The most frightening motion pictures?

[Undertow]

...The part with " I saw her face;" that kept me awake at night.

Honestly, that scene was the purest/simplest expression of its genre I've seen in modern films, and it's a boon that it was documented in that film. Any camp fire story, or scary movie, or true story that ACTUALLY lurks with us, has that factor.

It's that sudden feeling of terror and panic brought on by something unknown, and just around the corner, that really gets us. I think that was the scene that got everyone. I can still picture it right now, haha.

 

[fnoprx]

First post here... after years of lurking.
Interesting - and possibly inexhaustible - thread. There is scary as in horror films, and scary as in the-world-is-a-terrible-place. And of course the point where the two meet.
Recently watched a number of the newer French horror films. Just like Japanese horror a few years ago the new wave of French horror really sets new standards. Two great examples are Inside (A l'Interieur) and Martyrs. Both combine tight, surprising plotting with excellent technique and truly extreme physical horror. Highly recommended, but be sure you know your limits before watching!

 

[Monsoon]

Yes, but in that case it is a like a drop of water on a hot stone. Maybe I am just a pessimist, but I don't find those types of films uplifting.

Well, they can be a bit depressing. "Schindler's List" anyone? Great movie, but wow!

 

[Monsoon]

1995 The Prophecy with Christopher Walken and Viggo Mortensen. Mortensen is Lucifer and taunting one of the other characters:

Lucifer: Little Tommy Daggett. How I loved listening to your sweet prayers every night. And then you'd jump in your bed, so afraid I was under there. And I was!

Try watching that and getting into bed at night.

 

[Anthony K]

The Ring is fairly scary.

I remember the first time I saw it, right after the movie ended and cut to the credits my phone rang. Needless to say, I did not answer the phone.

 

[Monsoon]

Anyone ever hear of a podcast called, "The Film Vault"? They have their "Top 5" whatever. War film, comedy, death scene, etc. I just listened to their Top 5 Most Disturbing Films. It was good, but unfortunately revisited several films I was hoping to forget.

 

[djd]

The Devils with Oliver Reed is a film I find very disturbing. I couldn't watch it again

 

[The Good]

I probably would think at the moment, The Shining. This was just a great film in general, but really good horror going on.

Going with a more realistic film, I did actually find Schindler's List to be genuinely frightening. The subject matter was enough to send chills up my spine. It was horrible to watch it all, but it was such a good film. I would say this is one of those movies you have got to watch at least once, even if you don't necessarily "like it." It's a masterpiece, and one of my top greatest films of all time.

 

[Atomic Age]

The spider sequence from "The Incredible Shrinking Man" always scared the crap out of me!

Doug

 

[K.D. Lightner]

As for all the classic horror films, I used to be scared of vampires. Not Frankenstein's monster, or the Werewolf or King Kong -- I identified with those poor, hapless creatures, but the undead scared the living tar out of me. Probably the scariest was not Dracula, but Nosferatu -- When that hideous vampire rose stiffly out of his casket, standing straight up, I was creeped out. The Night Stalker, a TV movie in the early 70's, freaked me out, too.

However, once I started reading the Anne Rice vampire novels, I found I was no longer scared. She wrote in such a way that you wanted to be a vampire, beautiful, alluring, deadly and immortal, blood tasting like the finest red wine you'd ever had.

And zombies no longer scare me. Or serial killer/stalker movies, which never scared me, just made me angry.

I am still scared of the unknown, what I can't see, but can only discern, like in The Haunting of Hill House (book) and The Haunting (1960's movie).

karol

 

[Effingham]

Threads - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Threads

I saw this just a few months ago. I remember being most struck by the way society... changed. The way English so quickly seemed to degenerate into some sort of self-generating pidgin. That and the apparent mediaeval society that developed in the aftermath.

Creepy.

 

[I Adore Film Noir]

Asylum - 1972 British. And don't blame me .

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068230/

 

[ron521]

Haven't seen these two mentioned yet: "The Handmaiden's Tale" about life in America after the government becomes a theocracy...the worst possible form of repression, with people punished for believing differently.

"What Lies Beneath", with Michelle Pfeiffer and Harrison Ford. Pfeiffer starts seeing another face reflected in the mirror or the bathwater. And then her own eyes change color....the scene where she is eating the apple still chills me.

 

[Machine Ager]

Ok not old classics but scary to me...

Exorcist
Alien

MA

 

[Mario]

The extremely realistic opening sequence of the landing at Omaha Beach in 'Saving Private Ryan' (and to some extent the final battle scene as well) scared the hell out of me.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

for me it was Angel Heart

 

[Bugsy]

"The Pawnbroker"
The scene in the subway is terrifying!

 

[MissChloeCorville]

Ah, now we're talking! I loooove horror movies. Even though I am a huge fan of cheesy horror films from the eighties like Night of the Demons, Evil Dead, Return of the Living Dead. I am scared by these,they're some of my favorites too! : Nosferatu (1922) Halloween (1978) Alien (1979) Aliens (1986) The Shining (1980) Psycho (1960) Pet Sematary (1989) The Fog (1985) Jaws (1975). Aww, they don't make em' like they used too.

 

[Bernie Zack]

Phantasm. Very scary, atleast it was when I first saw it in 79.

 

[WH1]

Jaws (1975) is still one of the scariest I have ever seen. It was a perfect blend of music and providing the elements to the audience without a particularly graphic depiction. The initial attack on the girl swimming in the ocean is as terrifying a sequence as ever was filmed. That and the head popping out of the boat, at night, underwater...I know a lot of people in the theater tossed popcorn in the air. Robert Shaw describing the Indianappolis aftermath was also brilliant. From the comedic highs of "she broke my heart" to the horrifying low of tapped my buddy on the shoulder and "he was gone from the waist down."
Even though it has been 35 years and I am an experienced diver, I still occasionally look over my shoulder when I am waist deep in the ocean. Just in case.