Two which have stuck with me recently have been "The Moor" by Paul Thomas and "The Visit" by M Night Shaymalan.
The Visit starts off with the main characters being beyond annoying so I almost turned it off but it soon turns into a surprisingly good, unsettling film.
The Moor is a UK film and definitely worth a watch.
I watched "Event Horizon" the other night, it's a good film but the special effects are definitely showing their age now.
Threads.
Came to say this. A colleague reckons he couldn’t sleep for several nights after watching it.
I talked my partner into seeing Event Horizon at the cinema on the basis that it was a sci-fi. It is still used as an example of my bad judgement now.
Yes, saw this in the wee cinema in St Andrews and it was terrifying.
a film i forgot to add to my original post but definitely worth watching (especially after the epstein files situation) is a film called society 1989.
awesome film with awesome practical special effects.
Personally I thought the Blurred Witch project was overhyped tedium. It didn't help that the protagonists were hateful, by the end I was cheering on the witch.
IIRC the schtick at the time was it was supposed to be a real documentary, one of the first if not the first "found footage" films. But it plainly wasn't and the cat was out of the bag before it aired in the cinema even. Maybe if you believed you were watching Panorama it might've been different.
Yes I've got to admit despite its massive hype and el-cheapo 8mm video - it worked very well on the imagination stakes. The woods is the scariest thing in the world at night
@rone - years ago (pre LEDs with dinky batteries and iPhones with torches), we were out night riding in Llandegla forest. I was at the back (as usual) on the final descent and my lights just died. I was on my own in the woods, couldn’t even see my own feet it was so dark, and I swear to god, listening to the rustling in the trees around me, all I could think about was The Blair Witch!
It took the lads about ten minutes to realise I was missing and come back up for me, which felt like an eternity. The only thing in my head during that time was me, staring at a wall in the basement of an abandoned house in the final (frankly terrifying) scene from that film. I was absolutely bricking it!
Still gives me the fear now just thinking about it. There is no way I’d ever watch it again. Oh… and from that night on I always carry a back up set of lights with me when I’m out on the bike at night
I had a pretty similar experience just after watching the Blair Witch getting stuck in savernake forest; used to go there late coming back from working in London before going home. Just couldn’t find my way back to the lookout and my car. No gps and all the fire roads looked the same.
Surely its a problem with the genre you can only really watch it once and find it scary.
Please explain; I’m not sure I follow your reasoning.
I’m not interested in scary movies just for the sake of being gory, or just outright violent, but I’ve seen ‘Event Horizon’ recently, having seen it when first released, and it’s a very unsettling film, I can understand lots of people watching it not knowing what to expect, and never wanting to watch it again. I saw John Carpenter’s ‘The Thing’, not knowing what to expect, and there were certainly parts that really made me jump, but I’d watch it again, but there’s one film I watched, and one scene made me never want to watch it again, and that’s ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’; the scene where the army officer beats the person’s head in with a bottle, and is clearly deriving sadistic enjoyment from it is stuck in my mind, and reminds me that most of the time it’s the humans who are the real monsters, and I don’t ever want to watch it again.
The Blair Witch Project scared the living bejesus out of me when I watched it at the pictures at the time
Yes I've got to admit despite its massive hype and el-cheapo 8mm video - it worked very well on the imagination stakes. The woods is the scariest thing in the world at night
When it came out a friend had a great idea of going to watch it at the Kinema in the Woods in Woodhall Spa. A great idea as it was a bleak drive across the Lincolnshire Wolds in November to a cinema that's basically a wooden cabin. Unbeknown to the rest of us, said friend had borrowed a starter pistol from somebody and had planned for us to go for a walk in the dark woodland afterwards where he would brandish the gun and make a big bang and we'd all crap ourselves.
Unfortunately for all of us we got turned away as they'd sold all the seats. So we drove back to the pub, the driver firing the pistol out of the car window.
... I've still never seen that film.
It's scary that people expose children to this.
It took the lads about ten minutes to realise I was missing and come back up for me, which felt like an eternity. The only thing in my head during that time was me, staring at a wall in the basement of an abandoned house in the final (frankly terrifying) scene from that film. I was absolutely bricking it!
@binners I can relate to that.
The only thing worse than the woods at night is an abandoned house in the woods at night.
As for that girl in the corner - god knows what had got her fixated but it was overload on the brain.
When it came out a friend had a great idea of going to watch it at the Kinema in the Woods in Woodhall Spa.
Fantastic little place. And yes what a creepy environment for it to be seen.
Not been for years.
There's a recent probably little seen film called Never Let Go which is pretty creepy and has all of these tropes. (House in woods etc.)
Starring Halle Berry and directed by Alexandre Aja.
Probably one of the better horrors I've seen in the last couple of years.
Heretic was good too. Claustrophobic and darkly funny. Hugh Grant was excellent.
The Descent is top of my list for its ‘location’, its pacing, and its ambiguity. Make sure to watch the UK version rather than the US theatrical release.
Not sure it is truly scary, but The Wicker Man seems to disturb some folks more than others.
if you can get over the accents and mono footage then Night of the Demon is a horror classic imo.
As a child I was somewhat disturbed by The Man who Haunted Himself.
Bring Her Back has a great sense of escalating horror and disgust.
Not so scary perhaps but gory and entertaining is Dog Soldiers.
I don't think it has been mentioned but Wolf Creek seriously freaked me out when we watched it. It was all I could do not to turn the TV off. No other film has affected me like that, both wanting to watch it and not wanting to watch it. I'm sure when it came out there were lots of reports of people leaving the cinema because they couldn't handle it.
Please explain; I’m not sure I follow your reasoning.
The "big scare scenes" are often about suspense. You know its going to happen but you don't know when. Once you have seen ot that element is a bit eroded. The corridor scene in exorcist 2 for example. You know the nurse is going to work her way up the corridor and back down before anything happens.
I'm not suggesting they're one and done, just that the dynamic changes, could still be a good film worth a re watch but if you watch to be "scared" you might come away thinking "lol". The reaction moght come back with time as you forget but with something like the exorcist its probably engrained*
Alot of the films mentioned like the runaway favourite Event Horizon aren't really scary just really unsettling.
*I thought exorcist was pretty boring. I thought Blairwitch project was hilarious.
I thought exorcist was pretty boring
If you forget all the theatrics and focus on the young priest's loss of faith it's actually a pretty good film.
It's always the last post that recommends what I came to say - Wolf Creek.
So I'll add The Road.
Both are scary in a "it could happen" way.
The Road the film doesn't come close to The Road the book I think.
I thought exorcist was pretty boring
If you forget all the theatrics and focus on the young priest's loss of faith it's actually a pretty good film.
The Exorcist was unprecedented at the time causing chaos in some cinemas with a 13 year old girl doing all that devil stuff.
Apart from Rosemary's baby nothing like it had been seen before 1973.
It also won an Oscar for screenplay iirc and was very well crafted.
I'd suggest it seems boring by today's high octane standards and is as close to a masterpiece as horrors get.
The Fog.
I was watching the The Fog with a mate years ago, last century.
It was really late at night and coincidentally really foggy, a proper pea souper.
During the film at a foggy moment with pirates etc. a mad fox decides to launch itself at the sliding door glass with a mega bang. Imagine Wiley Coyote splatted against the glass. I quite literally Jumped out of my skin.
To this day my Dad reckons all he could hear was screaming. Us or the Fox ?.... who knows, probably me.
Pair of tarts.
Great film, well I like it.
I'm not hugely into horror type things, but I remember being freaked the **** out by What Lies Beneath. I can't remember why though!
I thought exorcist was pretty boring
If you forget all the theatrics and focus on the young priest's loss of faith it's actually a pretty good film.
Sorry "boring" as in not scary not as in boring film.
The Road the film doesn't come close to The Road the book I think.
I can't actually remember if I've read the book - probably not in that case. I think I live off the story in my head of a friend who read it on a plane to America once and cried probably a bit too hard to the air hostess when she asked if he wanted a drink.
I don't think it has been mentioned but Wolf Creek seriously freaked me out when we watched it. It was all I could do not to turn the TV off. No other film has affected me like that, both wanting to watch it and not wanting to watch it. I'm sure when it came out there were lots of reports of people leaving the cinema because they couldn't handle it.
Wolf Creek definitely has that 'you've nowhere to run' in the desert vibe.
Sometimes that's scarier than the dark.
The series was good too.
In fact the hill-billy scenario has lots of value.
Reminds me Eden Lake is terrifying as the British 'hoody' horror entry.
Saw Nightmare on Elm Street as a teen, and I'm still terrified of being in a bath!! 🤣
I'm not a horror genre watcher by choice, but Event Horizon was disturbing as mentioned already, and some TV show episodes have left an uneasy mark on me, particularly 2 X-Files episodes - the first Eugene Tooms one and the episode called Detour.
I don't think it has been mentioned but Wolf Creek seriously freaked me out when we watched it. It was all I could do not to turn the TV off. No other film has affected me like that, both wanting to watch it and not wanting to watch it. I'm sure when it came out there were lots of reports of people leaving the cinema because they couldn't handle it.
I’m picturing one particular scene in that film that is genuinely WTF?!!! shocking but the whole thing is pretty terrifying
I will not watch Good Boy - the trailer was more than enough for me. But I am very much a dog person.
Midsommar is supposed to be quite good. Together looks like it could be a fun watch too.
I was surprised that no one had mentioned Midsommar. Properly freaked me out when I watched it.
Its not a horror movie but Ben Kingsley is terrifying in Sexy Beast
Along similar lines, in that it's not "horror" in terms of genre, but the movie "Irreversible" gave me nightmares.
For me it was not so much the subject matter (which is horrible in itself), but the presentation.
For example there is a violent murder and the way the sound, lighting etc captures the essence of rage is like nothing else I've watched- it gave me the electric/hot/shaking/sicky adrenaline feeling you might know if you've ever been close to receiving serious violence. It properly ****ed me up.
In summary, perhaps not one to watch with the kids.
Dog Soldiers
Sausages.
The Others
I think it is only a 12, but it is properly chilling.
I was surprised that no one had mentioned Midsommar. Properly freaked me out when I watched it.
Midsommar is very good. I think ‘creepy’ is the right word for it.
Poltergeist - remember being freaked out by it when I was younger, but again meh...
The Exorcist - again, might have been pant wettingly scary in the 70's but not now.
The Omen - only thing that scared me was the big dog.....
Hang on, aren't these part comedies
Errata.
Its excotcist III not II with the corridor scene
The original Japanese version of the Ring was quite good too (1998)
Classed as a thriller rather than horror, but Clint Eastwood's first film as a director, Play Misty for Me, really freaked me out when I first saw it.
I don't think it has been mentioned but Wolf Creek seriously freaked me out when we watched it. It was all I could do not to turn the TV off. No other film has affected me like that, both wanting to watch it and not wanting to watch it. I'm sure when it came out there were lots of reports of people leaving the cinema because they couldn't handle it.
Stupidly watched this in an Aussie youth hostel. Not fun.
I've heard, from my daughter, that A Tale of Two Sisters is terrifying. Just working up the courage to watch it.
Errata.
Its excotcist III not II with the corridor scene
Horror can't rely exclusively on jump scares (and that movie doesn't), but this my favourite jump scare ever. Lengthy build up that completely lulls you to sleep...then that happens.
Errata.
Its excotcist III not II with the corridor scene
Horror can't rely exclusively on jump scares (and that movie doesn't), but this my favourite jump scare ever. Lengthy build up that completely lulls you to sleep...then that happens.
Yeah totally but once you have seen it you know enough to expect it. Its still a watchable scene but its not scary in the same way it was the first time.
Along similar lines, in that it's not "horror" in terms of genre, but the movie "Irreversible" gave me nightmares.
For me it was not so much the subject matter (which is horrible in itself), but the presentation.
For example there is a violent murder and the way the sound, lighting etc captures the essence of rage is like nothing else I've watched- it gave me the electric/hot/shaking/sicky adrenaline feeling you might know if you've ever been close to receiving serious violence. It properly ****ed me up.
In summary, perhaps not one to watch with the kids.
Another good shout - your description of that scene sums it up perfectly. It reminded me of footage I saw in a documentary about the Rwandan genocide: there's no flash-cuts; the camera just sits stock-still and records every blow that falls.
I saw it in a cinema with about 30 people and a third of them left within the first 10 minutes. I have seen it exactly once, not because it's a bad film; I just can't imagine ever being in the mood to watch it again. I remember meeting my pal after seeing it (she was supposed to go, but chickened out) and her asking if I'd recommend it. I told her to go and see Chicago instead.
Some good suggestions so far.
I saw the Descent in the cinema and I was terrified, it a good combination of jump scares and properly creepy atmosphere.
Both Alien and Aliens hold up as pretty scary if you don't know what to expect, but who doesn't these days.
If you don't want jump scares then I really like The Silence of the Lambs for just an overbearing sense of dread, it just a really well made film but again you've probably seen it.
I really like The Mist (2007) for one of the most unsettling endings ever.
One no one else has mention is Martyrs, its a French horror for 2008. Body horror plus psychological horror its pretty damn scary.
there’s one film I watched, and one scene made me never want to watch it again, and that’s ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’; the scene where the army officer beats the person’s head in with a bottle, and is clearly deriving sadistic enjoyment from it is stuck in my mind, and reminds me that most of the time it’s the humans who are the real monsters, and I don’t ever want to watch it again.
This +1. Because humans behaving like monsters is far more plausible and therefore more frightening than mythical monsters.
Not so scary perhaps but gory and entertaining is Dog Soldiers.
Dog Soldiers is great, and was clearly made on a budget of the change down the back of the sofa, but I agree, scary it is not.
Classed as a thriller rather than horror, but Clint Eastwood's first film as a director, Play Misty for Me, really freaked me out when I first saw it.
"Dog Soldiers is great, and was clearly made on a budget of the change down the back of the sofa, but I agree, scary it is not."
Deffo not a scary horror, and brilliantly close to being a full on comedy/farce. Despite the low budget, it also has some of the coolest looking movie werewolves I've seen. Constantly skirmishing in my head with Tremors for the title of best B Movie ever.
Somebody mentioned a film they found unsettling but couldn't remember why. The Serpent And The Rainbow is that for me. Saw it at the cinema and don't remember anything specifically scary but it left me feeling decidedly iffy for a while.
