaotic blend of mass infections, zombification and demonic possession. This movie comes across more frightening than most in part because the first 15-20 minutes are just boring, clichéd news reporting which is followed by never ending relentless horror. Also the film just keeps upping the horror factor first by trapping us with diseased people who seem to rise like rabies infested zombies to a crazy room full of weird tapes and articles to finally being trapped alone in a pitch black room with a demon child...f*ck me.
2. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
From the very first frames, we're left wondering what the Hell is going on here? I would easily call this one of my all-time favorite horror movies, but it is so dark and so uncomfortable to watch that I'm lucky if I put it in the DVD player once a year. The action scenes with Leatherface are exciting and made the film and the character a legend, but it's those scenes where the entire family is involved that terrify me and I can't even imagine being in Marilyn Burns' place. Parts of this film are based on true events and it's a disturbing reality we have to face that the people who live within the universe of this film really do exist out there and it's not a reality that any of us are comfortable with.
1. The Exorcist (1973)
If this movie isn't on your scariest movies list then you've never seen it. Never in my life have I personally been so terrified or met so many people so disturbed by two hours of celluloid. Between The French Connection, The Exorcist and Sorcerer, Friedkin was just on a role but it is still mind blowing to see how this guy, who never directs horror, pulled this one off. Most people I talk to really appreciate this movie but they can't watch it because it is just too scary. I was also like this for almost 20 years. I knew it was one of the best, if not the best horror movie ever made, but I didn't want to stay up all night hearing noises, turning on lights and having nightmares. I have now come to embrace this masterpiece and watch it on a regular basis, but 90% of the time I watch it during the day. As I've said before, I don't believe in demons or possession or any of that supernatural stuff yet this movie turns me into a total coward. I just keep thinking a demonic looking Linda Blair is going to pop out from under the bed or she's going to be there when I turn on the light at 3am to use the bathroom. I'm not scared of demons, I'm not scared by kids and I'm certainly not scared of fictional demon kids, but a movie that is this scary can cause all your beliefs in reality to fly out the window because it is simply that well done. There will never be another film like The Exorcist.
Post Script: I had to proofread and alter this article like 5 times before officially posting it. After doing so I spent the rest of the evening looking over my shoulder. I'm not saying it will do the same to you, but isn't the power of cinema amazing?!
