The best/ scariest horror films

Pet cemetery was scary I thought although I was fairly young when I watched it.

Drag me to hell may not be scary per se but I thought that it was a good movie

PeterParker957

May we suggest TV ?

I had to get my dad to trim the tree by my window after watching Salem's Lot.

Every time the branch tapped I thought it was that lilac vampire coming to get me.

gazzer

PeterParker957 wrote: »

May we suggest TV ?

I had to get my dad to trim the tree by my window after watching Salem's Lot.

Every time the branch tapped I thought it was that lilac vampire coming to get me.

Salems Lot terrified me as a kid. I couldnt open a curtain in my room at night for months after it Bloody brilliant though and it gave me my love of horror

Snake Plisken

Yep another vote for Salem’s Lot I remember when it was shown as a two part series back in 1979 on RTÉ 1 it scared the hell out of me and turned me on to Stephen King as I had to read the book that it was based on! I would rate this is Tobe Hoopers finest film!

mrcheez

Don't go to Sleep on TV scared the crap outa me as a kid, and I suffered for about five years after. Watching it now seems pretty tame. Odd considering I'd seen all the Nightmare on Elm Streets by the time I was 11 and wasn't really fazed.

It was the first movie to make me scared there might be something under my bed

https://www.google.ie/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://horrornews.net/112125/film-review-dont-go-to-sleep-1982/amp/&ved=0ahUKEwjf7Yj_z9fWAhVnD8AKHSK4A48QFgieATAP&usg=AOvVaw3au49qh7BrwQj4JlyhXBIV&ampcf=1

Alice sweet Alice (or Communion as it was when I saw it) had a similar effect on me. That movie is a classic though.

fixXxer

A Tale of Two Sisters

Absolutely fantastic South Korean horror movie.

Shelga

The Birds. Saw it when I was about 11 (thanks dad!) and I thought about it for days afterwards. It was the first film I'd seen where everything wasn't wrapped up in a neat bow. Still to this day I wonder what made the birds go crazy?? Does it matter? Hitchcock was a genius.

The Ring, scared the crap out of me and my friends when we went to see it at 15. All slept in one bed that night!

28 Days Later is one of my favourite films ever also, I love the cinematography, the atmosphere, the original feel of it, despite being basically a zombie movie.

Optimalprimerib

It follows terrified me. It could have gone down the raunchy horror route but avoids it. It also very easily could have gone down the quiet quiet bang jump shock route but avoids that too.

Instead what you have is this consistent sense of forboding that has you soak in every inch of the screen to see if "it" is there. I had to pause the screen for some breathers throughout but Ireally enjoyed it.

mrcheez

Optimalprimerib wrote: »

It follows terrified me. It could have gone down the raunchy horror route but avoids it. It also very easily could have gone down the quiet quiet bang jump shock route but avoids that too.

Instead what you have is this consistent sense of forboding that has you soak in every inch of the screen to see if "it" is there. I had to pause the screen for some breathers throughout but Ireally enjoyed it.

Seen a few recommendations for It Follows, I'll check it this eve. Its the recent movie right or was there an earlier version?

Sugarlumps

Another for Salem's Lot. It's being shown later this month at the Lighthouse cinema. James Mason is superb, sinister but charming character.

The only low point in the film is "The Master". The budget must have been blown before they got to him.

Tony EH

mrcheez wrote: »

Seen a few recommendations for It Follows, I'll check it this eve. Its the recent movie right or was there an earlier version?

There's only one.

It's very well handled. I didn't think it was "terrifying" (little is these days), but it's very well made over all.

It's also a film that's greatly aided by it soundtrack.

Some great recommendations here. It's been ages since I a film terrified me but there are a few which spring to mind. The Conjuring tapped in to one of my irrational fears, an evil presence in my home. The very thought of such a thing sends shivers down my spine. Sinister was another. For a while after some of the scenes from it would just pop in to my head out of nowhere. I'm very susceptible to that kind of stuff.

I find the praise The Witch receives surprising. It seems to be highly rated but it did absolutely nothing for me. The ending was a bit "huh?" Maybe there's something about it I'm just not getting.

Gruesome violence is not for me. It doesn't scare me but my stomach just isn't able for it. Hellraiser left me feeling a bit ill as did Saw. I'd be very interested in seeing Martyrs but I googled some stills and nope.

Walter Bishop

Deleted User wrote: »

I find the praise The Witch receives surprising. It seems to be highly rated but it did absolutely nothing for me. The ending was a bit "huh?" Maybe there's something about it I'm just not getting.

This is one that I feel gets better on a second viewing - I liked it the first time around but did think it was distinctly over-praised. On the second watch I was ready for the 'olde' language that can be hard to follow, and the histrionics of the mother - not that I thought she was bad in it, but very dominating whenever on screen.

I don't know, it's an odd film and I've never been able to fully pin down how I feel about it, but I know I did like it more the second time I saw it.

Jimbob1977

PeterParker957 wrote: »

May we suggest TV ?

I had to get my dad to trim the tree by my window after watching Salem's Lot.

Every time the branch tapped I thought it was that lilac vampire coming to get me.

Danny Glick will be hovering at your window tonight.

mrcheez

mrcheez wrote: »

Seen a few recommendations for It Follows, I'll check it this eve. Its the recent movie right or was there an earlier version?

well worth watching. great sense of foreboding as others here have said. original movie which is saying a lot in the horror genre.

Lorelli!

The Frighteners with Michael J Fox . Not really scary. It was more of a comedy cult horror but I liked it when I was a kid.

mrcheez

Not really a film but this TV theme tune always sends a chill down my spine, as if it's the entrance music for Pennywise the clown

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0itlB23fFY

Tony EH

Used to watch that as a kid with my dad.

Do yourself a favor though. Don't wathc it now. It doesn't live up.

gazzer

Sugarlumps wrote: »

Another for Salem's Lot. It's being shown later this month at the Lighthouse cinema. James Mason is superb, sinister but charming character.

The only low point in the film is "The Master". The budget must have been blown before they got to him.

NO WAY. Ah I have to get a ticket for that.

kunst nugget

Watch a lot of horror movies. Watched The Last Shift over the last year or two and it really stood for me in the scares department. It keeps pilling on the horror over the course of the movie and scared the bejasus out of me. Probably didn't help that I was working alone in my office late at night for the week or two afterwards. Very effective horror movie.

The whole thing is here on Youtube…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxSSE2Vm6ZM

mrcheez

Loving this thread btw, thanks OP.

Horror is my favourite genre, and October is my favourite month (apart from it having my birthday, it's a great time for horror flicks obviously)

Watching It Follows tonight (finally) and plan to check out two others I haven't seen before over the weekend: [REC] and Jacob's Ladder.


Gonna try some of the old Bela Lugosi/Karloff flicks over the coming days too...missed out on a lot of those. Lots of good recommendations on the Cinemassacre youtube channel if anyone is interested in classical horror.

chicorytip

Picnic At Hanging Rock. A film neither horrific nor scary but eerily unsettling and very memorable.

Snake Plisken

I would also recommend the 1963 film The Haunting, it’s old it’s in Black and White but boy is it scary!

AnneFrank

Salem's lot

Tony EH

mrcheez wrote: »

Loving this thread btw, thanks OP.

Horror is my favourite genre, and October is my favourite month (apart from it having my birthday, it's a great time for horror flicks obviously)

Watching It Follows tonight (finally) and plan to check out two others I haven't seen before over the weekend: [REC] and Jacob's Ladder.


Gonna try some of the old Bela Lugosi/Karloff flicks over the coming days too...missed out on a lot of those. Lots of good recommendations on the Cinemassacre youtube channel if anyone is interested in classical horror.

I'd approach those older films with caution and try to look at them from an historical perspective. A lot of them are interesting curios, but terribly creaky nowadays.

The Universal 'Dracula' (1931) especially is weak watching by any standard and it's only it's age and its charismatic star that gives it anything. But, James Whale's 'Frankenstein' (1931) remains an absolute classic. If you're going to check anything out from the 30's horror, start there. I'm not a fan of 'The Bride of Frankenstein' (1935), I think it's pretty stupid despite having some good scenes, but a lot seem to like it. Another one from that era is Tod Browning's 'Freaks' (1932), which was banned for years. 'The Mummy' (1932) and 'Island of Lost Souls' (1932) aren't bad either and if you've never seen 'King Kong' (1933), you should. It's never been bettered, despite numerous remakes.

smurf492

Tony EH wrote:

The Universal 'Dracula' (1931) especially is weak watching by any standard and it's only it's age and its charismatic star that gives it anything. But, James Whale's 'Frankenstein' (1931) remains an absolute classic. If you're going to check anything out from the 30's horror, start there. I'm not a fan of 'The Bride of Frankenstein' (1935), I think it's pretty stupid despite having some good scenes, but a lot seem to like it. Another one from that era is Tod Browning's 'Freaks' (1932), which was banned for years. 'The Mummy' (1932) and 'Island of Lost Souls' (1932) aren't bad either and if you've never seen 'King Kong' (1933), you should. It's never been bettered, despite numerous remakes.

If you haven't already, going through all the universal monster collection is a great way to spend a weekend.. Definitely there are ups and downs in terms of quality but i have to say as a huge fan of these films, many don't get any respect or acknowledgement. While Dracula and Frankenstein/Bride of Frankenstein are the well known and remembered classics, some of the sequals are worth watching over a weekend with a fire on.. Plus the wolfman is fantastic. Think there are 16 films in total which includes the likes of invisible man and creature of the black lagoon..

Tony EH

I've watched pretty much all of them several times since I was a child. Some, I just can't look at any more, others I think are very overrated, but there are genuine gems like 'Frankenstein' that I could watch right now.

smurf492

Tony EH wrote:

I've watched pretty much all of them several times since I was a child. Some, I just can't look at any more, others I think are very overrated, but there are genuine gems like 'Frankenstein' that I could watch right now.

Like that when I was younger my local video store used to have double bill videos of the universal horror films for 50p. They were a staple of many a Saturday night in my house

The Royal Scam

PeterParker957 wrote: »

May we suggest TV ?

I had to get my dad to trim the tree by my window after watching Salem's Lot.

Every time the branch tapped I thought it was that lilac vampire coming to get me.

My dad forced me to watch this to man me up. I still have never fully watched a horror film since

mrcheez

Saw It Follows last night. A few jump scares and very clever use of music and decent story. Wouldn't say it was "scary" though like The Grudge but enjoyable nonetheless.

Next up Jacob's Ladder, interspersed with some matinee Hammer movies or Frankenstein.