Scariest Movies Of All Time?

[frodo]

What are the top 10 scariest movies of all time? I'm talkin' modern, contemporary, and even older ... I assume the modern and contemporary ones are scarier though however I couldn't say ...

[ER]

Gore Verbinski's 2002 remake of The Ring gave me the chills for days after I saw it and it's still a favorite of mine. Surely it makes it somewhere on a scariest movies list.

[Rev. Powell]

Like many people here, I think the modern/contemporary movies are a lot less scary, since they tend to rely on special effects and gore rather than setting up tense situations that let the imagination run wild.

I'm hard to scare, but the scariest movie I can think of is THE HAUNTING (1963).

[Sister Grace]

For some reason, The Serpent and the Rainbow scared me more than most movies. Borderland wasn't really that scary, but it left an impression on me and gave me cold chills; probably because it was based on true events and I remember seeing news clips about it when it happened.

[indianasmith]

I have to agree with ER, THE RING is a masterpiece of creepiness.  The only other movie that scared me that much in recent history is JEEPERS CREEPERS.    That one majorly freaked me out the first time I watched it.

Honorable mention to SILENT HILL for its surrealistic bizarreness, and the remake of THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE for its shocking brutality.

[LilCerberus]

Alien always had an effect on me.

The Legend of Boggey Creek definitely sets a creepy tone.

Triumph of the Will - a feel good propaganda movie about Adolf Hitler, & the optimistic state of the German economy under his leadership. It's kinda' hard for me to describe the disturbing insight it left me with.

[AnubisVonMojo]

Haven't seen Quarantine yet, but I did see [REC] last week and it's the first movie to freak me the f*ck out since... well... damned if I can remember. You watch a few hundred movies a year and you start to lose track. The original TCM was great too because it relied more on disturbing psychological tricks than gore, like the way the one guy's body twitches after that sick hammer-to-the-head shot, or the way Leatherface pops up out of nowhere and sinks his Stihl inside Franklin's guts.

I still say that the original Ring was creepier than the remake. It's not out of snobbery or anything because it's a remake either, I just think the lower budget, washed out look was more depressing and unsettling. I think the "twisted horror face" makeup was freakier looking too. Something about the remake's makeup looked too clean and professional to me. Again, not a snobbery swipe, I just prefer the not-so-polished look. Seems more twisted and unnatural.

[AndyC]

I agree that Ringu was scarier than The Ring. Both were good though.

The Changeling is another genuinely scary movie. It works because the scariness is subtle most of the time. As George C. Scott goes about his business, we are given unsettling signs that he is not alone in the big old house. The ghost is scary by its mere presence. We spend a good deal of time anticipating and dreading, then it very effectively throws us something like the empty wheelchair. The Changeling does with a bouncing ball what other movies fail to do with the best monster and gore effects.

[ER]

Karma to LilCerberus for citing Triumph of the Will! Never would've thought of it, but, yup, a frightening, disturbing piece of film making.

Somehow finding a clip of it fused to one of my favorite songs made it even more unsettlling:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcX-Xau-XUY&mode=related&search=

[Allhallowsday]

TRIUMPH OF THE WILL is scary I suppose, in hindsight.  The scariest thing of all might be the exhilirating way it's put together. 

I think THE HAUNTING, THE INNOCENTS, THE NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD and TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE are all contenders for scariest...

[Sister Grace]

Alien always had an effect on me.

The Legend of Boggey Creek definitely sets a creepy tone.

Triumph of the Will - a feel good propaganda movie about Adolf Hitler, & the optimistic state of the German economy under his leadership. It's kinda' hard for me to describe the disturbing insight it left me with.

I received Triumph of the Will for my bday last year; it is an interesting look into bizarre times. Funny how reality can be so much scarier than anything ever put out by one's imagination.

[Nukie 2]

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari directed by Robert Weine.

[Ometiklan]

The Beast Within...
The transformation scene still makes Me cringe!

[JaseSF]

THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE deserves a mention here. Totally agree with THE HAUNTING (1963) and TCM (1974). JAWS, PREDATOR, ALIEN, the "Salem's Lot" TV Mini and POLTERGEIST all scared me silly as at some point or another although most of 'em when I was still a youth. One I really love but I rarely see get mentioned on lists like these is the old Amicus film with Cushing and Lee: THE CREEPING FLESH. Actually I find moments in old classics like FORBIDDEN PLANET with the Id Monster and the vegetable monster crashing through the door in THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD quite memorable too. Actually in HALLOWEEN (1978) - another one worth mentioning here, they seemed to pay special tribute to those two.

[Jack]

The 2003 remake of Texas Chainsaw Massacre.  Probably because I've never seen the original and had no idea what to expect.  I thought it might be a cheesy Friday the 13th type thing.  Boy, was I surprised 

As far as Poltergeist, I didn't thing it was scary at all, just a lot of fun.  However, I suggested watching it to my wife and she was like "no way".  I guess it really spooked her.