The Ring - best of the Japanense horrors imo - the last ten minutes are perfect.
The Grudge - Korean original not the shitty US remake. The whole film is spooky in the extreme.
Uzumaki - another Japanese one - more surreal than outright scary, but has its moments.
The daddy of them all for me has to be the first half of 28 Days Later. From the moment of the handcam shot of the zombies charging toward the house then smashing through the window right up to the bit with the rats in the tunnel is the most genuinely unsettled I have ever been watching a film.
I saw the US version of The Ring first, and proper shat myself. The Japanese version is better though.
The most nerve shredded I've been watching a film was [Rec], which got remade as Quarantine. The sequel is cack though.
Although not the scariest, I love the Spanish film The Orphanage, and it was co-produced by Guillermo del Toro, who has made some quality films like The Devil's Backbone and Pan's Labyrinth.
Another decent film that frightened the life out of me was The Others.
Pet Sematary is another Stephen King adaptation, the film is pretty scary but the book is probably the scariest thing he has ever written, in a foreword he reckons it was a bit too much - which tells you a lot I think!
I also vouch for the original Ring and Grudge, as well as The Excorcist. And, because I don't think anyone's mentioned them yet, these Dario Argento films, the latter two being part of the Italian giallo genre, rather than true horror films, which are basically luridly violent whodunnits. If there's ever a priest in a giallo film, then he's guaranteed to be the culprit! The opening 15 minutes of Suspiria are an absolute masterclass in building a clammy sense of unease in the viewer, culminating in a scene that's guaranteed to make you shout, 'F*******CK!'
Watched Salems Lot when I was a kid, remember that proper shit me up, especially the bit where the kid is tapping at the window....
True story: I went to bed last night and my curtains were slightly open. I knew I had to close them. Why? Because I haven't been able to leave them open at night since seeing a glimpse of that movie 26 years ago.
also feeling the love for Del Toro. pans is excellent so is the orphanage. not scary but the way he does the monsters is very artistic and i just think 90% of what he has done is superb. even hellboy II was pretty good, again i love the detail that goes into the monsters.
Saw a film last night called VHS, pretty creepy horror movie, looks poor when it starts but actually turns out good, first horror movie ever that had me freaked, also saw the conjuring when thay came.out and thought it was pretty good, but my all time fave is the original friday the 13th
Wife insisted we watch a horror last night so watched Insiduous. Wasn't scary - some set piece jump scenes but decent story and good enough for me to want to see Insiduous 2. Recommend you watch the first before the second.
I'd say The Exorcist has to be the best. Of the modern bunch The Grudge unsettled me. In terms of creepyness I think you have to look back at the old classics like The Haunting and the underrated Ealing film Dead of Night (a portmanteau from the mid 40s which is a million times creepier than the Paranormal series.
Martyrs was the most horrible thing I've ever seen, just about unwatchable at times, shows that horror can be original.
also feeling the love for Del Toro. pans is excellent so is the orphanage. not scary but the way he does the monsters is very artistic and i just think 90% of what he has done is superb. even hellboy II was pretty good, again i love the detail that goes into the monsters.
From a Horror standpoint Devils Backbone has to be his best for me. Also Cronos was very original.
As this very moment I'm hiding behind the sofa with Cushing and Lee at their best on the telly (Film 4) in 'The House That Dripped Blood', complete with bats swinging on bits of wire. I do miss Hammer!
Some great shouts on here... The exorcist and Omen 1 & 2 are real no brainers...Jaws freaked me out to the extent that whilst being a more than competent swimmer, I still hate swimming in deep water and in the sea. The entity I found disturbing and for some reason got freaked out 'Demons'. Salems lot gave me the hibbidy-jibbidys... and bizarrely enough (as someone mentioned it earlier) I have literally just bought Suspiria
Has 'The Mist' had a mention? Another Stephen King adaptation that I found unsettling. Perhaps because, as with 'The Stand', you wouldn't put it past the U.S Military to come up with something really 'orrible.
Not a horror as such but in Jaws when the severed head appears in the porthole window.
Jaws is a horror movie. Make no bones about that one.
It always listed as one of the great horrors, but it's not horror for me. The big issue with a real horror, whether it's a ghost, a vampire or a knife wielding maniac, is that there's no getting away from it. Sharks? Well, that's easily solved, I'll take a dip in the hotel pool rather than going down the beach today. No problem - no horror. For me it's one of the most over-rated films of all time. Great score, great look of fear on Roy Scheider's face and a great use of the moving-zoom camera shot. Other than that, it's pretty dull fare.
Not a horror as such but in Jaws when the severed head appears in the porthole window.
Jaws is a horror movie. Make no bones about that one.
It always listed as one of the great horrors, but it's not horror for me. The big issue with a real horror, whether it's a ghost, a vampire or a knife wielding maniac, is that there's no getting away from it. Sharks? Well, that's easily solved, I'll take a dip in the hotel pool rather than going down the beach today. No problem - no horror. For me it's one of the most over-rated films of all time. Great score, great look of fear on Roy Scheider's face and a great use of the moving-zoom camera shot. Other than that, it's pretty dull fare.
I think Horror movies tap into underlying fears, or set out to disgust you or make you jump. Unless you have an underlying fear of sharks (which I don't) it isn't very frightening apart from the odd jumpy bit. It was a pretty good action film as far as I was concerned.
The Thing Saw's The Conjuring Incidious Sinister Evil Dead (2013 version) Mama Don't be affraid of the dark Poltergiest Stigmarta The Possession The Last Exorcism Dark Skies The Exorcism of Emely Rose The Haunting In Connecticut Candyman 30 days of nights The Lost Boys Hellraiser Phantasm The Rite The Exorcist Pet Sematary The Entity The Ring Mirrors Th Uninvited The Amityville Horror Ghost Ship Case 39
As you can tell i love a horror
Good list. Love 'The Thing'. Not sure how you can omit the original 'Evil Dead' though.
Not a horror as such but in Jaws when the severed head appears in the porthole window.
Jaws is a horror movie. Make no bones about that one.
It always listed as one of the great horrors, but it's not horror for me. The big issue with a real horror, whether it's a ghost, a vampire or a knife wielding maniac, is that there's no getting away from it. Sharks? Well, that's easily solved, I'll take a dip in the hotel pool rather than going down the beach today. No problem - no horror. For me it's one of the most over-rated films of all time. Great score, great look of fear on Roy Scheider's face and a great use of the moving-zoom camera shot. Other than that, it's pretty dull fare.
The shark is a monster in a horror movie. That you can avoid the monster easier than other monsters does not remove the horror. You could argue that the teenagers visiting Camp Crystal Lake can book a chalet at Butlin's instead. Don't want to get butchered by Michael Myers on Halloween? That's cool, book a cab and go to a restaurant, he never kills people in restaurants. Freddy Krueger only attacked kids on Elm Street and the local area. They tried to stay awake, but really, they could have just moved house.
Whether you like the film or not, it's a classic horror movie. Sure, they largely kept the shark hidden because it didn't work rather than for artistic reasons, but it was the blueprint for many of the horror movies that followed in the 70s and early 80s.
Comments
The Grudge - Korean original not the shitty US remake. The whole film is spooky in the extreme.
Uzumaki - another Japanese one - more surreal than outright scary, but has its moments.
The daddy of them all for me has to be the first half of 28 Days Later. From the moment of the handcam shot of the zombies charging toward the house then smashing through the window right up to the bit with the rats in the tunnel is the most genuinely unsettled I have ever been watching a film.
the original grudge is great. Sarah michelle gellar remake in my top ten worst films ever
mulholland drive had me on the edge of my seat the whole film...a different kind of scared i guess
The most nerve shredded I've been watching a film was [Rec], which got remade as Quarantine. The sequel is cack though.
Although not the scariest, I love the Spanish film The Orphanage, and it was co-produced by Guillermo del Toro, who has made some quality films like The Devil's Backbone and Pan's Labyrinth.
Another decent film that frightened the life out of me was The Others.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048424/?ref_=fn_al_tt_3
Suspiria
Tenebrae
Deep Red
also feeling the love for Del Toro. pans is excellent so is the orphanage. not scary but the way he does the monsters is very artistic and i just think 90% of what he has done is superb. even hellboy II was pretty good, again i love the detail that goes into the monsters.
I'd say The Exorcist has to be the best. Of the modern bunch The Grudge unsettled me. In terms of creepyness I think you have to look back at the old classics like The Haunting and the underrated Ealing film Dead of Night (a portmanteau from the mid 40s which is a million times creepier than the Paranormal series.
Martyrs was the most horrible thing I've ever seen, just about unwatchable at times, shows that horror can be original.
Whether you like the film or not, it's a classic horror movie. Sure, they largely kept the shark hidden because it didn't work rather than for artistic reasons, but it was the blueprint for many of the horror movies that followed in the 70s and early 80s.