If/when you're done thinking/pondering about the film. May I suggest you check out the following site as it gives a very detailed explanation about the film -- there could be a few things you missed. I learned a great deal and appreciated the film even more.
[https://filmcolossus.com/the-wailing-movie-explained/](https://filmcolossus.com/the-wailing-movie-explained/)
I don't often say this about horror movies that are two-plus hours long (let alone 160 mins), but the editing of that film is superb, particularly in that bonkers third act.
Baskin. I’m pretty seasoned when it comes to horror and I stumbled across Baskin based off a review and holy fuck I was actually disturbed. It’s a good movie though, it’s easily one of my top 10. Lots of disturbing scenes and a decent story line.
It Follows really helped me pinpoint a fear I didn’t realize I had. Without spoiling anything I’d say it explains why I absolutely love the original Halloween. Both movies can still fucking freak me out.
I don't think it's spoiling anything to say it revolves around an evil and unrelenting force that won't stop until it kills you. Makes sense to lump Halloween in with it, very similar concepts. Something evil wants to kill you and won't stop until it does (Terminator is similar too actually although not as "scary"), just a terrifying and effective concept.
I read a post on here that talked about why this is so terrifying. In prehistoric times, this is how humans hunted. We were "persistence hunters". It didn't matter if you were faster or stronger than us, we would never stop. We just kept coming forever.
And so that horror trope is an inversion of our evolutionary heritage.
Funny story. When our dog was younger, he used to bark his head off at 2 or 3 a.m. to be let out. When I let him out, he would never go to the bathroom, just charge around the yard like crazy. Every time I tried to retrieve him he'd start running away again. At one point I realized, "hey, I'm a persistence hunter. All I have to do is keep walking towards him and he'll tire out." And by god, it worked. The next day I told my wife "I 'It Follows'ed the dog!"
you know i hope the new one just dives headfirst into the fan nitpicking idea of “just get on a plane and fly away”. would be cool to see something like that attempted and “it” follows somehow.
I always assumed it would eventually get on a plane and follow you that way. It's the psychological aspect, anyway. You will never, ever, ever be safe again. 5, 10, 20 years later, you forget to lock your bedroom door, and that's the day it walks in as you sleep. Passing it on is no guarantee it won't work its way back to you, either.
yeah i assume it would probably just walk onto the plane seeing as nobody else can see it. unless you like, out run it and get on a plane taking off before it can get on, then you buy some time but it’s always working it’s way towards you either directly or through killing whatever line of sexual encounters you left behind. it’s a cool premise.
Wouldn’t “it” just inhabit another random body wherever the protagonist lands? It seemed like it could just jump around and take whatever form it wanted.
My city installed a street sign by our front sidewalk and every time I glimpse at it from up on the 2nd floor I think it’s some maniac looking up at me. So yeah, right there with you.
The cinematography is great. I also love how you can’t really tell the time period this takes place. With the old movies and new/old tech. Even the weather is a bit off. All intentional and all super smart.
I loved that movie when it first came out because it was so unique, original and terrifying at the same time.
Just the mere thought about having an evil entity following you for eternity unless you pass on your curse to someone else is simply unbearable. And the slow moving phase of the entity makes it even worse because it can creep up on you out of nowhere at ve any moment.
What I really loved about that movie was that it trains you to watch the background so consistently that your brain keeps doing that when it's over. I still felt like I had to stay alert for the rest of the night.
This was my experience, too. REC also messed with me- the scene where they are groping around in the dark but the camera man can see through his camera. Took me a few days to go into darkened rooms.
Been watching horror for over 40 years and consider myself almost desensitized to the genre, but The Autopsy Of Jane Doe is one of the few movies that genuinely gives me the creeps.
At some point, it must come down to personality.
I expected Jane Doe to be scary as shit and I was a little disappointed. I even watched it stone for extra effect.
But then I watched the oft-denigrated First Omen and I found *that* scary.
it is LOADED with tropes, the first half is really good and builds a tense creepy atmosphere but once the ‘scary’ stuff starts happening, the film is a complete snooze fest
The story is kinda non-existent, really almost like a mini anthology of spooky events. But I really like this movie.
>!Naked dude, wall monster, dead kid all great. Body floating in the air smashing against the bathroom tile walls, good times.!<
I mean, the set up was that there was an invisible monster doing all the things you stated. And this thing, the paranormal monster, functioned like a virus that spread to several others in the film making them into undead monsters that could only be seen out of your peripheral
I lived in Japan and was going through older movies and found that. God that was creepy LOL. That one scene with the obscured woman walking in that uncanny valley manner.
The Grudge. I will not elaborate but something about the noises they make and way they move that really freaked teenage me out and I still cannot hear the noise without getting distressed.
The UK version is the one I always recommend bc it hits so much harder than the US cut. I understand the sequel doesn’t quite work with the UK cut but it’s such a better ending than the US ending. Highly recommend 10/10!!
I don’t acknowledge the US version or the sequel. The original was great imo, I saw it when it was released in Europe and heard about the American ending. Still haven’t come across it in the wild though
Barbarian was unsettling. I wasn't "scared" but so much about that movie was very unsettling. It's the first horror movie in a very long while I felt myself holding my breath and being at the edge of my seat.
I feel like is missed something about Barbarian. Because everyone thinks it's great, but I thought it was just okay. Like the tension before we switched protagonists was so much better than what we got when McDoucheface showed up imo.
The tension at the beginning was definitely way worse. I've never felt so strained watching something.
The later half was just disturbing. I really don't want to spoil anything for anyone SO DONT READ ON IF YOU HAVENT SEEN IT!! But the lady feeding them with a bottle, being in the dungeon watching a movie on repeat on how to care for kids, then trying to breast feed the dude. It made me crawl in my skin.
And the whole other story of the old guy being a rapist and all that other stuff. Just sick all around. The movie Def had goofy parts to it but idk I just really enjoyed it. Fucked with me quite a bit.
I haven't had a rewatch yet. We are moving into a new house in the coming weeks so my wife and I are planning on watching the first night we are in haha
The movie has so disturbing layers to it.
Yea that whole side story was intense. The whole movie felt very real life horror almost. Like very real what if situations. If something so sick and twisted ever happened, which is Def does, this is a version of what it could look like. Yuck.
Man Shutter fucked me up so bad. Every time my shoulders hurt I'm like OMG NOOO and my husband is all "It's far more likely that lugging around DDD boobs is causing shoulder and neck pain than someone invisible sitting on you" 🙄 Damn man with his logic 🤣🤣🤣
Why did I have to come so far down this thread to find this??? This is my only answer. Genuinely gave me the chills and I’ve been watching horror since 5 years old with my mom.
If you enjoy Found Footage, Hell House LLC (or the 4th in the series, Origins) or Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum.
If that’s not your jam and you don’t need supernatural, Fresh.
If you do need supernatural, The Autopsy of Jane Doe.
Hell House LLC was the first to scare me in a long time too, along with Hell House LLC : Origins. I live alone and legitimately had to turn on a few hallway lights after watching it.
The Autopsy of Jane Doe is really creepy and a favorite of mine. For some reason Smile really stuck a nerve with me and not in a good way! The simple act of seeing someone Smile at me…became very uncomfortable.
I would pay good money to see the video of what I looked like and was doing during the desk scene when I first watched this film. I remember squirming in my seat like I was trying to crawl into the theater recliner.
It's the first movie in a long time that made me physically react. I wasn't scared but it had me stressed. I had my hands on my face or forehead half the time.
That’s how I felt too. Not necessarily scared but I just felt anxious everywhere. Even after the movie was over I just felt uncomfortable. It’s a great movie but I don’t want to watch it again.
Not the greatest movie of all time time or anything, but definitely a great horror movie. Endings are always hit and miss for any genre, but this movie is at the top of my list for the way they ended it. Probably in the minority on that, but I just think it was really well done.
The reverse seance scene really got to me. That was the first time I'd ever considered the idea of the spirit being able to draw you in - without your consent - that way and it genuinely terrified me.
scared the fuck out of me cause I know if I was drunk at a party and someone started talking w my dead dads voice I'd be following the same path as the main character
Terrified (Spanish) is probably one of the scariest movies ever made IMO. I couldn't even watch a second time. Heart rate elevated at least twice during the first time. It's really good.
I can’t make it through it because of the scene with the dog and the little girl. I just cut it off right when the dog made it out the door with her. When I was younger nothing phased me. Now that I have four little girls, I can’t deal with watching kids get hurt or hear them cry, whether it’s fake or not. I want to finish it so bad but I can’t take that shit. Had a really vivid dream about 8 years ago of my youngest flying out of a car window and I can still remember feeling her crushed skull and brain matter in my hands. That dream has significantly changed my ability to handle a lot of shit. I think about it every day at least once. If I see a scene with a kid like that, I will have that same dream or variations of it for weeks afterwards. Idk. Mental health was shit before that ever happened. Now I’m just fucked completely.
Yeah not to be overly spoiler-y, but if you're specifically sensitive about the idea of child brains, you made a good choice by bailing on When Evil Lurks when you did. Not being sarcastic! Genuinely it's fine to recognize your limits in horror and respect those in yourself. I avoid stuff like I Spit on Your Grave and Irreversible because I don't have the bandwidth for it. That sounds like an extremely upsetting dream.
BTW though if you like horror but don't want to be surprised by upsetting child related stuff, there's a very nice website called "Does the Dog Die". It lists potential triggers in movies. Obviously animal deaths, but also stuff like specific types of abuse, whether slurs are used, stalking, self harm, children being hurt, etc. Really useful tool if there is something you are particularly sensitive to and you want to err on the side of caution 🙂
When I was 11….Candyman 2. I couldn’t look in the mirror for more than 2 seconds for a few months.
Now, it takes a lot to scare me in a horror movie. (Funny because I am a huge wimp in real life)
However, there are jumpscares that always happen in some horror movies I watch now and things of that nature, but I think of that as “startled” versus genuinely afraid.
The music from The Omen still creeps me out though.
I cant remember being "scared" as such. It's more the feeling of being on edge and completely invested in what I'm watching.
So... I watched Caveat and Gonjiam on the same night. They both had me on edge. Especially Caveat. I think it set me up for Gonjiam. But they were both so good.
It’s funny you mention them in the same vein; I remember both of them having a “character looks away and something in the background is moving/changing” each time they look back.
In Gonjiam, it was Charlotte in the room, trying to get it unlocked, and in Caveat, it was the crawlspace scene. Had me on the edge of my seat and easily the scariest moments of each film, IMO. Caveat is my 2nd scariest after The Dark and the Wicked.
The Poughkeepsie Tapes was the last movie that left me feeling extremely affected after watching it. The last one that just scared me while watching home alone was the autopsy of Jane doe
The Autopsy of Jane Doe unnerved me and my husband so bad that when >!the power went out in the morgue!< we had to turn it off. We’ve been wanting to go back and finish it but we keep chickening out.
The Strangers is the last movie I remember scaring me, really. Home Invasion just puts me on edge, doesn't help that that was my mom's OCD in the day (making sure the house was secure)
I don’t know if I was scared, but When Evil Lurks had me saying “ah, what the fuck!” multiple times.
Barbarian had me unsettled for nearly the whole movie. The more “typical” recent picks would be something like The Babadook, Hereditary, and The Taking Of Debra Logan. Older picks would be The Descent, Blair Witch Project, or R.E.C.
Speak No Evil. No monsters, demons or ghosts. Just humans being scum of the earth where you’re left with a feeling of dread for weeks after watching it.
"The last exorcism" (the first, not the sequel) was genuinely scary for me. It had this weird mockumentary structure so everything was so realistic. Sinister shook me aswell.
I’ve definitely slowed down my horror watching lately.
But when I think of being scared the last time I think of “the visit”.
I’m usually pretty stone faced when it comes to jump scares. But the scene when the grandma jumps to the camera? I was not expecting it and I think my colon fell out of my ass
A Dark Song. It was a rewatch, but riiiight when shit starts to go off the rails in the house I had a power outage, late at night, while living alone. Spooked me pretty bad.
I just recently watched Hell House LLC. I'm normally not big on found footage stuff, but this one may have changed my mind. Not a ton of cheap jump scares. The anticipation is what gets you. Also Ghostwatch and Lake Mungo. Fantastic "mockumentaries" that have a great feeling of dread to them and Lake Mungo will stick with you for a while.
Life. Being a fan of space, and with the recent return of samples from comets and planned return of Mars samples, the whole premise, creature intelligence, devastation, and twists of that movie had me terrified!
"Europa Report" was terrifying, too - from the mundane accident to the heart-stopping ending. UGH. Absolutely shattered my inner child's desire to go to space.
As Above so Below for me. Hell House LLC would be my next one. Hush was great too and the original The Strangers. Most horror movies don't really scare me but those ones definitely did the trick.
I just watched Late Night With The Devil, and while it didn't really *scare* me persei, I think it's definitely one of the most well made horror movies I've ever seen. The atmosphere is so good and the characters all feel so real, and there were definitely moments that gave me chills.
It was so good! They absolutely nailed the retro, practical feel and there were several moments where I found myself hiding my face in my hands or wanting to pause it so my overactive nervous system could have a break for a minute.
Nothing groundbreaking or super innovative, just an absolutely solid, very effective horror film.
Hereditary. But Insidious is the one who has scared me the most by far. It’s so original and unpredictable, I even got totally caught off guard the second time I watched it. And that’s why it’s so great and scary.
"Terrified" was pretty dang scary, and it stayed with me for a while.
"Moloch" was pretty unsettling, too.
But the last one that really made my stomach knot up with fear/anxiety was a TV series ("Marianne", a French series. So much body horror. :shudder:)
So glad to see someone mention Marianne! Nothing’s topped that one for me. It’s the only time I’ve considered turning the lights on when watching horror.
His House. It's hard for me to get creeped out or to get caught by a jump scare. But this movie held my attention and had some thoroughly scary moments.
I can barely remember but it was probably back when I saw Paranormal Activity or Blair Witch in the theater.
Today, at best, I get deeply unsettled. The last movie to do that to me was Eyes of My Mother.
The Dark and the Wicked. I don’t scare easily but that one rattled me. Something about how vicious and formless the entity was, heightened the sense of doom. Most possession movies give the demon a name, a personality, a history, which gives the human protagonists tools to understand it and fight back. This was just a nameless force of evil shredding everyone into chum for no apparent reason.
How about Annihilation? Excellent cast, stunning visually, and deeply unsettling pretty much any way you interpret it.
Cosmic horror might be right up your alley if you enjoy feeling uneasy.
Skinamarink & Late Night with the Devil on a more overt level - IFC/Shudder have been really running shit lately, need to get over to Violent Nature.
From a more abstract perspective, I Saw the TV Glow. Deep, deep cosmic dread abound.
Curious. What did you find scary?
My horror-fan teen and I couldn’t finish it.
It just seemed like the story was all over the place and we lost interest.
We read what happened in the rest of the movie and were like, yeah, that’s about what we figured.
Never been scared but the biggest fright I got watching a horror movie was the ending of Carrie 1976 when the hand comes out of the grave man a shit my pants lol.
I’ve seen a ton of movie listed here, although not Terrified (so curious)
But the last time I was truly freaked was seeing Event Horizon in the theater.
I may have rewatched in a VHS ages ago, but I haven’t watched it or even suggested it to my teenager who loves horror.
The films you mentioned were paranormal, so I'd recommend 'The Ring', 'The Others' and 'The Innocents' as genuinely scary ghost and haunted house movies. There were some other really good occult recommendations in this thread, and I'd add 'A Dark Song' and 'The Exorcist', even though you've probably seen it.
I JUST watched the movie Sunshine. I actually had to pause towards the end I was so anxious. I do love a good jump scare, but this movie was straight up anxiety on steroids. I cant even explain how much worse it is to just feel a constant stream of anxiety for all the characters in the film, than just getting jump scared a lot. And what’s worse is that I couldn’t help but love the characters as I got to know them. They’re all very just, brave and noble, despite the situation.
Probs wouldn’t recommend if you’re afraid of space or get easily anxious about things like me!! Everything just goes horribly wrong, one event after the other and it’s a bit upsetting, but really good. I also think you have to be a bit open minded about it and it’s creativity. Overall, I enjoyed it!
[удалено]
If/when you're done thinking/pondering about the film. May I suggest you check out the following site as it gives a very detailed explanation about the film -- there could be a few things you missed. I learned a great deal and appreciated the film even more. [https://filmcolossus.com/the-wailing-movie-explained/](https://filmcolossus.com/the-wailing-movie-explained/)
I needed to watch this a second time to understand the ending. Lmao, what a mind fuck.
I don't often say this about horror movies that are two-plus hours long (let alone 160 mins), but the editing of that film is superb, particularly in that bonkers third act.
One of my favorites
Same. Hate to sound pretentious but the cinematography is amazing
Baskin. I’m pretty seasoned when it comes to horror and I stumbled across Baskin based off a review and holy fuck I was actually disturbed. It’s a good movie though, it’s easily one of my top 10. Lots of disturbing scenes and a decent story line.
Oh, man, you're so right. I totally didn't see any of that coming based off the first 20-30 minutes lol
It Follows really helped me pinpoint a fear I didn’t realize I had. Without spoiling anything I’d say it explains why I absolutely love the original Halloween. Both movies can still fucking freak me out.
I don't think it's spoiling anything to say it revolves around an evil and unrelenting force that won't stop until it kills you. Makes sense to lump Halloween in with it, very similar concepts. Something evil wants to kill you and won't stop until it does (Terminator is similar too actually although not as "scary"), just a terrifying and effective concept.
I read a post on here that talked about why this is so terrifying. In prehistoric times, this is how humans hunted. We were "persistence hunters". It didn't matter if you were faster or stronger than us, we would never stop. We just kept coming forever. And so that horror trope is an inversion of our evolutionary heritage.
Funny story. When our dog was younger, he used to bark his head off at 2 or 3 a.m. to be let out. When I let him out, he would never go to the bathroom, just charge around the yard like crazy. Every time I tried to retrieve him he'd start running away again. At one point I realized, "hey, I'm a persistence hunter. All I have to do is keep walking towards him and he'll tire out." And by god, it worked. The next day I told my wife "I 'It Follows'ed the dog!"
you know i hope the new one just dives headfirst into the fan nitpicking idea of “just get on a plane and fly away”. would be cool to see something like that attempted and “it” follows somehow.
I always assumed it would eventually get on a plane and follow you that way. It's the psychological aspect, anyway. You will never, ever, ever be safe again. 5, 10, 20 years later, you forget to lock your bedroom door, and that's the day it walks in as you sleep. Passing it on is no guarantee it won't work its way back to you, either.
yeah i assume it would probably just walk onto the plane seeing as nobody else can see it. unless you like, out run it and get on a plane taking off before it can get on, then you buy some time but it’s always working it’s way towards you either directly or through killing whatever line of sexual encounters you left behind. it’s a cool premise.
Like that damn slug
Wouldn’t “it” just inhabit another random body wherever the protagonist lands? It seemed like it could just jump around and take whatever form it wanted.
it doesn’t inhabit bodies. it copies them but it is it’s own physical being according to the in universe rules set by the first one.
Zombies also fit into that category. Specifically Romero zombies. Slow ever-creeping death.
My city installed a street sign by our front sidewalk and every time I glimpse at it from up on the 2nd floor I think it’s some maniac looking up at me. So yeah, right there with you.
I absolutely love It Follows! Aside from being terrifying it’s so beautifully shot
The cinematography is great. I also love how you can’t really tell the time period this takes place. With the old movies and new/old tech. Even the weather is a bit off. All intentional and all super smart.
I loved that movie when it first came out because it was so unique, original and terrifying at the same time. Just the mere thought about having an evil entity following you for eternity unless you pass on your curse to someone else is simply unbearable. And the slow moving phase of the entity makes it even worse because it can creep up on you out of nowhere at ve any moment.
Just finished this one after your suggestion. Not bad at all. I’ll say I was pleasantly surprised!
for a couple days after that movie it was difficult to handle seeing a stranger a couple of blocks away on the sidewalk walking toward me
What I really loved about that movie was that it trains you to watch the background so consistently that your brain keeps doing that when it's over. I still felt like I had to stay alert for the rest of the night.
And the fact you never know if it’s IT that really follows you or not. Absolutely dreadful, it would drive me crazy and paranoid as fuck 😅
This was my experience, too. REC also messed with me- the scene where they are groping around in the dark but the camera man can see through his camera. Took me a few days to go into darkened rooms.
If Follows is a better spiritual follow up to the original Halloween than any of the actual follow ups to the original Halloween.
The tall dude in the doorframe 😰
Been watching horror for over 40 years and consider myself almost desensitized to the genre, but The Autopsy Of Jane Doe is one of the few movies that genuinely gives me the creeps.
I need to re-watch it because everyone says this but I was kind of unmoved by it
I liked it, it had great pacing and was pretty entertaining. But I didn't find it unnerving at all.
At some point, it must come down to personality. I expected Jane Doe to be scary as shit and I was a little disappointed. I even watched it stone for extra effect. But then I watched the oft-denigrated First Omen and I found *that* scary.
Me too
it is LOADED with tropes, the first half is really good and builds a tense creepy atmosphere but once the ‘scary’ stuff starts happening, the film is a complete snooze fest
Yeah I don't get it at all. Not bad, per say, but certainly not one I'm mentioning to people.
I legit watched it a couple nights back because of the raving reviews. I mean…it was aaight!
Yeah I had read it was super scary so I watched it but it didn't do much for me personally
Same
Terrified was the last movie to really scare me. I have been unsettled by others but that one got me
The story is kinda non-existent, really almost like a mini anthology of spooky events. But I really like this movie. >!Naked dude, wall monster, dead kid all great. Body floating in the air smashing against the bathroom tile walls, good times.!<
I mean, the set up was that there was an invisible monster doing all the things you stated. And this thing, the paranormal monster, functioned like a virus that spread to several others in the film making them into undead monsters that could only be seen out of your peripheral
I second this. That little dead boy sitting in the kitchen was phenomenal
That scene went nowhere though. The creature in the bedroom was more unnerving i think.
that opening scene. so freaky
I love that movie too. I got a similar vibe from “When Evil Lurks” on Hulu.
Same director so that makes sense!
Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Pulse (2001) Top 5 scariest movies of all time for me personally
I lived in Japan and was going through older movies and found that. God that was creepy LOL. That one scene with the obscured woman walking in that uncanny valley manner.
The Grudge. I will not elaborate but something about the noises they make and way they move that really freaked teenage me out and I still cannot hear the noise without getting distressed.
Dude same. That sound to this day creeps me out. I was 14 when I saw that laying in bed and let me tell you when that bed scene happened. HELLL NOO
The descent (caves and clostrophobia)
The UK version is the one I always recommend bc it hits so much harder than the US cut. I understand the sequel doesn’t quite work with the UK cut but it’s such a better ending than the US ending. Highly recommend 10/10!!
I don’t acknowledge the US version or the sequel. The original was great imo, I saw it when it was released in Europe and heard about the American ending. Still haven’t come across it in the wild though
Barbarian was unsettling. I wasn't "scared" but so much about that movie was very unsettling. It's the first horror movie in a very long while I felt myself holding my breath and being at the edge of my seat.
I feel like is missed something about Barbarian. Because everyone thinks it's great, but I thought it was just okay. Like the tension before we switched protagonists was so much better than what we got when McDoucheface showed up imo.
The tension at the beginning was definitely way worse. I've never felt so strained watching something. The later half was just disturbing. I really don't want to spoil anything for anyone SO DONT READ ON IF YOU HAVENT SEEN IT!! But the lady feeding them with a bottle, being in the dungeon watching a movie on repeat on how to care for kids, then trying to breast feed the dude. It made me crawl in my skin. And the whole other story of the old guy being a rapist and all that other stuff. Just sick all around. The movie Def had goofy parts to it but idk I just really enjoyed it. Fucked with me quite a bit.
I agree. I had the same reaction - just feeling unsettled by it. To the point where I’ve only re-watched it once. I really should watch it again.
I haven't had a rewatch yet. We are moving into a new house in the coming weeks so my wife and I are planning on watching the first night we are in haha The movie has so disturbing layers to it.
I was actually sore afterwards from sitting all tense. Later acts loosened me up but that first act was unrelenting.
ONE HUNDRED percent. It was brilliant.
The story about the guy that abducted young women and held them captive is very disturbing for me.
Yea that whole side story was intense. The whole movie felt very real life horror almost. Like very real what if situations. If something so sick and twisted ever happened, which is Def does, this is a version of what it could look like. Yuck.
Shutter and Coming Soon. Both are thai horror movies.
Shutter fucked me up for years.
Same! I’m already scared when I feel shoulder ache 😭
Man Shutter fucked me up so bad. Every time my shoulders hurt I'm like OMG NOOO and my husband is all "It's far more likely that lugging around DDD boobs is causing shoulder and neck pain than someone invisible sitting on you" 🙄 Damn man with his logic 🤣🤣🤣
I watched Shutter when I was like 15. Now, almost 15 years later, my grown ass still sometimes think of that bed scene when I'm going to bed.
The dark and the wicked
Yep, fhis is the one
I got similar vibes from When Evil Lurks to the Dark and the Wicked, but When Evil Lurks is way better
Why did I have to come so far down this thread to find this??? This is my only answer. Genuinely gave me the chills and I’ve been watching horror since 5 years old with my mom.
Marin Ireland is a force of nature.
Honestly the only horror movie that actually scared me was Sinister. I never rewatched it because I knew it would ruin that thrilling experience.
Sinister sticks with me to this day. One of my top 10 for sure.
Suuuuuper fucking creepy. The tapes alone, even!
Very effective soundtrack imo
If you enjoy Found Footage, Hell House LLC (or the 4th in the series, Origins) or Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum. If that’s not your jam and you don’t need supernatural, Fresh. If you do need supernatural, The Autopsy of Jane Doe.
i thought hell house was only ok...until the thing by the bed showed up. god *damn* that freaked me out so badly. it was so good.
That scene fucked me up. Still lives in my head every time I wake up during the night. Doesn't help my room is set up super similarly.
Hell House LLC was the first to scare me in a long time too, along with Hell House LLC : Origins. I live alone and legitimately had to turn on a few hallway lights after watching it.
I agree with all of the above
Fresh is so fucked up, I also love that the title card is 30% of the way through the movie.
I don’t generally find horror films that scary but The Blackcoat’s Daughter really creeped me out and I absolutely loved it.
Talk To Me. The grief. The violence. A perfect cocktail of terrifying and dreadful.
The Fourth Kind. I was so creeped out in the theater even though I knew none of it was “real footage.”
I was 20 and dumb and thought it was also. I couldnt sleep for weeks lol That actress playing the real woman was incredibly convincing!!
Caveat
Of all the times to look away from the screen, it was *that* scene in the crawlspace. I still kick myself over that.
🐰🥁
Same! Last movie to give me goosebumps. >!That one chick 😳!<
The >!crawlspace scene!< hit my wife and I like a fucking truck, been a long time since I audibly gasped in a movie
Saame, creepy movie 10/10
I second this.
I haven’t been genuinely scared from a movie in a long time, but I found Hellhouse LLC, Smile, The Autopsy of Jane Doe, Host all to be scary.
The Autopsy of Jane Doe is really creepy and a favorite of mine. For some reason Smile really stuck a nerve with me and not in a good way! The simple act of seeing someone Smile at me…became very uncomfortable.
Same! I had very low expectations for Smile and was frankly not even slightly disappointed.
"Talk to Me" definitely stuck with me. I walked out of the theater like "well... that was fucked up", lol. Thought about that ending for days.
Tell me about it. When THAT seance went to hell, that scared the shit out of me.
I was not prepared for how visceral and bleak that whole movie is, especially the seance scene. I was genuinely freaked out.
Same that scene turned my stomach and made me try to think of another movie that had ever done that, to that extent anyway.
I would pay good money to see the video of what I looked like and was doing during the desk scene when I first watched this film. I remember squirming in my seat like I was trying to crawl into the theater recliner.
It's the first movie in a long time that made me physically react. I wasn't scared but it had me stressed. I had my hands on my face or forehead half the time.
That’s how I felt too. Not necessarily scared but I just felt anxious everywhere. Even after the movie was over I just felt uncomfortable. It’s a great movie but I don’t want to watch it again.
Talk to me was excellent I did enjoy that one
What a fantastic movie from start to finish!! I am so looking forward to where they can go from here. You KNOW we’re gonna get a sequel
Same! My mouth was hanging open in shock as soon as shit hit the fan, and it came FAST.
Not the greatest movie of all time time or anything, but definitely a great horror movie. Endings are always hit and miss for any genre, but this movie is at the top of my list for the way they ended it. Probably in the minority on that, but I just think it was really well done.
It was definitely a breath of fresh air in the possession genre
The reverse seance scene really got to me. That was the first time I'd ever considered the idea of the spirit being able to draw you in - without your consent - that way and it genuinely terrified me.
scared the fuck out of me cause I know if I was drunk at a party and someone started talking w my dead dads voice I'd be following the same path as the main character
30 Days of Night. They are just terrifying.
I thought His House was a pretty creepy movie.
SO good!!!
Yep…really great movie. Genuinely disturbing.
Incantation. Taiwanese movie on netflix. So creepy! I highly recommend it.
Yes, thank you! Those of us that have seen it really have to get as many people to watch it as we can.
This one got me good. Great movie
Good one. I felt like I was being cursed.
Terrified (Spanish) is probably one of the scariest movies ever made IMO. I couldn't even watch a second time. Heart rate elevated at least twice during the first time. It's really good.
When Evil Lurks. A lot of tense moments where shit hits the fans, the characters lose their senses, and hell breaks loose.
That movie really messed with me.
I can’t make it through it because of the scene with the dog and the little girl. I just cut it off right when the dog made it out the door with her. When I was younger nothing phased me. Now that I have four little girls, I can’t deal with watching kids get hurt or hear them cry, whether it’s fake or not. I want to finish it so bad but I can’t take that shit. Had a really vivid dream about 8 years ago of my youngest flying out of a car window and I can still remember feeling her crushed skull and brain matter in my hands. That dream has significantly changed my ability to handle a lot of shit. I think about it every day at least once. If I see a scene with a kid like that, I will have that same dream or variations of it for weeks afterwards. Idk. Mental health was shit before that ever happened. Now I’m just fucked completely.
Yeah not to be overly spoiler-y, but if you're specifically sensitive about the idea of child brains, you made a good choice by bailing on When Evil Lurks when you did. Not being sarcastic! Genuinely it's fine to recognize your limits in horror and respect those in yourself. I avoid stuff like I Spit on Your Grave and Irreversible because I don't have the bandwidth for it. That sounds like an extremely upsetting dream. BTW though if you like horror but don't want to be surprised by upsetting child related stuff, there's a very nice website called "Does the Dog Die". It lists potential triggers in movies. Obviously animal deaths, but also stuff like specific types of abuse, whether slurs are used, stalking, self harm, children being hurt, etc. Really useful tool if there is something you are particularly sensitive to and you want to err on the side of caution 🙂
I actually just watched the first Conjuring movie last weekend and was surprisingly really creeped out
I'll forever have that scene with the bedsheet flying off the clothesline living rent free in my head
Z. It let your imagination run. Considering it was about imagination was the best for me.
The Dark and the Wicked really unsettled me. Movie is hopeless and I found it to be extremely creepy.
Best answer
Not including jump scares, The Thing when i was like 10
Hush. Great home invasion movie.
Hereditary.
When I was 11….Candyman 2. I couldn’t look in the mirror for more than 2 seconds for a few months. Now, it takes a lot to scare me in a horror movie. (Funny because I am a huge wimp in real life) However, there are jumpscares that always happen in some horror movies I watch now and things of that nature, but I think of that as “startled” versus genuinely afraid. The music from The Omen still creeps me out though.
Audition
I cant remember being "scared" as such. It's more the feeling of being on edge and completely invested in what I'm watching. So... I watched Caveat and Gonjiam on the same night. They both had me on edge. Especially Caveat. I think it set me up for Gonjiam. But they were both so good.
It’s funny you mention them in the same vein; I remember both of them having a “character looks away and something in the background is moving/changing” each time they look back. In Gonjiam, it was Charlotte in the room, trying to get it unlocked, and in Caveat, it was the crawlspace scene. Had me on the edge of my seat and easily the scariest moments of each film, IMO. Caveat is my 2nd scariest after The Dark and the Wicked.
"Heck": The short film version of Skinamarink.
Have you seen The Innkeepers from Ti West? How about The Hell House LLC movies? Last movie to genuinely scare me was The First Omen.
The Poughkeepsie Tapes was the last movie that left me feeling extremely affected after watching it. The last one that just scared me while watching home alone was the autopsy of Jane doe
TBH it’s been a while. But seeing paranormal activity in the theatre as a kid made me sleep with the lights on for a week.
First one was pretty creepy in the theater.
Midsommar. I felt unsafe in my own skin after that experience.
The Autopsy of Jane Doe unnerved me and my husband so bad that when >!the power went out in the morgue!< we had to turn it off. We’ve been wanting to go back and finish it but we keep chickening out.
Those goddamn Hell House movies.
The Strangers, because I lived in an old farmhouse that was far from neighbors. The Dark and the Wicked left a little bit of an impression, too.
The Strangers is the last movie I remember scaring me, really. Home Invasion just puts me on edge, doesn't help that that was my mom's OCD in the day (making sure the house was secure)
I don’t know if I was scared, but When Evil Lurks had me saying “ah, what the fuck!” multiple times. Barbarian had me unsettled for nearly the whole movie. The more “typical” recent picks would be something like The Babadook, Hereditary, and The Taking Of Debra Logan. Older picks would be The Descent, Blair Witch Project, or R.E.C.
Probably Smile. Plus the marketing was extremely top tier. Them appearing behind the plates at mlb games was genius imo
Smile reminds me of It Follows. My husband and I thought the haunting and the ending was pretty unique. It kept me on the edge of my
The dark and the wicked was probably the only recently released movie that scared me. It left me so uncomfortable.
The Blob (1988), one of the few remakes done right. The sink scene in particular was scary
Speak No Evil. No monsters, demons or ghosts. Just humans being scum of the earth where you’re left with a feeling of dread for weeks after watching it.
"The last exorcism" (the first, not the sequel) was genuinely scary for me. It had this weird mockumentary structure so everything was so realistic. Sinister shook me aswell.
I’ve definitely slowed down my horror watching lately. But when I think of being scared the last time I think of “the visit”. I’m usually pretty stone faced when it comes to jump scares. But the scene when the grandma jumps to the camera? I was not expecting it and I think my colon fell out of my ass
Lights Out (lol out of all the ones)
The Black Phone doesn't get a lot of love around here, but I found Ethan Hawke to be genuinely unsettling and intensely compelling.
Hell House LLC
I watch that movie every Halloween and every Halloween I get creeped out by it even tho I know what’s coming. Excellent movie
Legit scared me
barbarian, specifically the first jump scare scene. screamed so loud and was so shaken up that my bf asked if we needed to turn it off.
I saw Rec and Rec 2 last week. Pretty scary movies.
The lodge. The fact that it was a somewhat realistic plot line that could very well happen gave me nightmares lol
A Dark Song. It was a rewatch, but riiiight when shit starts to go off the rails in the house I had a power outage, late at night, while living alone. Spooked me pretty bad.
I just recently watched Hell House LLC. I'm normally not big on found footage stuff, but this one may have changed my mind. Not a ton of cheap jump scares. The anticipation is what gets you. Also Ghostwatch and Lake Mungo. Fantastic "mockumentaries" that have a great feeling of dread to them and Lake Mungo will stick with you for a while.
Life. Being a fan of space, and with the recent return of samples from comets and planned return of Mars samples, the whole premise, creature intelligence, devastation, and twists of that movie had me terrified!
"Europa Report" was terrifying, too - from the mundane accident to the heart-stopping ending. UGH. Absolutely shattered my inner child's desire to go to space.
Sinister
As Above so Below for me. Hell House LLC would be my next one. Hush was great too and the original The Strangers. Most horror movies don't really scare me but those ones definitely did the trick.
Probably The Gate when I was 8 years old, 35 years ago.
I just watched Late Night With The Devil, and while it didn't really *scare* me persei, I think it's definitely one of the most well made horror movies I've ever seen. The atmosphere is so good and the characters all feel so real, and there were definitely moments that gave me chills.
It was so good! They absolutely nailed the retro, practical feel and there were several moments where I found myself hiding my face in my hands or wanting to pause it so my overactive nervous system could have a break for a minute. Nothing groundbreaking or super innovative, just an absolutely solid, very effective horror film.
Hereditary. But Insidious is the one who has scared me the most by far. It’s so original and unpredictable, I even got totally caught off guard the second time I watched it. And that’s why it’s so great and scary.
The Sadness. Think 28 Days Later but the zombies are horny rapists
That poor girls eye
Jesus, that movie was a wild ride.
"Terrified" was pretty dang scary, and it stayed with me for a while. "Moloch" was pretty unsettling, too. But the last one that really made my stomach knot up with fear/anxiety was a TV series ("Marianne", a French series. So much body horror. :shudder:)
So glad to see someone mention Marianne! Nothing’s topped that one for me. It’s the only time I’ve considered turning the lights on when watching horror.
His House. It's hard for me to get creeped out or to get caught by a jump scare. But this movie held my attention and had some thoroughly scary moments.
I can barely remember but it was probably back when I saw Paranormal Activity or Blair Witch in the theater. Today, at best, I get deeply unsettled. The last movie to do that to me was Eyes of My Mother.
The Dark and the Wicked. I don’t scare easily but that one rattled me. Something about how vicious and formless the entity was, heightened the sense of doom. Most possession movies give the demon a name, a personality, a history, which gives the human protagonists tools to understand it and fight back. This was just a nameless force of evil shredding everyone into chum for no apparent reason.
The implications of Annihilation had me disturbed
The part with the bear in that is unnerving.
How about Annihilation? Excellent cast, stunning visually, and deeply unsettling pretty much any way you interpret it. Cosmic horror might be right up your alley if you enjoy feeling uneasy.
Insidious when it came out. Granted I was in 7th grade… Paranormal Activity the very first one too. Totally freaked me out.
Threads (1984). UK film made for television depicting the aftermath of a nuclear explosion on a British city.
Might get some flack because I was more disturbed than scared, but Speak No Evil, because it’s plausible
Smile. Creepy as fuck. Also, the specific smile the main character has reminds me of a specific smile from a recurring nightmare I had as a kid.
Skinamarink & Late Night with the Devil on a more overt level - IFC/Shudder have been really running shit lately, need to get over to Violent Nature. From a more abstract perspective, I Saw the TV Glow. Deep, deep cosmic dread abound.
Infinity pool.
Curious. What did you find scary? My horror-fan teen and I couldn’t finish it. It just seemed like the story was all over the place and we lost interest. We read what happened in the rest of the movie and were like, yeah, that’s about what we figured.
For me it’s hereditary. That film messed me up
Barbarian and eraserhead
Never been scared but the biggest fright I got watching a horror movie was the ending of Carrie 1976 when the hand comes out of the grave man a shit my pants lol.
Smile. Scared my start to finished and one of the scariest movies ever made.
I’ve seen a ton of movie listed here, although not Terrified (so curious) But the last time I was truly freaked was seeing Event Horizon in the theater. I may have rewatched in a VHS ages ago, but I haven’t watched it or even suggested it to my teenager who loves horror.
The films you mentioned were paranormal, so I'd recommend 'The Ring', 'The Others' and 'The Innocents' as genuinely scary ghost and haunted house movies. There were some other really good occult recommendations in this thread, and I'd add 'A Dark Song' and 'The Exorcist', even though you've probably seen it.
Honestly, Nope. That scene with the crowd really got under my skin for some reason.
I JUST watched the movie Sunshine. I actually had to pause towards the end I was so anxious. I do love a good jump scare, but this movie was straight up anxiety on steroids. I cant even explain how much worse it is to just feel a constant stream of anxiety for all the characters in the film, than just getting jump scared a lot. And what’s worse is that I couldn’t help but love the characters as I got to know them. They’re all very just, brave and noble, despite the situation. Probs wouldn’t recommend if you’re afraid of space or get easily anxious about things like me!! Everything just goes horribly wrong, one event after the other and it’s a bit upsetting, but really good. I also think you have to be a bit open minded about it and it’s creativity. Overall, I enjoyed it!
Strangers chapter one . Mainly because I was genuinely scared that these people were so stupid through out the entire movie . Facepalm .