# Movies that Scare you **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 29, 2010, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-scare-you/558789 "2010-10-29T17:20:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-scare-you/558789/61 "2010-11-01T04:43:06Z")
I found Poltergeist and the original Amityville Horror to be quite scary, but I was a kid when I saw them. As an adult, I’ve been freaked out by Communion and The Ring. Like, fear that runs past the movie going experience into the next week of real life and disturbing dreams… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-scare-you/558789/62 "2010-11-01T05:42:42Z")
> [@Oy](#): > > Atmospherics such as Twin Peaks (which I saw and was scared by at the young age of 36-ish) work better on adults, but sooner or later they have to pay off, i.e. show the bear… No, no bear. Owls. Oh, and BOB’s behind the couch right now. Don’t look. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-scare-you/558789/63 "2010-11-01T12:17:06Z")
> [@Darth\_Nader](#): > > No, no bear. Owls. > > Oh, and BOB’s behind the couch right now. Don’t look. An _Owlbear_. ---
**Author:** ![Oy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bc8723/32.png) [@Oy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oy)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-scare-you/558789/64 "2010-11-01T12:52:55Z")
> [@Darth\_Nader](#): > > No, no bear. Owls. > > Oh, and BOB’s behind the couch right now. Don’t look. And as I mentioned earlier, the hoot of an owl still scares me. And I had a frickin’ nightmare back then of BOB relentlessly climbing over the furniture toward the camera. I always imagined the poor actor playing BOB would go into public places like supermarkets and people would go running out screaming, leaving poor Frank Silva saying, “I was only trying to buy a cantelope!” ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-scare-you/558789/65 "2010-11-01T13:02:32Z")
The Exorcist. When it first came out, I was too scared to see it. On the Oscars, they showed a 20-second clip or something and THAT scared the crap out of me. Finally I watched it in the daytime on a 10-inch black and white TV. It was everything I feared. The atmosphere is sooo sinister. Ditto what was said about not being safe in your bed and Poltergeist. ---
**Author:** ![Scubaqueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@Scubaqueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scubaqueen)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-scare-you/558789/66 "2010-11-01T14:08:19Z")
[quote=“blondebear, post:5, topic:558789”] When I was a kid, the movie that scared the pants off me was [Caltiki, The Immortal Monster](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caltiki_%E2%80%93_The_Immortal_Monster). It’s pretty tame by today’s standards, but one scene in particular gave me nightmares for years: Speak for yourself. 😛 \*\*Caltiki \*\*scared the utter hell out of me as a kid. Spent years looking for a copy of it, of which I am now finally the proud owner of a VHS tape version. The acting, etc. is patently execrable, but without a doubt, the monster itself stands up to the test of time. Better than the original Blob by far. While I’m on the subject of remakes the original **X the Unknown** is still king of creepy-scary and second only to the original version of The Haunting. **X** STILL creeps me out. I was lucky enough to catch the Brit remake with David Tennant and company a couple of years ago that someone uploaded to YouTube. Meh. Even with Tennant and Jason Flemyng to look at, it was dull, dull and more dull. **The Haunting** stands as my favorite scare flick of all time. The scene where something in the house is pushing the library door inward still raises goose bumps on me even as I’m typing this! There is nothing better than the imagination when it comes to scary things. The remake, which I’m sorry to say I spent good money on to go see, was a crashing disappointment. Even Liam Neeson couldn’t save that piece of crap. Horrible, horrible, horrible **The Exorcist** is still scary – especially the scene which has been discussed upthread. I never saw the movie until years later when I purchased it on DVD. And yes I screamed like a girly girl when I saw that scene. 😃 **American Werewolf in London** and \*\*Poltergeist \*\* still have some majorly scary moments, too. I saw \*\*Poltergeist \*\*in the theater and during the scene where JoBeth Williams is going down the hallway to open the door to the kids’ room, a guy down front of me leaps up and yells, ‘Don’t do it, lady!!’ Funniest moment ever in a movie theater. ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-scare-you/558789/67 "2010-11-01T14:43:27Z")
[quote=“BrotherCadfael, post:28, topic:558789”] Two nominees: 1. The Zuni fetish doll segment from Trilogy of Terror. Everyone cites that one, so I will add… QUOTE] That doll is referred to in my house as 'The Little Yibbledy Guy". He was way scary. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-scare-you/558789/68 "2010-11-01T17:31:18Z")
> [@Scubaqueen](#): > > **The Haunting** stands as my favorite scare flick of all time. The scene where something in the house is pushing the library door inward still raises goose bumps on me even as I’m typing this! There is nothing better than the imagination when it comes to scary things. The remake, which I’m sorry to say I spent good money on to go see, was a crashing disappointment. Even Liam Neeson couldn’t save that piece of crap. Horrible, horrible, horrible Ugh. At least I suffered through it for free. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-scare-you/558789/69 "2010-11-02T04:16:44Z")
> [@Scubaqueen](#): > > Speak for yourself. 😛 \*\*Caltiki \*\*scared the utter hell out of me as a kid. Spent years looking for a copy of it, of which I am now finally the proud owner of a VHS tape version. The acting, etc. is patently execrable, but without a doubt, the monster itself stands up to the test of time. Better than the original Blob by far. It’s out on DVD! ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-scare-you/558789/70 "2010-11-02T06:58:33Z")
I could make a long list of scary movies, but the first one I thought of that I didn’t see here was **Sunshine**. I hated the third act, where it got all metaphysical and ridiculous, but the scene where the 2 guys have to go out and re-align part of the heat shield especially scared the crap outta me. Okay, maybe I’m awake enough to list a few more 😛 I thought **The Exorcism Of Emily Rose** was pretty damn scary and disturbing. People have already mention **The Devil’s Backbone** , **The Thing** and **Prince Of Darkness** but I wanted to give a shout out as well. **TDB** is early del Toro, but I think it’s his best film so far. And I’m a huge John Carpenter fan, love both of these movies, and especially like the endings of both of them. The man doesn’t need a huge budget to scare the crap outta ya, and he doesn’t stop scaring the crap outta ya even tho the movie is over. (In fact, Carpenter is prolly the best director of movie endings of all time, IMO.) I thought **π** was creepy and scary and disturbing. Highly recommend it as a double feature with **Tetsuo: The Iron Man** for an all B&W high tension scarefest. **Videodrome** is a sick, freaky freak-out of a movie. Imagery that simply will not dislodge itself. Okay, I know that these next ones are prolly more “thriller” than “horror”, but the end result is pretty much the same for me: nail-biting on the edge of my seat freaking out about what _might_ be about to happen. **Frailty** is just twisted, worrisome and down-right distressing. **Sexy Beast** made me afraid of Gandhi, ffs. I mean like knots in my stomach afraid. Awesome movie. **Sling Blade** did the same thing, except now I’m afraid of Dwight Yoakam and what he may or may not do at any given moment, given any random input: the very definition of clinically insane. Speaking of clinically insane, I don’t know anyone who’s watched **Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer** and not been scared to go outside immediately afterward. Or the next day. Or for weeks later. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Intr0verted](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/67e7ee/32.png) [@The\_Intr0verted](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Intr0verted)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-scare-you/558789/71 "2010-11-02T10:01:35Z")
Movies that scare me to death are usually the lame ones. It’s sad but true, I don’t scare easy, that being said, the moive Signs, With Mel…oh christ, I cried forever because I was so scared. I hate the thought of the being other life forms out there. Also what really gets my goat is when things are standing there and you don’t seem till the move, then you rewind and notice that it was there the whole time, I scream. Blair Witch project made me scream at the end, and good ghost movies get me pumped and keep me up at night. Paranormal Activity kept me intrested but the never showed the actual thing so I was dissapointed. ---
**Author:** ![Short\_Guy\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9adbd/32.png) [@Short\_Guy\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Short_Guy_1)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-scare-you/558789/72 "2010-11-02T10:42:43Z")
> [@Anamorphic](#): > > This is what I came in to recommend. I haven’t seen the sequel or remake either, but the original is absolutely fantastic. Yes, it’s a ‘found footage’ film, which has been a bit overdone, but this is the pinnacle of the sub-genre, imo. A great film, with some genuinely scary moments that don’t rely strictly on things jumping out at you (although there are some of those, as well). Thirded. FYI, _Quarantine_ is an “interesting” film in that it almost slavishly copies _[REC]_ scene by scene, and yet manages to suck anything remotely suspenseful out of the movie. _[REC 2]_ is nearly as good as its predecessor, except that it really plays up the supernatural aspect that was severely (and, IMHO, rightly) downplayed in the original. If you can forgive the shift in tone from biological to religious horror, it’s quite the ride. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-scare-you/558789/73 "2010-11-02T13:43:57Z")
**Blair Witch Project** was the only movie to give me a nightmare. **Exorcist** was scary too, but it didn’t give me bad dreams. I saw **Paranormal Activity** on Netflix streaming the other night and it was pretty creepy. My wife is _terrified_ of the zombie genre (except for **Shaun** ) and watching **Walking Dead** with me the other night apparently kept her up to 2 in the morning, 3 hours after we turned in (Central time here). ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-scare-you/558789/74 "2010-11-02T14:59:51Z")
> [@Shark\_Sandwich](#): > > This is one of my favorite “scary” movies. The seance scene (or more accurately, George C. reviewing the tapes later) totally makes this movie. I agree that _The Changeling_ is perhaps the best scary movie of all time (in the “old fashioned Ghost story” sense - I don’t much like modern slasher-type horror). My favorite scene was the nightmare about the boy floating out of the well - that scared the living crap out of me as a kid. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-scare-you/558789/75 "2010-11-02T15:07:28Z")
I forgot all about Jacob’s Ladder. As well I might, for my own sanity. Because I watched it. At night. Alone in the house. For the weekend. Silly, silly me. Every light in every room of the house was blazing day and night until Mr. Sali got his ass home. I can’t think of any other movie that contained so many deeply disturbing scenes. Even The Haunting is easier to watch than Jacob’s Ladder, because there aren’t so MANY disturbing scenes in The Haunting. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-scare-you/558789/76 "2010-11-02T21:01:43Z")
I must have been tired last night. I forgot to mention **Pandorum**. ---
**Author:** ![Ibanez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a4c791/32.png) [@Ibanez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibanez)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-scare-you/558789/77 "2010-11-02T21:45:52Z")
Movies that are based loosely on true events are the scary ones for me. Like Hostel. ---
**Author:** ![Intelligently\_Designed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intelligently_designed/32/20957_2.png) [@Intelligently\_Designed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intelligently_Designed)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-scare-you/558789/78 "2010-11-02T22:44:34Z")
Among others already mentioned here, **The Omen** pretty much did it for me. ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-scare-you/558789/79 "2010-11-02T23:17:27Z")
> [@vivalostwages](#): > > The original **Halloween**. Very little blood, really, but lots of psychological torment from the constant stalking even before the home invasion. > > **Paranormal Activity** bothered me tremendously. That’s what I get for watching it at night. BINGO! Just watched PA over the weekend. Terrifying! I actually screamed out loud twice (four times if you count a second viewing!) ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-scare-you/558789/80 "2010-11-03T04:20:37Z")
**John Carpenter’s The Thing** - Besides a few very well done jump out moments, there’s a wonderful sense of paranoia and impending doom. **Killer Klowns From Outer Space** Seriously. Most of the acting is bad. The writing is poor. But there is something primal and terrifying about giant clowns. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-scare-you/558789.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-scare-you/558789.md?page=5)