Top 10 SCARIEST Horror Movies I've Ever Seen
I was born in 1994. I say this because I believe that there is a direct correlation with your age and what you find scary, especially in film. My dad, born in 1950, told me 'Frankenstein' was the scariest movie he had ever seen, yet when I watched it when I was just a child, I did not find it the least bit scary. I tell you this because some of the movies on here may not be frightening to me nowadays (or at least AS frightening), but when I first saw these movies, they deeply terrified and affected me. This is not BEST Horror Movies I've Seen, it's SCARIEST. Alright, enough talk, let's get spooked!
P.S. - This list only contains movies I have seen.
P.S. - This list only contains movies I have seen.
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- DirectorJames WanStarsPatrick WilsonRose ByrneTy SimpkinsA family looks to prevent evil spirits from trapping their comatose child in a realm called The Further.I was in high school and this movie STILL rattled me to my core. James Wan's masterpiece. Everything about this movie is terrifying. Possibly the most unnerving and creepy soundtrack of all time. The imagery Wan captures this will keep you up at night, staring into the dark corners of your room, praying the woman in the photographs does not come out.
DOES THIS MOVIE HOLD UP TODAY? Absolutely. This is probably the scariest movie I've ever seen. - DirectorJonathan LiebesmanStarsChaney KleyEmma Caulfield FordAntony BurrowsA vengeful spirit has taken the form of the Tooth Fairy to exact vengeance on the town that lynched her 150 years earlier. Her only opposition is the only child, now grown up, who has survived her before.My dad took me to this in theaters when I was EIGHT! I cannot explain how traumatized I was after this movie. Not even after the movie, during the movie I had my hands cupped over my ears, eyes to the floor and going "la la la la" to myself so I didn't have to hear the movie. Eventually, my dad said I'd need to cut it out or we'd have to leave, so I stopped being a puss and finished the film. Easily the most scared I've ever been during a movie.
DOES THIS MOVIE HOLD UP TODAY? Absolutely not. But 8 year old me strongly disagrees and will never forget how frightening this movie was back then. - DirectorTakashi ShimizuStarsSarah Michelle GellarJason BehrClea DuVallAn American nurse living and working in Tokyo is exposed to a mysterious supernatural curse, one that locks a person in a powerful rage before claiming their life and spreading to another victim.I know I know - this movie's bad. But when you're 10-years-old, just the poster alone is enough to give you nightmares for weeks - which is exactly what 'The Grudge' did. After those nightmare-filled weeks, I finally mustered up the courage to finally watch the movie, and wow, did this movie mess me up. Yes, the story is a total incoherent mess, but the SCARES, oh man when the scares hit they hit HARD, ESPECIALLY when you're young. Everything about the ghost is terrifying: the way it looks, sounds, moves, everything is nightmare fuel.
DOES THIS MOVIE HOLD UP TODAY? Eh. It doesn't scare me today, but I could definitely see people getting pretty spooked by it. I definitely respect and appreciate it, especially after the awful 2020 'Grudge'. - DirectorDavid Robert MitchellStarsMaika MonroeKeir GilchristOlivia LuccardiA young woman is followed by an unknown supernatural force after a sexual encounter.I saw this in college and this movie actually rattled me to my core. The opening scene caught me so off guard and had me on the edge of my seat. As soon as the music kicks in, you clench up and your eyes start darting around the screen looking for 'It'. A terrifying premise brought to life and made even more terrifying with arguably the most fear-inducing soundtrack ever.
DOES THIS MOVIE HOLD UP TODAY? Easily. This is a horror masterpiece. - DirectorScott DerricksonStarsEthan HawkeJuliet RylanceJames RansoneA controversial true-crime writer finds a box of Super 8 home movies in his new home, revealing that the murder case he is currently researching could be the work of an unknown serial killer whose legacy dates back to the 1960s.I saw this movie my first year in college and wow, it was scary AND disturbing - an excellent combination! This movie plays with horror tropes, but executes them well. The jump scares in this movie are some of the most terrifying every captures, but more importantly is that they're not cheap/gimmicky jump scares, they're actually earned. The entity in this movie is mean and nasty and the soundtrack is extremely unsettling. Pretty much if you want a great horror movie, you need a terrifying soundtrack.
DOES THIS MOVIE HOLD UP TODAY? Easily. Very frightening and disturbing. - StarsRichard ThomasTim ReidAnnette O'TooleIn 1960, seven pre-teen outcasts fight an evil demon who poses as a child-killing clown. Thirty years later, they reunite to stop the demon once and for all when it returns to their hometown.I saw this at a friend's house when I was around 7. Ya, my buddy and I were nice and traumatized after this one. I liked Bill's fun goofy portrayal as Pennywise, but it has nothing on Curry's. Pennywise in this one is actually very scary. He doesn't look or sound goofy, he looks and sounds like he will abduct you and do with you as he pleases. The scene that haunted me the most after seeing it was the shower scene at the school.
DOES THIS MOVIE HOLD UP TODAY? The movie itself hasn't aged the best, but Curry's Pennywise has aged like the finest of wines. - DirectorClive BarkerStarsAndrew RobinsonClare HigginsAshley LaurenceA woman discovers the newly resurrected, partially formed, body of her brother-in-law and lover. She starts killing for him to revitalize his body and escape the demonic beings that are pursuing him after he escaped their underworld.I saw this on AMC when I was like 7 or 8 and this movie messed me up! The ending when all the cenobites come and do their thing was nightmare fuel for years. One scene that has always stood out to me was when the chattering drives his fingers into Kirsty's mouth. So disturbing and disgusting.
DOES THIS MOVIE STILL HOLD UP? Yes, this movie is still pretty good and unsettling. The creature designs and make-up are very nightmare-inducing. - DirectorNeil MarshallStarsShauna MacdonaldNatalie MendozaAlex ReidA caving expedition goes horribly wrong, as the explorers become trapped and ultimately pursued by a strange breed of predators.Honestly just a great film, but when I first saw at 10 years old in theaters I nearly soiled myself. This movie is terrifying because the characters are isolated from the rest of the world in a claustrophobic network of caves deep beneath the Earth. Oh, and there's nocturnal bat-monster people who try and brutally murder and devour the main characters. This movie also has possibly the best jump scare of all time.
DOES THIS MOVIE STILL HOLD UP? This movie is an absolute classic. Of course it holds up! - DirectorOren PeliStarsKatie FeatherstonMicah SloatMark FredrichsAfter moving into a suburban home, a couple becomes increasingly disturbed by a nightly demonic presence.I saw this my 2nd year of high school with a big group of friends. We thought it was going to be dumb since it looked so low budget, but we were wrong. These movies get hate now because there's like 20 of them and they're all bad, but the original is anything but. Granted, I haven't seen this movie in over 10 years, but when I first saw it, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time not knowing what was coming next.
DOES THIS MOVIE HOLD UP TODAY? Not sure if it still holds up since I haven't seen it in over 10 years. I'll give it a view this month. - DirectorJohn KrasinskiStarsEmily BluntJohn KrasinskiMillicent SimmondsA family struggles for survival in a world where most humans have been killed by blind but noise-sensitive creatures. They are forced to communicate in sign language to keep the creatures at bay.I didn't necessarily find this movie scary, but it is for sure one of the most intense movies I've ever sat through. It's a genius premise because with everything being so silent, it keeps the viewer in a state of constant tension, always anticipating something loud to jolt you out of your seat.
DOES THIS MOVIE HOLD UP TODAY? I mean, it's only 4 years old, so ya. But I will say this movie is most affective for it's first viewing. Watch with volume cranked.