# The ABSOLUTE creepiest movie **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 11, 2000, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-absolute-creepiest-movie/28947 "2000-08-11T11:13:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![sevendeadly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@sevendeadly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sevendeadly)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2000, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-absolute-creepiest-movie/28947/141 "2000-12-28T22:39:45Z")
Cheers for me-- this is my first post. I haven’t seen any really good horror movies in a while. The Haunting was the closest that I got, and that movie was a joke, in my opinion. I hate to be the one person laughing during a movie-- it makes me feel foolish-- especially when it’s supposed to be frightening. If you’re looking for /disturbing/ movies, I can recommend Velvet Goldmine and the recent Shakespeare-remake, Titus (as in Andronicus). I saw both in one night, and I had bad dreams for a week. ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2001, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-absolute-creepiest-movie/28947/142 "2001-02-14T10:22:06Z")
[QUOTE] \*Originally posted by spoke- \* \*\* > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Badtz Maru \* > What scenes invalidate that interpretation, in your view? \*\* There were several scenes where people other than the main character see the Hitcher, the most memorable being the scene near the end with the trucks. Who was in the cab with their foot on the gas and the clutch? ---
**Author:** ![TKD2DAN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dbc845/32.png) [@TKD2DAN](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TKD2DAN)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2001, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-absolute-creepiest-movie/28947/143 "2001-02-14T18:00:02Z")
quote: \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_The grandaddy of them all! The one that launched a thousand vomit fests and caused the Catholic church to publicly denounce it - the one, the only, the uncut, uncensored version of---- THE EXORCIST. * * * This is the only movie I ever saw that made me lose sleep. I was much younger then than now, so when I see it these days it is just humorous. Still, would like to see the Director’s Cut Version. Rent “The Prophecy” if you can find it. Last movie I saw that acutally made me jump. It was back in the 80’s. ---
**Author:** ![Zanshin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e274bd/32.png) [@Zanshin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zanshin)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2001, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-absolute-creepiest-movie/28947/144 "2001-02-14T20:49:08Z")
Scariest movie I ever saw? Showgirls. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![St.Attila](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e99b99/32.png) [@St.Attila](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St.Attila)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2001, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-absolute-creepiest-movie/28947/145 "2001-02-14T22:18:02Z")
I saw the director’s cut of _The Exorcist_ last weekend. I would not call it creepy. Creepy, IMO, means subtle and atmospheric. There is nothing subtle about this movie after about half way through (up till then, though, it’s not bad). The only thing that gave me an actual chill was when you hear Linda Blair coming down the stairs; you watch Ellen Burstyn’s reaction as Linda comes into view, and then you see _how_ Linda is actually coming down the stairs. Well done shot. Now that I think of it, Ellen investigating the noise in the attic was pretty creepy, too. (WTF was that up there, anyways?) But that’s what does it for me: **atmosphere**. Gore and torture are just sickening, not creepy. Overbearing special effects make me lose my suspension of disbelief. The only thing that frightens me on a regular basis is my own imagination (though I hate it when I do that), so leaving stuff to my imagination makes for a creepy movie. That said, good creepy movies for me were _Don’t Look Now_, _Wicker Man_, and [_The Green Man_](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0098813). That last one didn’t have that great an ending, but there are scenes where you see the character’s frightened reaction, only there is nothing there when the camera follows the character’s gaze. Really nicely done. Another creepy scene I recall was the dream sequence in _Sybill_, when Sybill dreams of finding kittens and taking them home. The dream takes a creepy turn when the momma cat comes looking for her kittens. You hear her weird meows and see her frozen shadow as she follows Sybill, then finally we get the crazy camera angles on the freakishly _stuffed_ momma cat itself. ::Brrrr:: **Uniball** mentioned _The Lady in White_, and there was a discussion about another G rated kids movie that was really creepy. I can second _The Lady in White_. I’m guessing that since you can’t fall back on gore in a G rated flick, you have to make up for it with atmosphere. _The Blair Witch Project_ had some good atmosphere, too. The original of _The Haunting_ was well done (haven’t bothered to see the remake), and the silent _Nosferatu_ is the only creepy vampire movie I’ve ever seen. Props for _Nightwatch_ with Ewan McGregor, too. Although the second half is pretty standard (though well done), the first half is mostly very creepy, atmospheric scenes. **[hijack]** That _Spoorloos_ and _The Vanishing_ were both directed by George Sluizer makes me wonder if the director wasn’t making a statement with the obviously Hollywood-ized ending of the latter. **[/hijack]** And I apologize if this is a hijack, but it would be nice if people could be clear what they mean by _creepy_ when they post to this thread. By my definition, above, _Hellraiser_ (which I’ve seen) and _The Cell_ (I’m assuming as I’ve only seen trailers) would not cut it. ---
**Author:** ![Rico\_Swervy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c67d28/32.png) [@Rico\_Swervy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico_Swervy)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2001, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-absolute-creepiest-movie/28947/146 "2001-02-15T01:32:52Z")
Three creepies…from my impressionable years… “Old Yeller” - I’ve never been the same since I watched the kid shoot his dog. Innocence lost. “Bambi” – ditto with the killing of his mother. “Wizard of OZ” - Flying monkeys…Grabby trees…Green-faced evil-spewing bitch of a witch? Oh my! It’s a wonder I grew up half-way normal. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2001, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-absolute-creepiest-movie/28947/147 "2001-02-15T02:41:23Z")
I must have been away for the first two incarnations of this thread. You want unsettling. How about **The Devils** by Ken Russell. Best described as a fever dream. You want disturbing. Robert Altman has a couple that fit the bill. Either **Images** or **3 Women**. Both are disturbing, **and** brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![Skarecrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@Skarecrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skarecrow)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2001, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-absolute-creepiest-movie/28947/148 "2001-02-15T04:02:38Z")
The Bad Seed. hands down. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Red\_Menace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/82dd89/32.png) [@The\_Red\_Menace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Red_Menace)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2001, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-absolute-creepiest-movie/28947/149 "2001-02-15T04:44:48Z")
The mention of the wizard of oz reminded me of “Return to Oz”, which I saw only once when i was about 4, and completely screwed up my perception of the world. The wheelers in that movie … holy christ those’ll give you some nightmares. I kind of hesitate to watch it again these days, though, because I’m afraid it won’t be the same anymore. Nevertheless, its got my vote for creepiest. ---
**Author:** ![Mofo\_Rising](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Mofo\_Rising](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mofo_Rising)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2001, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-absolute-creepiest-movie/28947/150 "2001-02-15T05:10:38Z")
I thought I’d be the first to mention **The Reflecting Skin** , but I guess not. I’d describe it for you, but it would just sound ridiculous. One creepy movie that will have you in its spell. I’ll leave you with the tagline, “Sometimes terrible things happen quite naturally.” I’d also like to mention a movie called **Making Contact**. I don’t remember anything about the movie other than the fact that it had the creepiest puppet I’ve ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![Albert\_Rose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Albert\_Rose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Albert_Rose)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2001, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-absolute-creepiest-movie/28947/151 "2001-02-15T05:22:03Z")
“Videodrome.” James Woods is one creepy fellow! “Flatliners.” I saw this soon after seeing “Don’t Look Now,” another great creepy movie, and noticed a few allusions to the earlier film. That made things doubly creepy. “Fall of the House of Usher.” The Roger Corman version. Vincent Price doesn’t ham it up enough to ruin the ending. “Pepe Le Pew” cartoons. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-absolute-creepiest-movie/28947.md?page=7)