MovieChat Forums > The House of the Devil (2009) Discussion > Can anyone suggest some genuinely scary ...

Can anyone suggest some genuinely scary horror movies?

posted 15 years ago by fatattack91
91 replies | jump to latest

I'm a big horror film fan, just watched this recently and it's the first film in a while to genuinely give me the chills. Now I'm left with a craving for some more really scary films. Just wondering if anyone can suggest some to me, I'm a really big fan of subtle horror, such as that found in Paranormal Activity and Blair Witch Project which are my 2 favourite horror films. I know of all the big name horror films such as The Shining and The Ring (which I actually found quite boring, not scary). So can anyone suggest some subtle scary horror films which are not as well known?
Or just post what you think is the scariest film of all time and I'll look it up.

Thanks to anyone who helps.

[–] kennyross 14 years ago

You should really watch the Shining again.

If you enjoy Blair Witch and Paranormal Activity, give the Last Horror Movie and Man Bites Dog a try.

Check out:

Rosemary's Baby
The Omen
The Strangers
Pumpkinhead
Alice Sweet Alice

[–] suz-mal 14 years ago

If you want subtle horror you should stay away from the horror genre. Most frightening and disturbing films aren't classified as horror, but have a disturbing atmosphere which really eats at you. They're usually made by auteurs with a distinct style, as opposed to hack Directors following the trends. Funny, because 80% of the films so far mentioned fall into that hack category.

'Altered States' was pretty eerie, especially if you've ever read up on the mysteries of Space and found yourself truly terrified. Again though, it's also due to the Directors pacing and composition.

Try some Lynch films, particularly 'Eraserhead'. You'll probably be bored stiff, but if you watch it alone at night with headphones on, you're bound to at least feel a little disturbed.

'Cure' By Kiyoshi Kurosawa.

'Gozu' Takashi Miike

'Requiem For A Dream'. Haven't seen it in years, but I remember it being pretty disturbing.

Peter Weir's 'Picnic At Hanging Rock' is pretty creepy.

'In The Mouth of Madness' could fall into the standard horror category, but it has some very eerie scenes (boy on the bike/old man on bike), and John Carpenter made Big Trouble In Little China, so he just plain kicks arse.

Any Polanski movie.

Obviously 'The Exorcist'. I found the creepiest scene to be Father Karras seeing his mother in Reagen's bed, propped up in the corner.

'Nosferatu'. I'm not overly a fan of silent films, but this one is straight up creepy.

[–] cubalibre1 14 years ago

Are you serious?? Requiem for a dream is scary movie............You pathetic troll!!!

[–] adebolt80 14 years ago

Here are the best horror movies I've seen, in no particular order:

Halloween (original)
Rosemary's Baby
The Descent
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (original)
Psycho
The Exorcist
Carrie
Don't Look Now
Alien
Open Water

[–] joesutherland 14 years ago

Ah, I love talking scary movies! I prefer to refer to the genre as "Terror". I don't find blood and guts too frightening so my list refers more to that special kind of movie that you just can't get out of your head. The one's that get under your skin and crawl around a bit...Without further ado (and in no particular order):

The Tenant (Roman Polanski - 1976)
Irreversible (Gaspar Noe - 2002)
Antichrist (Lars Von Trier - 2009)
The Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (Philip Kaufman - 1978)
Don't Look Now (Nicolas Roeg - 1973)
A Tale Of Two Sisters/Jongwa, Hongryeon (Ji-Woon Kim - 2003)
Audition (Takashi Miike - 1999)
Ichi The Killer (Takashi Miike - 2001)
The Shining (Stanley Kubrick - 1980)
Eyes Wide Shut (Stanley Kubrick - 1999)
I Stand Alone (Gaspar Noe - 1998)
The Excorcist (William Friedkin - 1973)
Session 9 (Brad Anderson - 2001)
Calvaire/The Ordeal (Fabrice Du Welz - 2004)
Eraserhead (David Lynch - 1976)
Twin Peaks (David Lynch - 1991)
Lost Highway (David Lynch - 1997)
Wild At Heart (David Lynch - 1990)
Inland Empire (David Lynch - 2006)
Mulholland Drive (David Lynch - 2001)
Blue Velvet (David Lynch - 1986)
Cannibal Holocaust (Ruggerio Deodato - 1980)
Funny Games (Michael Haneke - 1997)
Cache (Michael Haneke - 2005)
Repulsion (Roman Polanski - 1965)
Rosemary's Baby (Roman Polanski - 1968)
Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock - 1960)
Salo, Or The 120 Days Of Sodom (Pier Paolo Pasolini - 1975)
Night Of The Living Dead (George Romero - 1968)
Oldboy (Chan-Wook Park - 2003)
Videodrome (David Cronenberg - 1983)
Rabid (David Cronenberg - 1977)
The Fly (David Cronenberg - 1986)
El Orfanato/The Orphanage (Juan Antonio Bayona - 2007)
Burnt Offerings (Dan Curtis - 1976)
The Changeling (Peter Medak - 1980)

Hope this helps...

[–] luxmissus 14 years ago

I'm not big on Lynch, but that's a decent list, @joesutherland. There are several I haven't seen. I'll check them out.

Lake Mungo (2008)(http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816556 is not on your list. There were times I simply wanted to quit watching it because it was that disquieting.

Dark Water (2002) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0308379/) engaged me and terrified me.

The above are probably two of the best horror films I've seen in the past 5 years, besides several of your listed films.

---
with only minutes to react we've somehow been killed by a stick insect -- Londinieres

[–] magic_oskari 14 years ago

Frailty. Directed by Bill Paxton. Genuinely scary and brilliant script!

[–] stephanieehrlich 13 years ago

Great list! I was going to recommend DON'T LOOK NOW and WICKERMAN.
I also highly recommend the Asian/original version of SHUTTER (2004).
Not a fan of EYES WIDE SHUT but since all your recs are so excellent, we can agree to disagree on that one!

[–] Trioxin_Zombie 14 years ago

Half or more than half of the movies mentioned in this thread will only be scary if you are like 12 years old. I mean, come on, get real!.

Mr. Jones: "Versace?. You can't even spell Versace."
Uncle Elroy: "Fosatchy, f-o-satchy."

[–] RomeoKnight 13 years ago

Wow, you are weirdo if you thing The Ring wasn't scary and Blair Witch was. WTF, seriously, Blair Witch. That film was over hyped joke. You are beyond help man. Sorry.

[–] 13 years ago

[deleted]

[–] lyndsay_lane 13 years ago

It depends on if you are looking for really crazy/graphic films or just scary. I really liked the Mist. The Descent, Let the Right One In, and I really loved Stakeland. It was scary but it had a good story, too. Rec is a really scary foreign one.

[–] 13 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Bonesnap 13 years ago

Session 9. The thinking man's horror movie.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0261983/

[–] schmev117 13 years ago

Session 9 was decent. But some of acting was pretty bad and it wasn't scary.

"The world is a fine place and worth fighting for." I agree with the second part.