# Recommend a scary movie **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 21, 2002, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-scary-movie/133239 "2002-10-21T15:04:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Thing\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@Thing\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_1)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-scary-movie/133239/1 "2002-10-21T15:04:46Z")
It is that time of year again. Ghosts and ghouls will soon be descending on our neighborhood in search of sugary treats. I love this holiday season. I am however at a loss as to what would be a good scary movie to watch with my wife when the little goblins go to bed. Please help me out. Some information that might be helpful. We like scary suspenseful movies. We both liked **Silence of the Lambs** and **Sixth Sense** and of course **The Exorcist**. We generally are not too fond of the slasher types as they tend to be ridiculously unbelievable. But **Halloween** was pretty good. Recently we watched **Stir of Echoes** and liked it. What say you fellow dopers? What is a good movie that will scare our pants off? John ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-scary-movie/133239/2 "2002-10-21T15:23:36Z")
Have you seen _Jacob’s Ladder_? Good and very creepy. ---
**Author:** ![loinburger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/db5fbb/32.png) [@loinburger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/loinburger)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-scary-movie/133239/3 "2002-10-21T15:28:09Z")
**Perfect Blue** is an excellent psychological thriller, though it’s also a cartoon (so don’t bother if you don’t care for cartoons). **Event Horizon** is something of a sci-fi slasher, but if you want to avoid gore then **Alien** or **Aliens** would be better choices in the sci-fi department (as both have a minimum of the old crimson, IIRC, and they’re better movies in general). I’ve always been partial to **The Prophecy** as well, though I’d be hesitant about recommending the sequels (especially before watching the original – **Aliens** can be seen and enjoyed without seeing **Alien** , but this is not true with the **Prophecy** sequels). I also liked **Angel Heart** , but others’ reactions to this one were not nearly so positive as to the other movies I’ve recommended, so take this one with a larger grain of salt than usual. **Pitch Black** is a good mindless piece of suspense. **Psycho** is good, but unfortunately the surprise ending isn’t much of a surprise for pretty much everybody at this point (the curse of the famous movie – **Citizen Kane** had the same problem, since by the time I got around to watching it I already knew what Rosebud was thanks to the fifty thousand Rosebud references I’d seen by that point). **The Usual Suspects** might not be scary enough for what you’re after. And that’s all that I can think of off the top of my head. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-scary-movie/133239/4 "2002-10-21T15:34:52Z")
For serious creeps, Roman Polanski’s **Repulsion** (1965), and **The Tenant** (1976). For a great campy good time plus the creeps, **Island of Lost Souls** (1933). For a flat-out campy good time – lots of shuffling, strangulation, and tanna leaves – all of the post-Karloff Universal Mummy movies: **Hand, Tomb, Ghost,** and **Curse**. [sub]Not to spill BLOTT, DAT is da Law! Are ve not MEN…?[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-scary-movie/133239/5 "2002-10-21T15:39:46Z")
**Near Dark.** Great sound track by Tangerine Dream, and the movie bears the distinction of being the best vampire movie where they never actually say the word “vampire.” (“We’re… different…”) John Carpenter’s **The Thing** or **The Blob.** ---
**Author:** ![MrVisible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@MrVisible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrVisible)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-scary-movie/133239/6 "2002-10-21T16:24:48Z")
I have to recommend some… strange… flicks from the 80’s. Because it’s my job, dammit. **Nomads**. Pierce Brosnan plays a dead French anthropologist. Bizarre, but interesting. **The Hitcher**. C. Thomas Howell, on the road trip from hell. **Tremors**. If you haven’t seen it… well, you should. And, the all-time scariest movie I’ve ever seen, from 1963: [The Haunting](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0057129). Based on Shirley Jackson’s _The Haunting of Hill House_, and having nothing at all to do with its recent remake, this movie makes my hackles rise just thinking about it. Great stuff. ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-scary-movie/133239/7 "2002-10-21T16:34:13Z")
I agree with the original **The Haunting**. A good ghost story that does not rely on special effects. A similar, but more modern one that I recommend is **The Others**. Nicole Kidman was great, and the kids in it are creepy. Most people have already seen it , but\*\* The Blair Witch Project\*\* is always fun. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-scary-movie/133239/8 "2002-10-21T17:40:03Z")
CARNIVAL OF SOULS- the early 1960s B\*W one BLACK SUNDAY aka MASK OF THE DEMON aka MASK OF SATAN also early 1960s & B/W starring Barbara Steele NOSFERATU - either the 1922 or the 1979 version MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH with Vincent Price BRIDES OF DRACULA with Peter Cushing & David Peel CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN Peter Cushing & Christopher Lee THE WICKER MAN Chris Lee & Edward Woodward THE VAMPIRE LOVERS Ingrid Pitt & Peter Cushing TALES OF TERROR- a Poe trilogy with Basil Rathbone (Case of M Valdemar), Price (Morella) & Price & Peter Lorre (The Black Cat mixed with Cask of Amontillado) THE DUNWICH HORROR with Dean Stockell, Sandra Dee & Ed Begley Jr THE RESURRECTED (Lovecraft’s Case of Charles Dexter Ward) with Chris Sarandon and one almost brand new one! SOUL SURVIVORS with Eliza Dushku ---
**Author:** ![Hodge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Hodge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hodge)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-scary-movie/133239/9 "2002-10-21T18:22:18Z")
**The Innocents** (1961) starring Deborah Kerr. Great adaptation of Henry James’ _Turn of the Screw_. Still not on DVD ☹ Another vote for **The Haunting** (1963). Along with **The Innocents** , one of the best ghost movies ever made. Ignore the execrable remake. **Don’t Look Now** (1973) starring Donald Sutherland & Julie Christie. A psychological chiller set in a Venice that never looked more ominous. As a bonus, it includes one of the most erotic sex scenes ever filmed. **The Shining** (1980) dir by Stanley Kubrick. A source of great controversy amongst King & Kubrick fans. I happen to think both the movie and the book complement each other and refuse to pick a favourite. The TV mini-series sucked, though. **The Changeling** (1980) starring George C. Scott. Simple plot about a house haunted by children builds unrelenting tension. **Session 9** (2001) starring David Caruso (yes, that guy) and a bunch of talented unknowns. A Hazmat team have to remove asbestos from an abandoned mental institution. It builds suspense through character devevlopment and the eerie atmosphere of the building. A real hidden gem. ---
**Author:** ![Ol\_Gaffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Ol\_Gaffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ol_Gaffer)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-scary-movie/133239/10 "2002-10-21T18:45:34Z")
Once again, I spend too much time working and not enough time browsing the board! So I can only offer additonal votes for the following: **The Thing** - great, great movie. I watched this a couple of years ago for the first time since I was in high school and had a completely new appreciation for it and for John Carpenter. Wilford Brimley and Kurt Russel are both awesome in it. **The Changeling** - thinking about that ball coming back down the stairs is giving me goosebumps as I write. **The Haunting** (1963) - another great movie. My own submission: **The Entity** with Barbara Hershey. Another cool and creepy ghost movie. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-scary-movie/133239/11 "2002-10-21T18:56:44Z")
I’ll concur on John Carpenter’s **The Thing**. The 1950’s version is also good. I’ll also concur on **Session 9** (very creepy - give this one a look) and on **The Hitcher** (very creepy and very underappreciated). **The Others** is also good, if a bit predictable. I’ll add a couple of classics which you must see if you haven’t: **Invasion of the Body Snatchers** (1950’s version), and **Village of the Damned** (1950’s version). Also, try **The Devil’s Backbone** , a ghost story set during the Spanish Civil War. (Spanish w/ subtitles.) Came out last year, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-scary-movie/133239/12 "2002-10-21T19:11:19Z")
This may seem tame now, but **Wait Until Dark** frightened me more than any other. Great suspense. ---
**Author:** ![Hodge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Hodge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hodge)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-scary-movie/133239/13 "2002-10-21T19:31:35Z")
**The Innocents** (1961) starring Deborah Kerr. Great adaptation of Henry James’ _Turn of the Screw_. Still not on DVD ☹ Another vote for **The Haunting** (1963). Along with **The Innocents** , one of the best ghost movies ever made. Ignore the execrable remake. **Don’t Look Now** (1973) starring Donald Sutherland & Julie Christie. A psychological chiller set in a Venice that never looked more ominous. As a bonus, it includes one of the most erotic sex scenes ever filmed. **The Shining** (1980) dir by Stanley Kubrick. A source of great controversy amongst King & Kubrick fans. I happen to think both the movie and the book complement each other and refuse to pick a favourite. The TV mini-series sucked, though. **The Changeling** (1980) starring George C. Scott. Simple plot about a house haunted by children builds unrelenting tension. **Session 9** (2001) starring David Caruso (yes, that guy) and a bunch of talented unknowns. A Hazmat team have to remove asbestos from an abandoned mental institution. It builds suspense through character devevlopment and the eerie atmosphere of the building. A real hidden gem. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-scary-movie/133239/14 "2002-10-21T19:52:41Z")
I second **Wait Until Dark**. Way scary. I can’t believe it hasn’t been remade yet. My personal favorite: John Carpenter’s **Prince of Darkness**. That freaky transmission … oog. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-scary-movie/133239/15 "2002-10-21T20:12:22Z")
Add to the list: \The Leopard Man\ spooky, atmospheric '40s flick, \The Reflecting Skin\ creepy & weird, weird, weird, thriller in a David Lynch sort of mode, \Dark City\ actually a sci-fi/neo-noir flick, but with some great creepy villains, \Picnic at Hanging Rock\ mystery about sexually-repressed boarding school girls who vanish without a trace, and are never seen again. This also is not really a horror movie, but disturbing & unsettling in a deeply profound way. ---
**Author:** ![madcat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@madcat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madcat)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-scary-movie/133239/16 "2002-10-21T20:42:38Z")
**Paperhouse** Builds slowly, but if you stick with it the payoff is worth it. ---
**Author:** ![madcat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@madcat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madcat)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-scary-movie/133239/17 "2002-10-21T20:42:38Z")
**Paperhouse** Builds slowly, but if you stick with it the payoff is worth it. ---
**Author:** ![madcat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@madcat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madcat)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-scary-movie/133239/18 "2002-10-21T20:42:38Z")
**Paperhouse** Builds slowly, but if you stick with it the payoff is worth it. ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-scary-movie/133239/19 "2002-10-21T21:03:08Z")
I second “The Others.” Also consider “The Vanishing.” (the original Dutch(?) version. It’s not ghosts and ghouls but it’s not B movie slasher either. Creep factor is very high. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-scary-movie/133239/20 "2002-10-21T21:15:57Z")
Oh yeah, and **The Omen** is a must as well. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-scary-movie/133239.md?page=2)