I love horror but apparently I don’t vibe with a lot of recommendations I find online.
I’d seen so much hype about Event Horizon and I absolutely hated it and didn’t find it scary. I just watched Late Night With the Devil and whole it was definitely enjoyable, it wasn’t the least but frightening. I also just watched Let the Right One In and really didn’t like it. It also was not a horror movie in my opinion.
I will say one of my favorites is Sinister or the first Conjuring. Sinister for the stomach twisting dread and suspence throughout and Conjuring for the same.
So, what movies do you find to be the scariest?
It Follows. It isn’t the best horror movie, but the premise is one of the scariest for me. An entity that is inevitable, and you cannot get away from no matter what you do or where you go. It’s always there, walking towards you.
I agree that the idea of it is terrifying. I just feel like they executed it poorly in the movie. They somehow made it a little hokey.
It Follows is definitely one of the best horror movies regarding suspense and general feeling of … gloom?! Eireness?! Futility?! Darkness?! Whatever it is, I love it!
And the (potentially) underlying message is powerful.
And the (potentially) underlying message is powerful.
So this I didn’t get. Dangers of STDs?
There is a single scene in this movie, involving a door, which makes my skin crawl harder than just about anything I’ve seen in film. It’s also sadly spoiled slightly in one of the trailers, so I’d avoid those, but even if you do see it it’s still impactful.
The rest of the movie is a solid 7-8/10 that does a great job of referencing a lot of classic horror.
There is a particular type of emotion which “The VVitch” and “Hereditary” get absolutely perfect. It’s actually not really my favorite type of movie; it’s not particular scary, per se, but it is just some stuff that is really awful that you don’t want to see. If you don’t want that, they may not be good, but if you vibe with that particular emotion they are hard to beat for it.
The HBO “Chernobyl” miniseries is absolutely straight-up horror. It has pretty much all the elements of a perfect horror movie, except it’s (with tiny exceptions and artistic licenses) all 100% true.
“As Above, So Below” is fairly good “normal” horror of a fairly unspicy flavor.
That’s honestly all I can think of that really does it well. Horror books in my experience are far better. “The Shining,” “Pet Semetary,” “Night Shift,” and “Skeleton Crew.” Also lots and lots of HP Lovecraft; the “Dunwich Horror” collection is wonderful.
Hope this helps.
There has got to be a term for the particular type of … restlessness(?) that movies like VVitch and Hereditary inflict. It’s not exactly horror, but a distinct discomfort that I can’t quite name. Talk To Me also got close for me but not as far as Hereditary.
This is why I liked Longlegs so much. Not scary, but damn that movie made me uncomfortable.
Oooh yes. I’m with you and the other commenter that that particular feeling of dread is really really great. Hereditary, Midsommar, and VVitch definitely all fit that bill. I’ve heard the same for Lights Out, so I’m going to give that a go too.
Also Chernobyl is so so good. I’ve seen it a few times now and oof.
Not a horror film per se, but definitely leaning that way:
The original ‘ALIEN’.
The building of tension throughout the entire movie is brilliant.
Alien is definitely a horror film. In fact it was originally marketed as such
I think Alien is a great movie (and definitely horror), but whether it scares modern audiences is pretty hit and miss. It’s very slow paced and while I love the practical effects, the alien looks downright goofy in some scenes. I certainly don’t find it scary having seen it, and new viewers I’ve shown it to usually aren’t that scared unless they’re self-identified wimps when it comes to horror. Aliens is scarier I think, even though it’s more action than pure horror.
Same goes 10x for The Exorcist. It tops a lot of “scariest movie ever” lists online, but watching it today is more comical than anything. I think you have to be scared of demonic possession actually happening IRL to get scared by that movie.
If you like the supernatural/demon ones, check out The Autopsy of Jane Doe. I loved it, the tension is absolutely perfect and a fantastic cast to boot.
Drag Me To Hell was surprisingly scary and also just a good movie.
I’ve heard some theories, but I thought it was just Raimi wanting to make a fun spooky movie about tough decision or greed!
