Pick one, and only one: Scariest movie

[MFP 2020]

When I was a kid, the opening credits for Rod Serling's "The Night Gallery" scared me senseless. I'd hide behind the couch, close my eyes and cover my ears, but I'd still hear the music and see the faces... brrrrr!

When I got into my teens, "Don't Go in the House" scared me, mostly because I hadn't been exposed to serious horror movies yet. But I think the original "Nightmare on Elm Street" was the last movie where I said, "That was the scariest movie I've ever seen."

 

[crabra comander]

Mama...that lady's face and body terrified me

 

[Raza Crew]

I first saw Friday the 13th....when I was 10 years old...late at night.....by myself....at my grandmother's farmhouse....way out in the country.

 

[eaviii]

I will chime in for the first Evil Dead. I agree with most folks that the impression the movie makes depends on how you saw it. I was 16, had just wisdom teeth removed and was still recovering from anesthesia a bit as well as having had pain meds. I was watching it on video and was too dizzy to get up and turn it off. Came through in kind of a dream state and scared the living hell out of me. Didn't watch it a second time until med school. Still scared me.

 

[spideyxman]

Insidious

High Five man. :thumbsup

 

[spideyxman]

In my opinion the "BOO!" gimmick isn't being scared, it's being startled; there's a definitive difference, so it doesn't count.

But I definitely agree it's more difficult to get scared as you get older. The last time I was honestly scared by a movie I was 11 or 12 years old. Back then, when I'd see a movie in a theater I had the ability to mentally place myself within the film, and in my mind I was experiencing whatever the characters on screen were experiencing. The movie that scared me was my first zombie movie and, in my mind, I was being hunted by the zombies right along with the people on the screen. Viewed as an adult many years later I found the movie to be campy, horribly acted, and downright laughable.

Great post, love your point about the difference between the point of being scared or startled.

 

[Flagg]

I don't usually get scared by movies. I may jump when something pops out or get on the edge of my seat if it's a tense scary movie but when it's done, it's done and thats usually it. I recently saw "The Conjuring" and there is 2 second scene in that movie that keeps crawling into my head and creeping me out on a near daily basis. The two girls come into the bedroom, the do a quick cut to the top of the tall dresser and the ghost lady is all perched up there looked demonic and she jumps on one of the girls. That's it. Nothing you haven't see a hundred times before in other movies but there was something about the makeup and the way she jumped that just felt REAL.

Now I walk through the house late at night and creep myself out expecting to see that scary lady creeping around a half closed door, or perched in the corner of a dark room while I am trying to find where all the ferrets have stashed themselves before it's time for bed... So stupid, but that movie got to me for some reason.

 

[dascoyne]

Exorcist.

 

[Brent M]

The Exorcist for me too. I still can't make myself go back and watch that film to this day. In 2nd place would be The Shining.

 

[Nijal]

Definitively Alien. Watched it when it first came out ( I was 10 ).
Still nowadays, I have a nightmare, "Alien" is in it.

 

[Kenpo451]

The scariest movie I have every seen is this French movie called Martryrs. I don't know if it was that I was scared when I was watching it or just so shocked by what was happening on screen but I couldn't finish watching it. It had the benefit of having a really interesting plot and writing AND cool special effects.

 

[Leigh]

Its the Entity for me, has been for years. I think it was actually the text at the end of the film that got me going

 

[DARKSIDE72]

Mama, just watched this gem. It's definitely the best "ghost" story I've ever seen. Yea she was horrific to look at as well as listen to.

Mama...that lady's face and body terrified me

 

[cayman shen]

Are you talking about "Home" and "Die Hand die Verletz"? I think Home is one of the scariest TV/Movie things ever!

The one with the scary hillbillies and the one with the African mask. Those? (necropost!)

 

[Lvbolts]

I have to go with the Exorcist. I was about 15 when I first saw it and was talking to my grandmother about it (Catholic hard core) she told me to make sure to read the bible or else bad things could happen, messed up right? As I got older she used to laugh at me and say "You fall for anything!" Anyways I had my friend frame this up for me, people freak out when they come over and ask how could I have that in my house? I love it.

 

[Curmudgeon]

Alien, 28 Days Later, The Thing (John Carpenter), and Poltergeist are always up there for me

 

[Raza Crew]

The one with the scary hillbillies and the one with the African mask. Those? (necropost!)

Yes and No. Home is the one with the inbred sons with the limbless mom under the bed. Die Hand..is the one with the town where people are sacrificing their kids to the Devil (the old maid teacher) who kills the parents for failing...or something like that. only 3 cups of coffee this morning.

 

[swazzy]

mine has to be jaws for the simple fact as a child we used to go to seaside quite a lot and play in the sea but after watching it at 9 year old ive never been back in the sea more than ankle deep im to scared lol even tho I live in England and im sure theres no giant great whites lurkin about hahaha

 

[Jannix Quinn]