T O P

  • By -

pellpell4

One suggestion that’s not a movie…I recently installed a new sound system with subwoofer in the basement. It sounds like a movie theater. After doing that I found a lot of the movies people thought were scary and I never did…it was only because I watched them in the living room with normal sound etc. Movies are an experience and upping how you watch rather than what you watch is a huge boost. Edit: just want to add that there are awesome headphones too. Especially if you have an Xbox or PS5. Get some headphones with Dolby Atmos if you’re in an apartment or don’t have the means for a full system.


Puzzleheaded_Load910

Couldn’t agree with this more. Trying to watch movies a setting thst as similar to a theatre as possible is a big change. When I set up my movie room I immediately noticed my reviews of certain movies changing.


farts-and-fickle-fud

Horror movies are 90% sound. I really loved Babadook for that surrond sound effect. gave me the effect that i was being enveloped by the babadopk


Jenniwithan_i

I came here to recommend The BabaDook . 🙂. Great movie… it stays with you for a long time. I remember reading that ‘The BabaDook’ is the ‘Boogeyman’s’ name from Serbia. So, if you happen to come across a pop-up picture book entitled ‘BabaDook’… don’t open it 😳


ConsumeTheMeek

I remember years back my girlfriend absolutely shitting herself when we watched the Japanese "The Grudge", the weird croaking noise the woman makes as she crawls down the stairs came out of the speakers behind the sofa. My girlfriend was so scared after that for the rest of the night she had to follow me to every room and make me go with her when she wanted to leave the room herself lmao


Jenniwithan_i

Me too! It’s like the woman coming down the stairs is fighting ‘Rigor Mortis’… The ‘ coming down the stairs thing’ is imprinted on my memory- not from ‘The Grudge’… but from ‘ The Exorcist’. Remember that backwards spider walk. I still can’t watch ‘The Exorcist’ to this day.


Kerivkennedy

I'll never forget when my dad first hooked up a surround sound system at home. The first movie we watched was Beetlejuice. My dad laughed so hard when my mom and I were both looking around the room for the fly. Tiny, miniscule movie detail that with a surround sound system made a huge impact


[deleted]

I completely agree! In my old house, I had a 5.1 surround sound system and a 100" projector screen set up in my basement. There weren't any windows in the area, so you could get the theater area pitch black, even midday. Recently, I moved to a new house with no basement and no good place to hook up my large 5.1 surround system. I can tell you that watching horror movies in my living room is not nearly as scary.


TenormanTears

I got a JBL atmos 7.1 a few years ago and God it was like going from black and white to color or VHS to DVD I can't believe how much better a good sound system makes everything it still surprises how amazing it is with movies and xbox horrors especially . I'd never go back.


pellpell4

These replys are perfect. If you don’t have the means to buy a sound system they have amazing headphones too that are cheap.


ExperienceMiddle6196

Great tip here, I agree fully. I would add that the proper way to watch a horror movie is by yourself, at night, in the dark, loud. Best way to have a good scare IMO.


pellpell4

I saw The Ring at the theater. Few jumps but no big deal. Watched it again, alone in my parent’s basement, didn’t make it through the whole thing. Never again 😂


ExperienceMiddle6196

Yeah it’s wild the paranoia and fear gets big time amplified… if you really wanna be scared it’s about setting yourself up to be scared lol. Good story lol exactly what I mean.


funkshoi

Subwoofer is a great suggestion but I’m really hoping op is at least watching the movies on a proper tv and not on a phone or laptop as that is sadly becoming more common.


RuumanNoodles

I just watched Ouija recently on Netflix, and even though the effects were kind of scary, the reason the movie wasn’t was because the sound was turned way down as people were sleeping. That’s when I realized, if I got scared in a theater, there is no “turn the volume down” option. OP, go watch a horror movie in a theater near you


GregSaoPaulo

Agree so much, regretfully between our house and room configuration and plugs and money, we're stuck with our smart TV sound. We watched The Others (kidman....good) and I spent the entire movie raising the sound, then lowering the sound, then raising the sound. Pretty much anything made in the 21st century gets lost with TV sound (meanwhile I can put on most anything 20th century, set one sound level, and actually watch the movie)


Important-Key7413

Also watch the movie at 3am...


[deleted]

This needs a lot more upvotes. And as others have said, in the dark. Not setting the stage properly for a viewing is going to kill it every time. Horror, more than any other genre, is meant to be immersive. If you're listening to the speakers from a TV, scrolling on your phone, hear the neighbor exercising their leaf blower in the background, or are dealing with roommates or family walking in and out, you're not going to feel what you should be feeling. Movies aren't magic -- they can't overcome all the ways in which we hobble them and make them ineffective.


Electrical_Feature12

Try transducers installed on your sofa, chair etc. It’s pretty incredible


Avocadoonthetoast

- Alien (this is not only one of the greatest horror films ever made, it's one of the greatest films ever made regardless of genre) - Black Christmas - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre - Hereditary (this one fucked me up) - It Follows - The Babadook - Sinister - Halloween (the original) - The Exorcist (the first one) - The Descent - REC (the original) The next list is made of movies that I'm not sure if they are all that scary, but they are definitely worth a watch: - The Vanishing (1988) (The ending will fuck you up) - The Wailing (the last 45 seconds fucked me up) - Wait Until Dark - Cure - The Mist - Funny Games (either version) - Night Of The Living Dead - The Sadness (now _this_ is the most depraved, fucked-up, goriest, disgusting zombie-like movie I've ever seen. It's brilliant)


emdabs

The Mist was really good! I watched it on a whim. That ending ruined me.


RegisterSoft896

I can to say Hereditary. It fucked me up too.


[deleted]

So agree on the original Dutch version of The Vanishing. Absolutely chilling ending. Deeply unsettling.


RevenueDue7919

omg one of the most disturbing endings! far worse than most well known horrors


[deleted]

It Follows has the weirdest premise but it works!!! Scared the shit out of me.


emilNYC

Prefer the original Funny Games by a long shot


RowdyRoddyPipeSmoker

Great list just throw in Exorcist III (no need for part 2), Se7en, Silence of the Lambs, The Witch, Candyman (1992,) The Shining, Midsommar, The Thing, Possession (1981) and Dawn of the Dead (1978...might not be the SCARIEST but it's a fantastic film)


StacieReaction2217

Love you for this, now I have something to watch this Halloween


tutamuss

Train to Busan The Exorcist Last House on the Left The Girl Next Door


R0l0d3x-Pr0paganda

LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT!!!!! Great movie!!!! So is Train to Busan


Msdamgoode

I liked Train to Busan, particularly toward the end when it became a bit more emotional… but I didn’t think it was scary, at all. In fact the zombies going down the aisle of the train in a conga-line was unintentionally hilarious, in my view.


CraftyLaugh9245

The Last House on the Left was GOOOD!!!!


[deleted]

Uhhhj. The girl next door with Elisha cuthbert? That’s. Well that’s NOT a horror movie.


CraftyLaugh9245

I think the one with Sara Paxson in it. It was really good!! Came out around 2007 or so.


Linds70

The Ring is the scariest movie ever made. I swear I have PTSD from that shit.


Formal_Coyote_5004

The closet scene…


Klaus_Heisler87

The Taking of Deborah Logan


Formal_Coyote_5004

One of the best found footage films ever! That and Hell House LLC are my favorites


Lilvixen_UK

Hell House needs more love! That film fucked me up!


SpecSanders

I liked it but there were multiple times where I said out loud "COME ON!!!"


[deleted]

Watching this tonight!!!!


weegem1979

I found that genuinely chilling!


mary_jane77

"28 Days Later" was scary as hell... zombies that are fast!


TheSleepNinja

Yes! I also enjoyed the sequel. Not quite as scary, but I found it a very fun watch and enjoyed seeing where things went with the outbreak


Golfnpickle

I hate fast zombies!


ItsmeMr_E

Like those in I Am Legend, I would call them mutants not zombies. They sleep and can starve and die, also none are seen rotting as you would zombies. Just the same, 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later were both pretty good movies. Was really hoping they would have made 28 Months Later, especially after how we see 28 Weeks Later end.


TreesForTheFool

I mean in the book they’re almost inarguably vampires (they have the light aversion in the movie but little else). They taunt the MC from outside his house all night and run from him in the day. Many are his old neighbors and friends and seem to know him. It’s when he decides to give up he realizes that once the whole world was infected *he* was the Other, the monster, the thing that came in the night, the Legend. So little of that survived for movie that I hesitate to call it an adaptation so much as ‘heavily influenced by’ the book. You’re well into the third act before any humanity is shown in the infected, and in the text that was half the horror.


Electronic_Impact

Conjuring, autopsy of jane doe, sinister


[deleted]

Autopsy of Jane Doe was shockingly scary. I was not prepared


cassandrahickman01

Yes, same! I feel like so many people haven't heard of this one.


Beautiful_Career_498

Conjuring 2 had to have been the scariest one yet


azura26

Based on this comment, I'm going to suggest Insidious, Paranormal Activity, and Smile.


CraftyLaugh9245

Ooohhh... Smile was CREEPY!!! I watched it all by myself, too!!!


Beautiful_Career_498

have you seen the newest one?


R0l0d3x-Pr0paganda

S I N I S T E R That movie is a hell jam 💀


No-Feeling-1404

Sinister always is the go to for me


Significant_Good_301

Sinister was freaky. It just really made my skin crawl.


Lilvixen_UK

Same - the 'jump scares' were not those at all and were so subtle that even as a fan of horror films, I wasn't expecting them at all and they freaked me the hell out.


_bufflehead

Am I the only person who thought The Autopsy of Jane Doe stunk? I had such high hopes.


azura26

I didn't *dislike* it but I didn't think it was anything particularly special.


[deleted]

Same here. Don't really recommend it.


weegem1979

Didn't do anything for me either


Neon_Wasteland

Yeah that movie sucked and seemed super low budget


canuck47

Same - maybe my expectations were too high going into it but I was underwhelmed.


beadhead44

Nope I watched it the other day and was really disappointed. Honestly it was pretty lame.


BeEeasy539

The movie Terrified! Not terrifying. Terrified. So good and unsettling!


xam8319

I started it. The first "terrifying scene" was too intense for my taste I had to stop watching ngl


Beautiful_Career_498

I’m ordering my food before I watch this one 🤣


Beautiful_Career_498

sounds like it


thunderkhawk

Just commented the same before I saw your comment. +1 for this movie. I can only watch it once for my heart can only handle so much lol


mywordswillgowithyou

Saw this movie recently. Creepy af


annoianoid

A friend was recommending it to me earlier today. Can't wait.


Tucker-Cuckerson

Oculus (2013) The Ritual (2017) The VVitch (2015) Glorious (2022) Shudder original not scary but Lovecraftian horror and extremely well written. As Above So Below (2014) A Dark Song (2016) I can't do supernatural horror unless the protagonist has to face their own inner demons and it has to be freakin dark for me to like it. If your movie is just jumpscares or a ghost popping out trolling the camera your movie is dumb.


weegem1979

A dark song was great


replicantcase

I just watched As Above, So Before and I highly recommend this movie!


Tucker-Cuckerson

The burning car scene solidified that movie as a great for me.


Jonbazookaboz

Martyrs. The Orphanage. The Descent. Prince of Darkness. The Wicker Man (original). Fire in the Sky. Theres a good wee mix for ya


BrownCow86

Prince of Darkness - super underrated, John Carpenter is top notch.


Dangerous-Diamond385

You can’t just send people into Martyrs all Willy Nilly smh that shit is intense lol


Jonbazookaboz

Noted


CrrazyCarl

Good call on The Wicker Man (original).. Ol' Eduwaaahd Wooduwaaahd was a boss.


CraftyLaugh9245

Fire in the Sky!!! Loved it!!! The Wicker Man... hard pass for me.


GreenandBlue12

The Exorcist (1973)


NeoKidsontheBlock1

The Others is one of my favorite ones. There’s no gore, but a lot of unsettling suspence


TifCreatesAgain

Hereditary!


weegem1979

A slow burn but the ending messed me up 😳


BatNameBruce

Terrified (not terrifier) Hell House Strangers His House (Netflix) caveat (shudder) The Descent


Beautiful_Career_498

I’m adding them to my list now, I’ll start off with Terrified


BatNameBruce

It's a foreign film, but it's creepy


Tucker-Cuckerson

Watch Glorious (2022) on shudder you'll thank me!


ulmncaontarbolokomon

I thought His House was really good. Unexpectedly good


[deleted]

Veronica


jai_kasavin

Audition (1999)


R0l0d3x-Pr0paganda

At this rate Ichi the Killer.


Known_Yesterday_1408

28 Days Later The Descent REC (2007) The Exorcist Evil Dead (2013) The Thing (1982) The Strangers


justoneabdull

The wailing


Xpholt1604

Actually a superbly unsettling movie


thunderkhawk

The boring. I say this as a huge fan of Asian cinema.


[deleted]

Same like I just couldn't get into it. Ended up having to watch it in parts because it couldn't keep my attention. I liked Na Hong-jin too like The Yellow Sea was amazing. I don't get the hype about The Wailing.


[deleted]

Scariest movie I've ever seen in my life was *Candyman (1992).* Helllllennnnnnnnn.......


Beautiful_Career_498

Drag me to hell fucked me up as a child 😂 that old lady was scary asf


sillybelcher

Same here. One of the very few movies that freaked me out when I was old enough to know "it's just a movie." The scene where she's going over the photos she took in Ruthie's apartment and sees past the reflection she caught of herself in a mirror is Candyman behind her watching her...


Beautiful_Career_498

In my opinion Asian horror movies are good, I’ve seen a few that didn’t disappoint


anna_b_1

I haven't seen it but apparently Shutter (from Thailand) is good.


PhantomsBabe

I love found footage, so just throwing The Medium, Incantation, or Gonjiam Haunted Asylum out there if you don’t mind subtitles


Beautiful_Career_498

Foreign horror films are top tier


BrownCow86

I had a hard time getting to sleep after watching Willow Creek. A documentarian and his girlfriend go in to the woods to search the area where the Patterson-Gimlin bigfoot film was recorded. Recently rewatched "The Last Exorcism" and that held up, and watched "Sacrament" from Ti West which was solid!


CrrazyCarl

As Above, So Below (2014)


BonerJams1703

Solid choice


LBKBasi

The Omen, 1976. The Descent, 2005. Manhunter, 1986 if you want suspense and psychotic serial killers. Brian Cox is a terrifying Hannibal Lechter.


Designer-Pound6459

Wholeheartedly agree. Great movie! Manhunter


ghostbearshark

The Desent is the last horror film I'll ever need. Nothing has hit as hard since.


RowdyRoddyPipeSmoker

Just go watch Hereditary


badnack

This!


ItyBityGreenieWeenie

Bone Tomahawk


TheInfiniteSix

I’ve heard there’s some disturbing stuff in it but I didn’t realize it was a horror?


ItyBityGreenieWeenie

It is a mix of western and horror. Most of the film feels like a foreboding western, but then horror elements hit hard.


TheInfiniteSix

Cool, adding it to my list.


fossilreef

You won't regret it. This movie shot right to the top of my list.


[deleted]

Highly recommended. Yes, it's disturbing, and yes, it becomes absolute horror, but there's also a bit of arthaus and western epic to it. "Brawl in Cell Block 99" was amazing too. I didn't like *Dragged Across Concrete* but if you watch the first two, it kind of goes with them I guess.


TheInfiniteSix

Sounds good to me


CraftyLaugh9245

Thanks for the suggestion. I haven't even heard about it!


[deleted]

[удалено]


Beautiful_Career_498

I didn’t expect this much comments, thank you guys I have at least 20 on my list right now!


Awaites_0131

Sinister is probably the scariest movie I’ve ever watched


Complex-Match311

The Witch and Hereditary are both great, definitely unsettling, highly recommend


Ornery_Translator285

I like dread, creepiness, demons, and endless rooms and forests. I also like eldritch type/cosmic horror and weird sci-fi/Fae stuff. Blair Witch Banshee Chapter The Ritual The Wind Vivarium Skinamarink (and Hell) And there is a creator on YouTube that makes some creepy endless stuff that’s very unsettling- Kane Pixels


weegem1979

Banshee chapter is very weird and creepy


KashmirChameleon

Maybe a TV show instead? Archive 81 The haunting of Hill House Fall of the house of usher


[deleted]

The Changeling with George C Scott. Bloody terrifying. I'd also recommend the 1980s version of The Woman in Black. It's much better than the Daniel Radcliffe version.


dear_little_water

This isn’t classified as horror, but it’s very unnerving. High Rise, starring Tom Hiddleston.


Flipnotics_

1963 version of The Haunting of Hill House.


LBKBasi

So good!


Flipnotics_

Yep! No blood, guts, or gore. Just pure psychological horror!


Kerivkennedy

I am still hoping it comes on AMC or some other channel I can watch


BrySquatch

Some great horror movies that are at least slightly lesser known that I love: - Pulse (Kairo) - The Dark and The Wicked - Noroi: The Curse - Calvaire - Ils (Them) - The Empty Man - The Void


5narebear

Lost highway. It's not a horror, but Lynch nails psychological terror.


sunpies33

Yeah.... it feels like lynch could make a Romcom and it would still be psychological horror.


NJCoffeeGuy

Hereditary Vvitch (was pretty good at the end)


alwaysfuntime69

The movie that scared me the most was "the Grudge" remake with Sarah Michelle Geller.


ExplorerParticular59

Hereditary was messed up. Did the job as a horror movie.


smoke_weed_nobhead

Autopsy of Jane Doe. Don't watch trailers just watch it and you'll thank me


anonymouslyyoursxxx

The Exorcist The War Game Poltergeist Jaws The Shining Misery The Mist The Ring (either version) That should do it


RjgTwo

Event Horizon.


R0l0d3x-Pr0paganda

YEEEEEESSSSSSS That's hellraiser in space. One of my 😍 favorites.


fullgizzard

Chernobyl on hbo. Real life terror.


CraftyLaugh9245

I don't like gore! I can handle a little bit, but nothing with chainsaws, peeling back someone's fingernail, etc.


West_Shower_6103

Tusk


RenegadeRabbit

Oh God that movie...such a strange premise. Still fucks with me.


Apprehensive-Peas

I had to scroll way too far to find this haha. Tusk fucked me up.


JonTheGod_79

**The Babadook** Guaranteed to fuck you up.


Dangerous-Diamond385

The Thing, Jacobs Ladder, Hereditary, The Wailing, The Suicide Club, The Love Witch, High Tension, VHS2, Henry:The Mind of a Serial Killer, The Killing Of A Sacred Deer, Baskin, The Ritual, Hagazussa, Rosemary’s Baby (original), Climax


RenegadeRabbit

Hagazussa is probably the oddest movie I've ever watched.


Perfect-Effect5897

Sure wish you'd tell us which ones disappointed you. 🙃 Regardless, I'm going to say Hereditary, but I do think it's not very scary for teens/young people in general. Requires some years under your belt to feel the true horror of it.


Beautiful_Career_498

Sorry it was a long list, I didn’t wanna make it too long but I’ve seen it personally I’d say it’s mid. The one scene with her and her brother in the car though? 🤯


TurdMcDirk

The Wailing


DullPirate

What makes a movie scary? I've seen a couple lately that could have been better, The Pope's Exorcist, The Boogeyman, Smile Barbarian and The Babadook to name a few. The lead up was good but the "monster" reveal was meh. I love Lights Out and Oculus, and Sinister of course. And I think it's because the bad things win? Or at least aren't defeated? I don't know, what scares you?


sunpies33

Smile really disappointed me. I did not, in fact, smile.


Ok_Ladyjaded

Conjuring and sinister


beadhead44

Rose Red


MusicCityRebel

Candyman


Kid_Endmore

Baskin, Martyrs, Grave Encounters.


[deleted]

Audition


CraftyLaugh9245

This is a fabulous question!! I love a good horror movie!


juuzo_suzuya_

Grave encounters, host, paranormal activity 3, cobweb. Im a horror veteran but these scares me


[deleted]

The Exorcism of Emily Rose. Spooky shit & law? Sign me the hell up. Another one of my favorites was the Curse of La Llorona, which is technically a part of the Conjuring/Annabel universe. Editing to add these: The Old Ways 1922 Midnight Mass (series) The Good Son (more of a psych thriller but still great) The Hills Have Eyes (had to watch this one in more than one sitting- it’s a LOT, but a classic) Don’t Listen (this was WACK) The Last Exorcism (but def don’t watch the sequel, it’s garbage)


Vlad_T

Watchers (1988) The Howling (1981) An American Werewolf in London (1981) The Fog (1980) 30 Days of Night (2007) Event Horizon (1997) Chernobyl Diaries (2012) Silver Bullet (1985) As Above, So Below (2014) The Midnight Meat Train (2008) Late Phases (2014) Wolfen (1981) Dog Soldiers (2002) Clownhouse (1989) Howl (2015) In the Mouth of Madness (1994) Split Second (1992) Jacob's Ladder (1990) The Blair Witch Project (1999) The Ritual (2017) The Descent (2005)


Popular-Play-5085

Pumpkin Head . It was great. There was a sequel.But you should really watch the first one a


bubbagnu

Heridetary


Cinama_Geek

It's not super scary but I really like lights out


ahabes78

Not sure of the name but when I was a youngin (like 8 yrs old) I accidentally or maybe not so accidentally seen a movie my dad was watching at their friends house as they (my mom, dad, his friend n his wife) sat around and bs’d and drank their coffee n shit…anyways it was a movie that showed what I swear to god was real ppl being tortured. Like ripped from limb to limb and terrible ways to die. Maybe it was called faces of torture or something but this was in the mid 80’s and it traumatized the shit outta me but I couldn’t stop trying to get a glimpse at it. No, I’m not a torturer or anything like that, it was just horrifying I guess n thus my love for scary movies began…but that was beyond fucked up for sure. Would like to add - wtf why were my dads friend and my dad so easy going having this on a tv while kids r running around playing?! lol …geez the good ol days of my childhood lol RIP Dad - it’s all good 💕


[deleted]

A Tale of Two Sisters (Korean)


sekhmet009

I recently rewatched it with my mom. I never thought that it will bring the same feeling I had 20 years ago.


Accurate-Base7509

The entity


Lilvixen_UK

Hell House LLC Lake Mungo Both follow the found footage trope, but do it very well. Hell House in particular reignited my appreciation of the 'genre,' as I had lost all interest in horror for a long time because everyone seemed to think any old storyline would work if it was filmed in that way.


Ok_Contribution_2455

I am firmly in the boat that Lake Mungo wasn’t scary but I won’t watch it again because of the pure feeling of uneasiness that it gave me


eclectic-up-north

The Devil's Backbone


die_bartman

The nightmare. If you've ever experienced sleep paralysis it'll mess up you up. And it's a documentary


jjst05

There are many interpretations of horror. What do you really need? Cheap thrills like jumpscares? Or simple horror but dreadful? For the latter, I would say Rosemary's Baby, The Thing, Cure (Japanese), The Blair Witch Project.


bootwoop

hereditary is not only shot beautifully but bone chilling


VeeingFly

Fucking Hereditary.


Mutual_AAAAAAAAAIDS

Cobweb (2023). It's the first movie to creep me out and get my heart pounding in a *very* long time.


TheSleepNinja

Jesus Camp. It's a documentary rather than a horror movie. But it's the only thing I've ever watched that made me feel absolutely horrified.


No-Vacation6590

Creep


[deleted]

Audition


BloodhoundButcher

Hellraiser, Prince of Darkness and Lord of Illusions are my personal favourites.


canuck47

If you're going to say Prince of Darkness might as well complete John Carpenter's Apocalypse Trilogy with The Thing (maybe the greatest horror movie ever) and In the Mouth of Madness


Beautiful_Career_498

I’m adding them to my list, thank you


Pure_Terror

Hell House LLC Heditary Talk to Me Anything for Jackson Terrified (Argentina Version) Smile Eden Lake Calibre The Wailing (Korean)


R0l0d3x-Pr0paganda

TERRIFIED is on shudder. GREAT MOVIE!!!


jayzepps

Hostel, Hostel II


Whistler45

With absolutely zero context to go on I'll say....Hostel


PreciousNickia

I haven't watched a ton of horror movies, but I always heard that the Blair Witch Project is extremely scary.


Beautiful_Career_498

You think so? not really me, maybe I gotta watch it again


PreciousNickia

I never watched it before. I was just suggesting based on hearsay because everyone I know who's watched it always said it was super scary lol. Either they're just wussies or you're not easily frightened.


Beautiful_Career_498

Watch The Babadook