That was scary
August 17th, 2007I don’t get scared easily. When we were kids, we used to watch horror movies and hide around the corner and try to scare each other.
I was talking to Badman this week about American horror vs Japanese horror. In American horror movies, you do everything right, you’ll live. Japanese horror films give no guarantee of life. You could do everything right and you’ll still probably die.
These are the scariest movies I’ve ever seen. Actually, only one scared me throughout. The others had one really scary scene.
Ju-On, the Grudge (2003 - Japan). I think there were four of them, and this one was the scariest. That creepy kid and the crawling woman got you no matter where you hid. You could be in your bed, eating dinner, in the shower, or where ever, minding your own business and suddenly you’re dead.
Unfortunately, that’s the only movie that really scared me. The rest had scary scenes.
I saw the Exorcist (1973 - US) back in the mid-80s and it wasn’t scary. Then I saw it again with the additional scenes. The one scene with the spider walk freaked me out.
Freaks (pre-code 1932 - US) was banned in the UK for 30 years. It featured real life carnival freaks. The movie itself was well-done and for its time, I guess it was really scary. But the one scene in the very end freaked me out, what the freaks did to that lady. I don’t want to give it away in case any of you are film geeks (like SME) and may just watch it.
David Lynch has a way of getting inside one’s head. He does that as well as anyone. He builds up a strange dream sequence, and he can be really creepy sometimes. He did that with both Lost Highway and Blue Velvet, two of my favorite movies. But my favorite movie of his was Mulholland Drive (2001 - US).
There was one scene were two grown men in business suits were sitting at a diner and the one guy was telling his buddy about a recurring nightmare he keeps having. The way Lynch built it up, my brain already filled in the blanks and I was really creeping myself out. Then just as he explained to his buddy, the nightmare came to life. My heart literally skipped a beat at that scene.
So there you have it. The movies that scared me. As I said, I don’t get scared easily and I’ve watched a lot of movies.
More Lists
Badman and I like to make lists. Here’s his Top 10 Punk Sellouts of All-Time. If you’re into Punk, definitely read this one.
The one of his I really liked though was his Worst Albums of All-Time list. I think he worded it poorly as he meant “most disappointing” because they were good bands that made bad albums.
If you’re a music junkie, you’ll love arguing with this guy. He really knows his stuff, even though he and I have completely different taste in music.
Back to movies
So…any movie ever scare you? If so, what did? I may just have to rent it.
Hi! been a while, just thought I’d drop by to say I miss reading your stuff, will catch up more when the summer ends.
That made a good read and I would suck at recommending any scary movie, because I get freaked out so easily. But yes, nothing like a Thai or Hong Kong scary film for sleepless nights; the one I particularly remember was the Eye, but it gets less scary in the end. I think was Chinese do very well, is that the people leave alone, in shitty places, with dodgy elevators and no electricity and water running down the corridors.
Yeah, I don’t get scared easily either. Some things creep me out, or startle me - but the feeling doesn’t last. I remember we had to get rid of cable when I was a kid because Poltergeist was always freakin on HBO and I was afraid to walk down the street to my friend’s house because our street was lined with giant trees I thought were going to eat me. But I was 8 then.
I watched Suspiria by myself, in the dark, in the middle of the thunderstorm and it didn’t phase me. It’s a beautiful movie, but not really scary.
I’m stumped. Can’t help you.
i have way too fertile an imagination and i get scared easily in movies so i don’t ususally watch scary movies. once i caved in when i was a teen ager and watched carrie. the scene at the end where her hand comes out of the grave made me jump. i also agree dot watch 6th sense late at night with my husband. at the end of the movie he turned off the tv and the lights and started heading upstairs. i said, ‘oh no you don’t! you turn on every light walk me tothe bed. let me get in and pull the covers over my head then youcan go turn off lights before you immediately return and cuddle me until i fall asleep!’
yeah i am a major wimp when it comes toscary movies.
I am with you on the Grudge. After I watched it I remember lying in bed and every time my eyes closed I would see the girl at the end of my bed and practically jump up. Yikes.
When I was a kid there was a movie called Squirm about a bunch of killer worms. A scene or two still haunts me.
Hmmm,there was something about the movie Event Horizon that I could not handle… the hell scenes scared me so much I had to turn it off.
I prefer spooky movies to gore and one of my all-time faves is a Nicole Kidman flick called The Others.
The only horror movie that freaked me out was “The Shining”. Not even the scenes involving ghouls and axes and such, but the eerie scenes like the conversation with the caretaker in the bathroom, and the guy in the bear costume, and the photograph at the end. Creepy stuff. I think it would be much more difficult, as a director, to create sustained eeriness rather than just guts & gore & nekkid teenagers.
“Freaks” doesn’t work as a horror film anymore, but as a drama it rocks. If anything, the ending cheapens it.
Hi, the movies that scare me are the following the 1980 fog,carnival of souls 1962,the thing 1982, ‘Salem’s Lot’ (1979)Hellraiser’ (1987)Prince of Darkness (1987). I saw them by myself. I like scary movies I just need to find someone to go with me.
Um lets see here I have seen the Exorcist for the first time when I was about Kora’s age maybe a little older. Mom told me to go to my room and I refused. So I watched my first scary movie. It didnt affect me really. Then I have not seen any real scary movies until Scream came out. I liked the first one but they could have done without the last two. Its just you never know where the masked man would come out at. You should have seen J and I when we watched it together for the first time. We had all the lights off and when the masked man would come out we would jump into eachothers laps basically. It was funny really. Not the movie. LOL…
Great list. I find that Poltergeist and the first Evil Dead are still scarey.
I love scary movies! They are my roller coaster rides. That feeling that rolls up from the pit of my stomach cannot be equaled by anything other than a good horror flick. Of course, I was old enough for the initial viewing of Psycho. Dear old Alfred kept us all on the edge of our seats in the early days. The Grudge was the most recent that got to me. I loved the early Halloweens and the first Nightmare on Elm Street. The book IT got me more than the movie, but even the movie was a good one and I am afraid of clowns to this day.
I’m not a scary movie fan AT ALL! They ALL creep me out! Freddy Krueger gave me nightmares for weeks.
My family, on the other hand, will watch every horror movie that’s on…and laugh the whole time they’re watching. SICKOS!
I think the Exorcist was my all time fave horror flic because I saw and read all the film secrets and I know how they made it. Maybe its just because it really was creepy or even because it was loosely based on a true story - either way I loved it. I haven’t ever seen any Japanese films.
I’m not a scary/horror film buff, but I saw Freaks earlier this year when Rob Zombie played it on TCM (it’s in my 1001 Movies You Must Watch Before You Die book, so I made sure to catch it). It was a disturbing movie, but not at all in today’s modern reading of the genre. I prefer suspense to out-and-out gore, so I avoid most of them.
My recommendation would be Duel with Dennis Weaver.
La Cremiere - Wow, I completely forgot to mention the Chinese. Yes, they’re good at horror, but the sad thing is, I don’t remember any of the titles. Definitely some creepy movies.
Laura - I don’t see you as the type to get scared easily.
Lime - I get that way with David Lynch movies. He creeps me out.
Clothosfate - Loved The Others, not as a horror movie, but it was a really enjoyable movie. I liked the twist.
Event Horizon scared my real estate agent, but I didn’t get into it. He and I often completely disagree on movies. That’s why I wish he was a Pretentious Critic sometimes.
SME - The Shining did have a lot of creepy little things about it, like the picture, which when I saw that, it was creepy.
Kate - You watch more scary movies than anyone. One of these days, we should have a scarefest. You could pick the movies.
Tweety - I found the whole movie within a movie thing with the first Scream to be an interesting concept. I like how they used that.
Just - I love Sam and Bruce. I like what Sam Raimi went on to do with the 1st Spiderman, although I didn’t like the 2nd and haven’t seen the 3rd yet.
With Campbell, have you seen Bubba-hotep? Funny cheese horror film, but the beginning made me cringe on how badly we treat old people in this country.
Granny - My wife hates clowns because of that book. And yes, nothing beats Hitchcock. He just has a way of making your own psyche scare you.
Tshsmom - I could see SME being like that.
Jean - See Ju-on - The Grudge. That’s really creepy.
Kathleen - Never seen Duel. I’ll have to add that to my queue.
Oops, had this in my browser all night and the math timed out. So my short answer is the late seventies, early eighties remake of The Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and John Carpenter’s The Thing. Not horribly scary, but effective. Oh, and the first Alien. That was scary.
After reading these comments I had forgotten about halloween and freddy and all those. I dont like gross scary but scary scary is ok.
Scott - I liked John Carpenter’s The Thing for the scene where those people were all strapped to the chair. A very uncomfortable scene and well done. Invasion had a good ending.
Tweety - Yeah, gross doesn’t do it for me either. I’d rather have something that gets into my head.
Ahh The Thing… classic John Carpenter. I could watch that movie over and over and over. I heard a rumor they were going to remake it. I’m sorry, but without Kurt Russell???
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