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Any genuinely frightening horror films?

Halloween is coming up and I will celebrate with a horror movie marathon. Possibly interrupted by children wanting sweets but oh well.

Trouble is I am yet to find a horror film that is actually scary. I haven't seen many but those I have are often cited as the greatest of the genre. Many of the horror films I have seen are still fantastic films but nothing so far keeps me up at night so I'm looking for good recommendations, a mix of modern and classic including foreign films. Thanks.

Bellow is a list of horror films I have seen and my opinion of them:

-The Shining - a great film which combines a slow build up with unabated intensity but it didn't actually scare me all that much.
-The Exorcist - a masterpiece of a film and defining for the genre, while it was unsettling and intense, I was not fainting or throwing up like people were in 1973, and it didn't stick in my head like my brother promised it would
-The Ring (both US and Japanese versions) - Japanese version was creepier but still not that terrifying.
-Psycho (1960) - Classic slasher but in terms of genuine scares it hasn't aged well
-The entire SAW franchise - I was surprised by how well thought out the overall storyline was for such a "mainstream" cash cow, but it was over the top in places and relied on gore and I am thoroughly desensitised by gore. Some tense moments, but most of the time I was rooting for the villain.
-The Wicker Man (1973 original) - Great cult psychological horror with a disturbing atmosphere but again, not something that made me lose sleep.
-Insidious - I was hoping it would be the first truly scary film in a while. I was disappointed.

Bearing that in mind, recommendations? Or am I just of a generation that is far too hard to please in terms of horror.

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Is there even such a thing? I can't be scared of something that I know isn't real.
The Conjuring?

Gets kinda funny after the third watch though


I want a scary movie too :cry2:
Sinister mayhaps?
Original post by J.SMART
Halloween is coming up and I will celebrate with a horror movie marathon. Possibly interrupted by children wanting sweets but oh well.

Trouble is I am yet to find a horror film that is actually scary. I haven't seen many but those I have are often cited as the greatest of the genre. Many of the horror films I have seen are still fantastic films but nothing so far keeps me up at night so I'm looking for good recommendations, a mix of modern and classic including foreign films. Thanks.

Bellow is a list of horror films I have seen and my opinion of them:

-The Shining - a great film which combines a slow build up with unabated intensity but it didn't actually scare me all that much.
-The Exorcist - a masterpiece of a film and defining for the genre, while it was unsettling and intense, I was not fainting or throwing up like people were in 1973, and it didn't stick in my head like my brother promised it would
-The Ring (both US and Japanese versions) - Japanese version was creepier but still not that terrifying.
-Psycho (1960) - Classic slasher but in terms of genuine scares it hasn't aged well
-The entire SAW franchise - I was surprised by how well thought out the overall storyline was for such a "mainstream" cash cow, but it was over the top in places and relied on gore and I am thoroughly desensitised by gore. Some tense moments, but most of the time I was rooting for the villain.
-The Wicker Man (1973 original) - Great cult psychological horror with a disturbing atmosphere but again, not something that made me lose sleep.
-Insidious - I was hoping it would be the first truly scary film in a while. I was disappointed.

Bearing that in mind, recommendations? Or am I just of a generation that is far too hard to please in terms of horror.


High Tension.
vhs 1 & 2. they are really disturbing and hard to watch.
They're all ****
The Conjuring was the only half decent one I watched, HOWEVER, having said that, you said you didnt like Insidious so you probably won't rate The Conjuring either
If you want a film thats completely ****ed up and makes you feel weird after watching, go for Wolf Creek - this isn't like 'scary' but it's disturbing haha
All the recent ones, eg Mama, Sinister 1,2, Annabelle, Insidious 1,2,3, Saw's, Women in black 1,2, Unfriended, are all pretty crap so I would steer clear of them (Sinister 1 probably being the best out of those in my opinion but still not great) I've watched pretty much every horror going so if you have any queries about a horror, pm or quote me:P
Me and my friend have been on this same mission for at least the last year maybe longer and have not managed to find one that keeps us up at night. We must have watched about 50 films, to be honest we have to stop every so often because we get bored with the rubbish we find!

From what i remember the only one that came close was The Hills Run Red but even that was more weird/ creepy than actually scary.

Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal were pretty good films but again not really scary!

There was one that scared me as a kid called Deep Rising but i've not been able to find it again to watch it yet and it was probably more slasher.

Original post by Ser Alex Toyne
Sinister mayhaps?


Again not really scary, though there was an okay twist at the end.
Reply 8
gonna watch this thread - everyone said the Grudge was so scary it made them cry but literally all i could think about all movie was that the girl's foundation wasn't blended it properly UGH
Reply 9
Original post by xx-Samantha-xx
Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal were pretty good films but again not really scary!


Ah, Silence of the Lambs, I loved that film. But it was only ever scary like a rollercoaster, I wanted more when it was over, i did not truly fear hannibal. That's how it is with most horror films, people come out of the cinema nowadays quoting creepy lines at best, not feeling sick like they need to go and see a priest. My Dad's friend's brother actually became a very devout Catholic (he was still a Christian but not really practising) after seeing the Exorcist. That doesn't happen now. Even so, my Brother, who is only 4 years older than me, has not to this day managed to get through the Exorcist. And while it's a creepy and intense film, I can't for the life of me be that affected by anything I watch even if I try.
Original post by J.SMART
Ah, Silence of the Lambs, I loved that film. But it was only ever scary like a rollercoaster, I wanted more when it was over, i did not truly fear hannibal. That's how it is with most horror films, people come out of the cinema nowadays quoting creepy lines at best, not feeling sick like they need to go and see a priest. My Dad's friend's brother actually became a very devout Catholic (he was still a Christian but not really practising) after seeing the Exorcist. That doesn't happen now. Even so, my Brother, who is only 4 years older than me, has not to this day managed to get through the Exorcist. And while it's a creepy and intense film, I can't for the life of me be that affected by anything I watch even if I try.


Wow how the times change !

Sometimes me and my friend think there may be something wrong with us because we aren't affected really by anything we have watched, not in the sense that other people have or even that you have described.
Has anyone seen Sinister 2? I really want to watch that but heard it's terrible :s-smilie:
I know right. There aren't many good 'thriller'/'horror' films these days.
Original post by starlight82
Has anyone seen Sinister 2? I really want to watch that but heard it's terrible :s-smilie:

Yeah what you've heard is right
Not worth the time tbh.. kinda boring, first one is much better
My favorites of the genre that come to mind are:

The Thing (1982? version).
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (newer one, but both are good).
Babadook

Though there are a few highly rated ones I haven't yet seen, which I want to - think they're older films though. Can't recall any good new ones.
Original post by hellodave5
My favorites of the genre that come to mind are:

The Thing (1982? version).
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (newer one, but both are good).
Babadook

Though there are a few highly rated ones I haven't yet seen, which I want to - think they're older films though. Can't recall any good new ones.


I Love The Thing !! Such a good film :smile: Though again wasn't scary really.

Can't comment on invasion of the body snatchers but i will look into that.

Me and my friend found Babadook really slow in all honesty and we weren't jumping out of our skins and we could still sleep afterwards.
I thought The Hills Have Eyes was pretty scary. Seven is also good but it's a thriller not horror, the acting is great especially at the end
Original post by Heffalump .
Yeah what you've heard is right
Not worth the time tbh.. kinda boring, first one is much better


I loved the first one and was so excited for the second, what a disappointment :frown: Looking forward to The Conjuring 2, hope that doesn't disappoint too but it probably will knowing sequels lol.
Original post by starlight82
I loved the first one and was so excited for the second, what a disappointment :frown: Looking forward to The Conjuring 2, hope that doesn't disappoint too but it probably will knowing sequels lol.

Wait what, The Conjuring 2?? I didn't even realise that was coming out! Oh god if they mess that up >:frown: the first one was the only half decent horror movie I've watched
Reply 19
Original post by xx-Samantha-xx
Wow how the times change !

Sometimes me and my friend think there may be something wrong with us because we aren't affected really by anything we have watched, not in the sense that other people have or even that you have described.


Yeah, that's the thing, classic horror movies from the 70s and 80s were classic cause they were controversial and are remembered in the context of the time that they came out. They gain a sort of mystique that is broken when actually seen through modern eyes. I only recently got into horror and until about a year ago was too scared to watch a horror film because everyone around me built them up so much (I was locked out of the living room by my parents when my brother put the Blair Witch Project on, I was about 9 or 10 at the time). I thought "woah, horror films must be pretty damn scary then." So much so, that the scariest part of watching any horror film for me has been pressing play.

Horror films seem to scare people by breaking social taboos and then turning that into a missile of horrific imagery to fire at the viewer so to genuinely frighten them. But we live in an age where social taboos are few, and those that exist cannot be broken due to political correctness. It's a funny thing about society, there aren't many more lines to be crossed, but those that exist are fiercely guarded, you can't get away with crossing them.

The only major themes that are currently controversial that haven't been done to death are those involving the suffering of children and animals. I had a thought for a possession film which touched on themes of pedophilia within the Catholic church with some demonic imagery, for me, that is a present controversy that would breathe new life into the exorcism sub-genre which has been thoroughly flogged. But good luck getting that approved for cinemas. It's a vicious circle really :/
(edited 8 years ago)

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