Actual Scary Movies (seen)
Movies that might actually scare a person in some way.
I get asked this a lot, so I'm finally going to try to make a list.
People are often very different when it comes to what scares them, so, as always, your mileage may vary.
The only order the list is in is first movies that scared me as an adult, movies that scared me as a kid. (It was anyway. I've been working on my lists on a tablet lately & it doesn't let me change the list order that way.)
In progress.
I get asked this a lot, so I'm finally going to try to make a list.
People are often very different when it comes to what scares them, so, as always, your mileage may vary.
The only order the list is in is first movies that scared me as an adult, movies that scared me as a kid. (It was anyway. I've been working on my lists on a tablet lately & it doesn't let me change the list order that way.)
In progress.
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- DirectorDavid Robert MitchellStarsMaika MonroeKeir GilchristOlivia LuccardiA young woman is followed by an unknown supernatural force after a sexual encounter.A lot of people criticise this because they think it has a sex-negative message. I think they are reading too much into it, though it's a possibility. If you just think of the movie like an urban legend, I think it works very well. I couldn't sleep after watching it. I guess I just got a bit spooked by it.
- DirectorIngmar BergmanStarsMax von SydowLiv UllmannGertrud FridhWhile vacationing on a remote German island with his younger pregnant wife, an artist has an emotional breakdown while confronting his repressed desires.It's been a while, but I remember this having a slow, depressing build into some very weird, inescapable madness, and you just felt kind of trapped by it all.
- DirectorJohn McNaughtonStarsMichael RookerTracy ArnoldTom TowlesArriving in Chicago, Henry moves in with ex-con acquaintance Otis and starts schooling him in the ways of the serial killer.Very creepy serial killer movie. Rooker and the dude who played Otis are very creepy. It, thankfully, lacks the pedophilia from the actual Henry Lee Lucas' life. Still wicked f'd up. You've been warned.
- DirectorBernard RoseStarsVirginia MadsenXander BerkeleyTony ToddThe Candyman, a murderous soul with a hook for a hand, is accidentally summoned to reality by a skeptic grad student researching the monster's myth.I think I've just worked out what scares me the most in movies- feeling trapped. Makes sense after developing CPTSD.
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsSigourney WeaverTom SkerrittJohn HurtThe crew of a commercial spacecraft encounters a deadly lifeform after investigating a mysterious transmission of unknown origin.Good jump scares, atmosphere and totally freaky alien design made this unforgettable. I think I have a slime phobia and a pregnancy phobia partly because of this.
- DirectorStan WinstonStarsLance HenriksenJeff EastJohn D'AquinoAfter a tragic accident, a man conjures up a towering, vengeful demon called Pumpkinhead to destroy a group of unsuspecting teenagers.Starts out very sad, has a good atmosphere, some scary characters and a great monster. Feels inescapable.
- DirectorFrank DarabontStarsThomas JaneMarcia Gay HardenLaurie HoldenA freak storm unleashes a species of bloodthirsty creatures on a small town, where a small band of citizens hole up in a supermarket and fight for their lives.I sure hope you like hopeless grimdark.
- DirectorWilliam FriedkinStarsEllen BurstynMax von SydowLinda BlairWhen a young girl is possessed by a mysterious entity, her mother seeks the help of two Catholic priests to save her life.Still one of the more *beep* up, scary movies I've seen.
- DirectorWes CravenStarsSusan LanierRobert HoustonJohn SteadmanOn the way to California, a family has the misfortune to have their car break down in an area closed to the public, and inhabited by violent savages ready to attack.Nothing is scarier than hillbillies.
- DirectorStuart RosenbergStarsJames BrolinMargot KidderRod SteigerNewlyweds and their three children move into a large house where a mass murder was committed. They start to experience strange, inexplicable manifestations which have strong effects on everyone living in or visiting the house.This was definitely scary, but not really for the reason you'd expect exactly. One of the actors had trouble getting jobs after this because they were so scary.
- DirectorSam RaimiStarsBruce CampbellEllen SandweissRichard DeManincorFive friends travel to a cabin in the woods, where they unknowingly release flesh-possessing demons.Everyone in this movie is an idiot, but it's still scary.
- DirectorPeter HyamsStarsPenelope Ann MillerTom SizemoreLinda HuntA homicide detective and an anthropologist try to destroy a South American lizard-like god, who's on a people eating rampage in a Chicago museum.More of a thriller than a horror, but still a fairly tense monster movie.
- DirectorDanny BoyleStarsCillian MurphyNaomie HarrisChristopher EcclestonFour weeks after a mysterious, incurable virus spreads throughout the UK, a handful of survivors try to find sanctuary.Disaster "zombie" movie that is quite good.
- DirectorJohn CarpenterStarsKurt RussellWilford BrimleyKeith DavidA research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.I think the scariest thing about this movie is the idea of not knowing who might not be on your side.
- DirectorPhilip KaufmanStarsDonald SutherlandBrooke AdamsJeff GoldblumWhen strange seeds drift to earth from space, mysterious pods begin to grow and invade San Francisco, replicating the city's residents one body at a time.Same reason as The Thing. I get a lot of nightmares like this.
- DirectorLars von TrierStarsWillem DafoeCharlotte GainsbourgStorm Acheche SahlstrømA grieving couple retreat to their cabin in the woods, hoping to repair their broken hearts and troubled marriage, but nature takes its course and things go from bad to worse.Artsy, f'd up, and layered; many people hate this film. Warning: very graphic.
- DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsMia FarrowJohn CassavetesRuth GordonA young couple trying for a baby moves into an aging, ornate apartment building on Central Park West, where they find themselves surrounded by peculiar neighbors.The end is pretty goofy, but the idea of being in Rosemary's situation throughout the rest of the movie scares the hell out of me. I don't recommend -buying- this movie, as the director rapes children and doesn't need any more money to continue getting away with it and continuing his "lifestyle."
- DirectorRob ReinerStarsJames CaanKathy BatesRichard FarnsworthAfter a famous author is rescued from a car crash by a fan of his novels, he comes to realize that the care he is receiving is only the beginning of a nightmare of captivity and abuse.
- DirectorMatt ReevesStarsMike VogelJessica LucasLizzy CaplanA group of friends venture deep into the streets of New York on a rescue mission during a rampaging monster attack.This scared me when it came out, because I could imagine myself in the situation, unable to get to or know if my loved ones were okay. Looking at a clip just now, I think the CG is dated (it always will be when you rely on it primarily) and the sound effects are goofy.
- DirectorChuck RussellStarsHeather LangenkampRobert EnglundCraig WassonA psychiatrist familiar with knife-wielding dream demon Freddy Krueger helps teens at a mental hospital battle the killer who is invading their dreams.This one doesn't scare me anymore either, but it freaked me out for years when I saw it at 12. The idea of not knowing if you're awake or asleep and everyday objects coming to get you. The sink/mirror scene made me scared of especially bathroom mirrors at night for years.
- DirectorTobe HooperStarsJoBeth WilliamsHeather O'RourkeCraig T. NelsonA family's home is haunted by a host of demonic ghosts.Admittedly, this doesn't really scare me anymore, but it did when I was around 12. I think it was the tree and what's under the house coming up that scared me the most. It's still good either way.
- DirectorMaria LeaseStarsDenise CrosbySam BottomsRip TornA toy manufacturer buys the 'Dolly Dearest' factory in Mexico, where the malevolent spirit of Sanzia, a devil child, has taken refuge in one of the porcelain dolls, and eventually takes control of his daughter.Another one that freaked me out as a kid. I was terrified of dolls.
- DirectorDavid SchmoellerStarsPaul Le MatWilliam HickeyIrene MiraclePsychics find themselves plotted against by a former colleague, who committed suicide after discovering animated, murderous puppets.Scared me for the same reason dolls do, I guess. (Also saw this around 11/12.) I'm also totally scared of leeches. Ridiculously so. I can hardly look at them.
- DirectorBrian YuznaStarsCorbin BernsenLinda HoffmanMichael StadvecAn extremely successful dentist goes off the deep end after he catches his wife cheating on him.The dentist scared me as a teen, because urgh, dentist. Yucky teeth horror. No idea how it holds up today.
- DirectorBabak AnvariStarsNarges RashidiAvin ManshadiBobby NaderiAs a mother and daughter struggle to cope with the terrors of the post-revolution, war-torn Tehran of the 1980s, a mysterious evil begins to haunt their home.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsTom CruiseDakota FanningTim RobbinsAn alien invasion threatens the future of humanity. The catastrophic nightmare is depicted through the eyes of one American family fighting for survival.
- DirectorDan CurtisStarsKaren BlackOliver ReedBurgess MeredithA family moves into a large old mansion in the countryside which seems to have a mysterious and sinister power over its new residents.
- DirectorAnthony Scott BurnsKevin KölschNicholas McCarthyStarsMadeleine CoghlanSavannah KennickRick Peters'Holidays' is an anthology feature film that puts a uniquely dark and original spin on some of the most iconic and beloved holidays of all time by challenging our folklore, traditions and assumptions.The Mother's Day short is basically my worst nightmare.
- DirectorDavid BrucknerStarsRafe SpallArsher AliRobert James-CollierA group of old college friends reunite for a trip to a most dangerous country in Europe - Sweden, encountering a menacing presence there stalking them.
- DirectorGore VerbinskiStarsDane DeHaanJason IsaacsMia GothAn ambitious young executive is sent to retrieve his company's CEO from an idyllic but mysterious "wellness center" at a remote location in the Swiss Alps, but soon suspects that the spa's treatments are not what they seem.
- DirectorAdam SimonStarsBill PullmanBill PaxtonBud CortIn a showdown of man versus machine, Martin plunges into a chaotic nightmare trying to save his mind from the megalomaniacal corporation.The general concept of not knowing for sure who you are or if you are crazy or not is scary to me.
- DirectorMarjane SatrapiStarsRyan ReynoldsGemma ArtertonAnna KendrickA likable guy pursues his office crush with help from his evil talking pets, but things turn sinister when she stands him up for a date.
- DirectorMichael ArmstrongAdrian HovenStarsHerbert LomUdo KierOlivera KatarinaIn 1700s Austria, a witch-hunter's apprentice has doubts about the righteousness of witch-hunting when he witnesses the brutality, the injustice, the falsehood, the torture and the arbitrary killing that go with the job.
- DirectorAnne HamiltonStarsPeyton KennedyRichard SchiffKip PardueAfter 11-year-old Gitty discovers a man who can grant wishes hiding in her family's silo, she is forced to choose between saving the man's life and protecting her family.
- DirectorWilliam Peter BlattyStarsGeorge C. ScottEd FlandersBrad DourifA police lieutenant uncovers more than he bargained for as his investigation of a series of murders, which have all the hallmarks of the deceased Gemini serial killer, leads him to question the patients of a psychiatric ward.
- DirectorAri AsterStarsToni ColletteMilly ShapiroGabriel ByrneA grieving family is haunted by tragic and disturbing occurrences.
- DirectorRichard StanleyStarsNicolas CageJoely RichardsonMadeleine ArthurA secluded farm is struck by a strange meteorite which has apocalyptic consequences for the family living there and possibly the world.
- DirectorKen RussellStarsVanessa RedgraveOliver ReedDudley SuttonIn 17th-century France, Father Urbain Grandier's protection of the city of Loudun from the corrupt Cardinal Richelieu is undermined by a sexually repressed nun's accusation of witchcraft.