Scary movies that are actually scary? (4+ Year Old Topic)

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galacticgravy

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#1  Edited By galacticgravy

I googled this issue, and I came up with lists that had "Nightmare on Elm Street" and "The Descent" on them. Are you kidding me?

Now, I'm not saying that those kinds of movies are bad. I just don't find them scary. I don't want something that uses "pop-outs" or popular shock stuff like "Saw."

My mother and father always said that, in their time, movies like "The Exorcist" actually scared them. My mother slept with the lights on for weeks. I didn't have that sort of reaction to it, but I did find "The Exorcist" more frightening than most other scary movies.

So does anyone have any scary movies that are actually scary? I mean, even something unnerving would be good. Maybe there are some indie films? I can imagine some of the indie shock stuff could be good.

I want something I'll think about the night after. I want a reason to check my closet at night.

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JB16

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#2  Edited By JB16

I always found The Fourth Kind to be pretty creepy. Seriously the scene where they playback her audiotape recording, and the final confrontation scene is really well done.

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Example1013

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#3  Edited By Example1013

Ghost Hunters imo.

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hoossy

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#4  Edited By hoossy

Alien kinda freaked me out.  And Jaws kept the who country out of the water during the 70s.


Ever seen Cannibal Holocaust... disturbing.  But I find a lot of gore films to be just that, very disturbing... not necessarily scary.  Like Hellraiser...

OhHHhh!!!  What about The Thing!  That was a great freaky movie! (and surprisingly good game back on the ps2)
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galacticgravy

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#5  Edited By galacticgravy
@JB16: I find aliens (specifically grays) to be freaky. I was going to watch that movie until I read that it was all fake and they got sued for saying it was real. I'm going to give it a shot. If I can suspend that thought while watching it, I think I'll enjoy it. 
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BonOrbitz

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#6  Edited By BonOrbitz

This is such a subjective topic, but for me it's The Exorcist and the first Paranormal Activity. Scary movies don't scare me in general (unless they rely on cliched jump-scares), but damn. Those movies just got to me.

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Xdsk

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#7  Edited By Xdsk

The Killing Room, not  horror but makes you think about the human condition.

Straight outta wiki:


Thats some real life scary right there.
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Yummylee

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#8  Edited By Yummylee

The original Japanese release for The Pulse I found to be really unnerving.

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galacticgravy

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#9  Edited By galacticgravy
@hoossy: I'm a huge fan of The Thing. I actually just bought the Xbox version from a used game store. I'm going to pop that in soon. Heard it was good. Maybe the game will be scary enough for me!

On a similar note, I'd love to play a scary game, but I feel like many of them suffer form gameplay flaws. Dead Space and DS2 were amazing, but I tried playing some other games and certain things annoyed me, like flashlight power or something. I know it's supposed to add to the tension, but still. 

I'd almost like to see something in the ballpark of Myst, but scary. No pressure on time or even combat. Just a scary story with some freaky imagery or characters. 
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JB16

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#10  Edited By JB16
@BoogieWithStu said:
@JB16: I find aliens (specifically grays) to be freaky. I was going to watch that movie until I read that it was all fake and they got sued for saying it was real. I'm going to give it a shot. If I can suspend that thought while watching it, I think I'll enjoy it. 
Yeah I'll admit that kinda killed a lot of the creepyness for me when I looked up the movie right after I saw it and found out everything they claimed was "real", was 100% fake.
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BonOrbitz

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#11  Edited By BonOrbitz
@BoogieWithStu said:
I'd almost like to see something in the ballpark of Myst, but scary. No pressure on time or even combat. Just a scary story with some freaky imagery or characters.
Have you considered Amnesia: The Dark Descent? I have it on Steam (haven't played it yet) and heard a looooot of people say that it's one of the scariest- if not the scariest -game they've ever played. I don't play scary games until September/October in honor of my favorite holiday, so Amnesia will be this year's Halloween game.
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galacticgravy

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#12  Edited By galacticgravy
@Xdsk: Thanks for the suggestion, but next time don't tell me how the movie begins and ends before I watch it lol. I'll still check it out though. 
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Lemmycaution217

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#13  Edited By Lemmycaution217

REC and REC 2 are pretty frightening.

Also I remember some freaky shit going on in Jacob's Ladder. Watch that too.
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BigLemon

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#14  Edited By BigLemon

Troll 2

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christ0phe

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#15  Edited By christ0phe

Black Swan and Paranormal Activity 2

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DAFTPUNK

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#16  Edited By DAFTPUNK

the descent

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PaulRevere

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#17  Edited By PaulRevere

 I have such trouble with this myself. I'm a huge fan of the "A Nightmare on Elm Street" and "Friday the 13th" series, but they don't scare me at all. The Exorcist is pretty scary and I'll admit to sleeping with the lights on after seeing the first Paranormal Activity. But I haven't been able to find much else that I would call truly scary. Everything today just goes straight for gore and that's usually not very scary at all.

@JB16
: I found The Fourth Kind not very scary solely because it wasn't real. I'm usually not a fan of stuff that has "real footage," like The Blair Witch Project. I guess I just get annoyed when movies are touted as "real," especially in the horror genre. If I hadn't known it was fake, I would say that it had potential to be pretty good.

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KillEm_Dafoe

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#18  Edited By KillEm_Dafoe

The Descent is probably the only horror movie to ever actually get a real reaction out of me. On top of the tons of admittedly-effective jump-scares, the claustrophobic atmosphere and sense of dread throughout the movie is what really does it for me. Don't know what to tell you if you don't find it "scary". I love horror movies but I wouldn't consider any of them to be "scary", nor do I ever expect any to be. However, there are a number of horror films that I would consider to be disturbing, but  "disturbing" and "scary" are two different things entirely.

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galacticgravy

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#19  Edited By galacticgravy
@DAFTPUNK: YO I HEARD IT WAS GOOD ILL CHECK IT OUT
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cid798

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#20  Edited By cid798

Certainly not the scariest but I enjoyed the 2001 remake of 13 Ghosts.


Pan's Labyrinth was fun as well.
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galacticgravy

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#21  Edited By galacticgravy
@BigLemon said:
Troll 2
On that note, have you heard of "Best Worst Movie"? It's a doc about Troll 2. I remember watching Troll 2 on HBO when I was a kid. It was on Saturday mornings at like 7AM when nobody other than a stupid kid would be up. I can't wait to watch the doc, as I have fond memories of this movie. No more popcorn!
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The_Drizzle

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#22  Edited By The_Drizzle

The Strangers was a great, genuinely scary movie, that record player song still creeps me out

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galacticgravy

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#23  Edited By galacticgravy
@OneKillWonder said:
The Descent is probably the only horror movie to ever actually get a real reaction out of me. On top of the tons of admittedly-effective jump-scares, the claustrophobic atmosphere and sense of dread throughout the movie is what really does it for me. Don't know what to tell you if you don't find it "scary". I love horror movies but I wouldn't consider any of them to be "scary", nor do I ever expect any to be. However, there are a number of horror films that I would consider to be disturbing, but  "disturbing" and "scary" are two different things entirely.
So share them.
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bassman2112

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#24  Edited By bassman2112
@rudeboy217 said:
REC and REC 2 are pretty frightening.
Also I remember some freaky shit going on in Jacob's Ladder. Watch that too.

I second [REC], that movie has a totally distressing last few scenes.
 I thought REC 2 was atrocious though =(
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JoshyLee

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#25  Edited By JoshyLee

The Mist and Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978).

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TEHMAXXORZ

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#26  Edited By TEHMAXXORZ

Toy Story 2.

That shit is real man!
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Roger778

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#27  Edited By Roger778


1.  Nightmare on Elm Street: Contrary to the guy who started this topic, this is a really scary movie.  I mean come on, who thinks the idea of a Serial Killer who invades your dreams and killing you in it, is not scary.  Especially since the killer has a deformed face and a glove which has knives on it.

 

2.  John Carpenter's The Thing.  This is probably the scariest movie I have ever seen.  It dealt with Paranoia, and the creature effects were both shockingly scary and gory.  Kurt Russell did a great job as the lead hero.

 

3.  Wolf Creek.  It was made in Australia, and it started off as a traditional road journey movie, and then transformed into a Serial killer flick about an hour into it.   It's the most recent horror movie I saw that left me shaking. 

 

4. Alien: Alien was a really creepy movie.  It's a slow-paced film, but that's good because it takes it's time telling the story.  The scene where one of the crew members dies brutally while having dinner is a scene I'll always remember.

 

 

That's all I can think of for now.  I don't watch many horror films, but those I wrote down on my list are really good.

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Lemmycaution217

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#28  Edited By Lemmycaution217
@Bassman2112: Yeah, it definitely wasn't as good at the first film but that fireworks scene was so fucking hilarious.
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galacticgravy

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#29  Edited By galacticgravy
@Roger778: While I like 3/4 of your movies (never saw wolf creek) Those sort of movies personally don't make me check under my bed. I love the Elm Street movies, I love The Thing, and I own the Alien quadrilogy. Actually, I'm one of the few who thinks Alien is better than Aliens. And yes, these movies all have scenes that can be scary while watching them, but I was looking for something a little different. 

I will check out Wolf Creek, though. I've never heard of it.  
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#30  Edited By Hizang

When I was younger I turned on my TV at 5AM in the morning, what came up was a black and White news report that told us about an alien invasion on the British sea front. As I was young I thought it was real, I wet myself, end topic!

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bassman2112

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#31  Edited By bassman2112
@rudeboy217 said:
@Bassman2112: Yeah, it definitely wasn't as good at the first film but that fireworks scene was so fucking hilarious.
Haha I'd nearly forgotten about that scene, especially the great foley job with the sound of fireworks continually shooting off lol.
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Azteck

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#32  Edited By Azteck

Evil Dead

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kishan6

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#33  Edited By kishan6

The last movie I saw that I thought was legitimately scary was Session 9

Its on Netflix I believe instant streaming right now and it is a very good movie with a interesting concept.
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#34  Edited By Delicious_Brains

I thought that "The Changeling" (not that recent one with Angelina Jolie, but the one back in 1980) had a really good atmosphere and did geniunely creep me out.

Sure the odd cheap jump scare will get me, but the proper horror movies are the ones that make me feel real uncomfortable.

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OREOphosphate

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#35  Edited By OREOphosphate
@rudeboy217 Oooh man the end of  REC scared me something fierce!
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#36  Edited By Roger778

@BoogieWithStu

I'll give you a brief synopsis of Wolf Creek.  Three teenagers go on a road trip in Australia: Two girls and one guy.  An hour into the movie, their car breaks down at a landmark site, and they meet a kind outbacker, who agrees to help them out.  It turns into a serial killer movie after that. 

 

If you can get past the long and slow introduction, of the teenagers and their road trip, the movie becomes genuinely disturbing later. 

 

Also, I'm glad you like the Alien Quadrilogy, and the Elm Street movies.  I just didn't realize you were looking for Horror movies you haven't seen before.

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themangalist

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#37  Edited By themangalist
@OneKillWonder said:
  I love horror movies but I wouldn't consider any of them to be "scary", nor do I ever expect any to be. However, there are a number of horror films that I would consider to be disturbing, but  "disturbing" and "scary" are two different things entirely.
I feel the same way. Disturbing isn't exactly creepy, though it is disturbing the fact that those gorn movies are produced in the first place. I've yet seen a truly "creepy" movie that scared the shit out of me.
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galacticgravy

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#38  Edited By galacticgravy
@Roger778: no problem dude. I'll check out wolf creek with some buddies and report back to you :D
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BraveToaster

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#39  Edited By BraveToaster

The Ring and Paranormal activity creep me out. I think the concept of demonic possession is scary.

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Roger778

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#40  Edited By Roger778

@BoogieWithStu

Awesome! Hope you enjoy it.

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BonOrbitz

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#41  Edited By BonOrbitz
@Delicious_Brains said:
I thought that "The Changeling" (not that recent one with Angelina Jolie, but the one back in 1980) had a really good atmosphere and did geniunely creep me out.Sure the odd cheap jump scare will get me, but the proper horror movies are the ones that make me feel real uncomfortable.
That movie was GREAT! I love the haunted house genre and that is definitely one of the best. That, and Poltergeist.
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imsh_pl

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#42  Edited By imsh_pl
The Blair Witch Project. It's about three students who decided to make a documentary about a witch which - according to a legend - lives in the nearby forest. The movie is shot entirely from the students' video camera view, which adds a surprising amount of tension.

Noroi. Now I haven't seen that movie myself, but my brother who always gives me great movie recommedations enjoyed it quite a bit. It's a japanese psychological horror (I think). It's apparently very, very good.

[REC]. Again, haven't seen this one, but I heard it's pretty good. You might also want to check out the Orphanage, I think it's from the same director.
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Vonocourt

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#43  Edited By Vonocourt

House of the Devil
  

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ShaggE

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#44  Edited By ShaggE

The Eye (NOT THE US REMAKE) and The Eye 2 are pretty creepy. 

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CarpetRemnant

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#45  Edited By CarpetRemnant

I'm generally of the opinion that if you're of the mindset that scary movies won't scare you then they probably won't, but all you're doing is depriving yourself of the fun.


I generally find found-footage horror films scary. Films that show you as little as possible, stuff like Saw and Hostel aren't scary they're just funny at a point.
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JB16

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#46  Edited By JB16
@nosiwohL said:


@JB16
: I found The Fourth Kind not very scary solely because it wasn't real. I'm usually not a fan of stuff that has "real footage," like The Blair Witch Project. I guess I just get annoyed when movies are touted as "real," especially in the horror genre. If I hadn't known it was fake, I would say that it had potential to be pretty good.
Yeah I agree, when I first saw it I didn't know any of it was fake so the fear I felt was real. Then I felt pure dissapointment when I looked it up and found out it was all fake.
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Pie

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#47  Edited By Pie
I think that stupid ghost hunter type shows are the scariest horror stuff I've seen so I can't really comment
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galacticgravy

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#48  Edited By galacticgravy

Paranormal Activity, now that you guys mentioned it, did freak me out. I didn't like the ending, but I think that it used lack of audio in a really good way. 


I agree with Leakster. I think I like the found-footage movies scarier than most. 
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crusader8463

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#49  Edited By crusader8463

The only movie that truly scared me was the exorcist, and it was because of two scenes. Kind of spoilery if you know to look for these, so don't read if you have not watched it yet:


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InternetCrab

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#50  Edited By InternetCrab

Paranormal Activity, The Exorcist and The Ring.

I regret deeply that i ever watched these 3 movies.