# Recommend some scary movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 2, 2012, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-scary-movies/614507 "2012-03-02T01:23:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-scary-movies/614507/1 "2012-03-02T01:23:13Z")
The GF and I like to watch scary movies together. Scary, not necessarily gory. We like more of a supernatural angle. Ghost stories and whatnot. We loved the Paranormal Activity franchise, and you can never go wrong with Zombies (I lnow they are gory, but still cool). We don’t really like slasher flicks or torture-porn. So…whatyagot? ---
**Author:** ![Scubaqueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@Scubaqueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scubaqueen)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-scary-movies/614507/2 "2012-03-02T01:43:57Z")
I recommend the original _Haunting of Hill House_. Nifty creepy moments despite its age. Avoid the remake at all costs. Same for _X the Unknown_, a Brit flick dating all the way from the 1950s. Some more very nice creepy moments in that one, too and also \*The Creeping Unknown \*(Quatermass Xperiment) which is of a similiar age and still gives me chills today. _The Woman in White_, a bit more modern, is a fun watch as well. ---
**Author:** ![Mrs.Cake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2acd7d/32.png) [@Mrs.Cake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs.Cake)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-scary-movies/614507/3 "2012-03-02T02:52:03Z")
I found _Fallen_ to be deeply creepy, without gore. And _Poltergeist_ still works for me, even after 30 years. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-scary-movies/614507/4 "2012-03-02T03:50:32Z")
I liked **The Strangers**. **Donnie Darko** is not real scary, but I think you’ll like it. ---
**Author:** ![Ostrya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/35a633/32.png) [@Ostrya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ostrya)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-scary-movies/614507/5 "2012-03-02T04:14:36Z")
A spooky masterpiece that has no gore, **The Others**. The cloaking atmosphere is so strong you can feel it. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-scary-movies/614507/6 "2012-03-02T04:33:13Z")
> [@Scubaqueen](#): > > I recommend the original _Haunting of Hill House_. Nifty creepy moments despite its age. Avoid the remake at all costs… To elaborate, that would be [_The Haunting_](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057129/), from the book _The Haunting of Hill House_ by Shirley Jackson (of _The Lottery_ fame). One of my all-time favorite movies. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-scary-movies/614507/7 "2012-03-02T04:43:38Z")
Much older movie, but one of my favorite horror movies is Stir of Echoes. Probably the best psychological horror movie I’ve ever seen. Even the [trailer](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVBF2jaf9ec) gives me chills. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-scary-movies/614507/8 "2012-03-02T05:06:49Z")
I’ve watched _The Changeling_ (George S. Scott) several times over the years, and it doesn’t get old, or less scary. Also _The Orphanage_ (directed by Juan Bayona) and _The Devil’s Backbone_ (Guillermo del Toro) – creepy, subtle, not gory at all. An oldie but goodie that’s often copied so might not have an impact is _Dead of Night_, four interconnected stories. I won’t watch these movies by myself, or at night. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-scary-movies/614507/9 "2012-03-02T05:10:28Z")
The original “Omen” was the first movie my mom said I could stay up to watch that freaked me out enough to leave the room. We used to watch The Nighstalker together on Friday nights, so scary didn’t bother me. But that movie gave me the CREEPS!! ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Ed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Just\_Ed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Ed)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-scary-movies/614507/10 "2012-03-02T05:20:00Z")
_[Session 9](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0261983/)_ is a supremely creepy flick about the otherworldly effects on a crew of workmen renovating a vast, empty former mental asylum. Of recent movies, I found _[Insidious](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1591095/)_ effective, even if it did veer a bit over the top. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-scary-movies/614507/11 "2012-03-02T06:25:38Z")
It’s a bit dated nowadays, but I just recently watched \*Poltergeist \*and it held up surprisingly well as an old-style spooky movie with just a little bit of gore. ---
**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:** [March 2, 2012, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-scary-movies/614507/12 "2012-03-02T06:51:30Z")
I think the Ring is the scariest movie I’ve seen as an adult, which was also a decent movie regardless of genre. Second scariest but very intriguing was Communion. Blair Witch was great in its time but I don’t think it would be effective any more. The Mouth of Madness was a lot of fun and super creepy, with some Lovecraftian undertones. It wasn’t totally successful, but Silent Hill is worth watching just for the ambiance. As a kid I was scared shitless by Poltergeist and Amityville Horror (the original). ---
**Author:** ![Beastly\_Rotter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@Beastly\_Rotter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beastly_Rotter)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-scary-movies/614507/13 "2012-03-02T07:02:19Z")
_Pan’s Labyrinth_. Utterly beautiful, completely compelling, and absolutely terrifying. ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-scary-movies/614507/14 "2012-03-02T12:23:07Z")
My two favourite horror films are **Shadow of the Vampire** and **The Wicker Man**. Both are psychological horrors with little in the way of gore. **Shadow** is a film about the making of the famous silent horror **Nosferatu**. The acting is superb, and there is an undercurrent of humour. **The Wicker Man** is about a policeman’s investigation into the disappearance of a young girl on a remote Scottish island. It draws heavily on British folklore. (Please god, don’t go anywhere near the recent remake with Nick Cage, I’m talking about the 1973 original.) As \*\*Beastly Rotter[b/] says, **Pan’s Labyrinth** is a superb fantasy film. However, it’s not primarily a horror. It’s set at the tail end of the Spanish Civil War, and the most terrifying parts are set in the real world. There is at least one genuinely upsetting moment. **Poltergeist** is also pretty good if you haven’t already seen it. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-scary-movies/614507/15 "2012-03-02T12:45:21Z")
If you’re not one of those inexplicable people who eschews subtitles (strangely preponderant on this board, though it may be cultural), the original Japanese versions of _The Ring_ and _The Grudge_ are out of this world creepy. _Ringu_ is the first movie that ever actually made me shriek, and _Ju-On_ is quite staggeringly spooky. Even though I’ve seen both American remakes, the Japanese ones still get me good - especially _Ju-On_. I’m always on the lookout for new horror that isn’t a splatter-fest, and is genuinely scary. Sadly there isn’t much available. I just got hold of the original Thai version of _Shutter_ so I’ll have a look at that and report back. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-scary-movies/614507/16 "2012-03-02T13:01:25Z")
[The Last Circus.](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1572491/) If you are fearful of clowns, you will have nightmares for the rest of your life. If not, you can still indulge in the horror that the madness of others engenders in us. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-scary-movies/614507/17 "2012-03-02T15:10:49Z")
I rather liked **Quarantine** (you can also try the Spanish-language original, **[REC]**), but most of its scares are of the OHMYGODSOMETHINGJUSTJUMPEDOUT variety. It has a nice claustrophobic sense of dread to it. I recently saw a little indie horror flick that disturbed me greatly: [**Megan Is Missing**](http://www.meganismissing.com/). If you can make it through the first two-thirds, the final 22 minutes are a major gut-punch. I’m hoping to see this one soon; it sounds great and the trailer looks awesome: [**Absentia**](http://www.planetofterror.com/2011/07/absentia-2011.html). ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-scary-movies/614507/18 "2012-03-02T15:14:52Z")
\*\*Alka Seltzer \*\*beat me to my choice: the original _Wicker Man_. No ghosts, no goblins, no supernatural at all. But scary as all get out. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-scary-movies/614507/19 "2012-03-02T15:28:20Z")
You’ll love The Woman in Black. (in theatres now) ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-scary-movies/614507/20 "2012-03-02T15:28:41Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > \*\*Alka Seltzer \*\*beat me to my choice: the original _Wicker Man_. No ghosts, no goblins, no supernatural at all. But scary as all get out. Also very effective at _slowly_ becoming terrifying. At first, the movie seems like a dark comedy. Then it gets less funny. And eventually, it isn’t funny at all. 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-scary-movies/614507.md?page=2)