The Flesh Eaters (1964) is still one of the scariest and most gruesome movies I’ve ever seen. When I was 10 or 11 some genius at a local TV station decided to broadcast it in the after school time slot. It’s been giving me nightmares ever since.
Lets Scare Jessica to Death
Both The Flys have their place
Crowhaven Farm
Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark
The Legend of Hell House
The first movie that came to mind when i read the OP was The Omen (1976) With Gregory Peck. Its a great psychological horror thriller, and scary as hell.
But on the other hand, i would be surprised if the OP hasnt already seen this and The Exorsist (1973) with Ellen Burstyn and Max Von Sydow which is also a classic.
Don’t remember a damned thing about it but I remember being really impressed when I saw it.
Jaws is a really good horror flick. I still get scared on repeat viewings. And it does use suspense. It’s almost a third of the way through the movie before you actually see the shark.
I want to see that movie. Spielberg knows how to do suspense.
I saw it in the theater three weeks after it came out and thought I’d heard of all the spoilers. I hadn’t. If you have never seen it, when you watch it get back to me and tell me what you think.
The Exterminating Angel (1962)
I have to ask, ever actually SEE Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)? It is one of the best Horror films ever made. There is virtually no gore in the film and the violence is more suggested than graphic. It’s nowhere near as violent as reputed. If anything, it’s a mood piece. The characters are not actorly, but seem like real people (not necessarily likeable). Really, it starts with the title and the expectations that it evokes. The feeling of dread builds and builds until it reaches catharsis and then it rolls gangbusters. Multiple viewings uncover that it’s actually a very funny film beneath its shocks. It also has the advantage of not being sexual, but going for the threat of raw violence.
The Thing(esp. Carpenter version)
They Live, the Fog and Prince of Darkness(also Carpenter). I sorta liked Christine too.
All the Romero zombie movies
American Werewolf in London- also the Howling
Creepshow - definitely Re-Animator
All of the Rec movies
Ghost Ship
Near Dark is awesome, also Pumpkinhead
Most of the Resident Evil movies
The Sentinel
The Legacy
Cabin Fever
Masque of the Red Death(Vincent Price)
The Dr. Phibes movies, Last Man on Earth
Soylent Green
So many more! I didn’t even include Del Toro movies or Mike Flanagan stuff or Ti West.
I am not a fan of horror by any means but I have seen a few that I liked:
The Prophecy (Christopher Walken as the Archangel Gabriel, hunting a particular soul on Earth)
The Cabin in the Woods (gory as hell in parts but over the top enough to not be disgusting)
Red State (a Kevin Smith “horror” movie about a religious cult that kidnaps horny teenagers)
Tusk (another Kevin Smith horror movie, you will not like this one but you will not forget it either)
All the Jordan Peele movies (Get Out, Us and Nope), very little gore in these, very intense in parts.
M3GAN (killer robot doll movie that is dark, hilarious and not too gory although there is a gorier cut if you’d like)
Oh yes, that’s another one that stayed with me for a long time, along with Prince of Darkness. I think that what upset me is that both have a semi-downer ending where humanity is saved but at the cost of the heroine losing her life (metaphorically in The Sentinel).
I’ll also second Rec, which has again this stuck-in-a creepy-place-you-cannot-escape vibe, albeit it’s more “physical” than purely supernatural.
Cube and Phantoms were amazing until the third act, where the seemingly unexplainable and sinister events are explained and they become generic horror movies.
Among the classics, The Exorcist, The Evil Dead and Hellraiser are my favourites. Truly upsetting, with several terrifying scenes and very creative imagery and world-building.
Heh. Saw Jaws on a vacation to Florida. I was ~12. I had just gotten my SCUBA diving license. And yes, I went diving.
I’ll 2nd Dog Soldiers mentioned above.
Lot’s of movies here that I have not heard of, need to look into them.
Few strict horror films actually horrify me, but those that do include The Exorcist, The Shining, The Thing, Jaws, and Alien (just the first one). Don’t show me the monster, make me anticipate the monster.
Like the OP, I don’t like in-your-face horror—gore, slasher, jump-scare, and their ilk. I prefer slow-burn creepiness that is eerie yet believable. Deviant human psychology is often at the core of the type of horror that grabs me.
My favorites include:
Misery (1990): A great thriller that borders on horror. Stephen King’s gripping tale of a minor celebrity trapped and tortured by an insane, obsessive fan. Excellent performances by both James Caan and Kathy Bates.
Dead Ringers (1988): A deep study of human behavior and the aberrant mental pathology of brilliant, co-dependent twins with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, causing a shared sense of self. Kudos to Jeremy Irons for his stellar performance portraying the twins with slightly different personalities so convincingly. He made good use of the Alexander Technique in preparation.
Melancholia (2011). More sci-fi than horror, but horrible it is. A fine study of dealing with and giving in to profound depression in the face of impending doom—by the aptly named blue planet (Melancholia). Very eerie and believable. I found the movie terrifying, yet strangely uplifting.
The Wicker Man (1973, not the ridiculous 2006 Nic Cage version). A spot-on sociological and psychological exploration of an isolated island community that embraces twisted paganism to deadly consequences.
I second Dead Ringers. It’s based on a true story. I’d look up the name of the twins, but my copy of Paradox Press Big Book Of Weirdos is at my girl friend’s house. Non spoiler At one point, Irons says “I want some ice cream!” with such profound misery you’ll want to curl up and weep.
Here you go. Agreed, one of many heart-wrenching scenes in that movie.
I had no idea. I might give it a try.
If Pan’s Labyrinth counts as horror, I’ll include that one. I had to leave the theater twice during that movie because of the fascist torture scenes. I had just completed a course on the Spanish Civil War so it was both timely and dreadful as the “resolved” ending was hard to process given that in real life, the fascists definitely won. The creepy-ass creatures were awesome though. I especially loved the Greek mythology references, Uranus devouring his children, Persephone. My general consensus is, “Awesome movie. Please never make me watch it again.”
Also if you’d like a real mindfuck watch the You Tube video of that eye creature scene sound-edited to Tool’s “Forty-six and two.”
I’m going to suggest a forgotten gem. The Changeling (1980) starring George C. Scott is about a composer who moves into a haunted house after the death of his wife and daughter. I won’t say the movie is particularly horrifying, but it’s well acted, the story is interesting, and there’s one particular scene that still has a strong affect on me. The biggest flaw is that the movie crawls along at a much slower pace than what we’re used to today. But almost every scene helps move plot along.
Dawn of the Dead (1978 & 2004) are both very good movies. I tend to favor the 1970s version, but like The Changeling, it shambles along at a very slow pace compared to what modern audiences are used to. The 2004 version is very good, when I saw it in theaters I sat in front a row of children aged 5-10 who didn’t have as good a time as I did, and a little easier for modern audiences to enjoy.
Alien (1979) should be watched if only so you can participate in the many conversations we’ve had on the Straight Dope about it. You’ve got supporting actors like Harry Dean Stanton, Ian Holmes, Yappho Kotto who really help sell the movie, excellent special effects, a creature that’s become iconic, and a good plot. It’s a great movie. (I don’t include the sequel Aliens (1986) because I don’t consider it horror although it’s just as excellent.)
Night of the Living Dead (1968) should be watched because it’s a decent movie and it’s historically significant. It’s the movie that kicked off the modern zombie we’ve come to know, love, and get bored by. The movie seems quaint by todays standards, but at the time it was released it was a shocking experience for many American movie watchers. Roger Ebert write:
The Thing (1982) is one of those movies that still excellent and one that fans love talking about. We recently had a thread on it here on the Dope. Like Alien, this movie has a strong cast that includes Kurt Russel, Keith David, and even Wilfred Brimley who doesn’t have to worry about diabetes getting him. The plot is interesting, it keeps you guessing, tensions are high throughout, and the ending is appropriately bleak and pulls no punches.
Dracula (1931) starring Bela Lugosi is almost a century old but never seems to age! Okay, this is an old, old movie and a lot of people might have a hard time enjoying it. But for me, Lugosi is the real OG when it comes to vampires. This is an excellent movie and I still like it.
You know what really makes that film so scary? The radio and TV reporters. They’re talking about the dead reanimating and eating the flesh of the living…and it’s totally believable.
Maybe I’m desensitized or something, but a few months ago I watched the Exorcist for the first time, and while not terrible, it wasn’t really anything special.