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What is the scariest film you ever saw as an adult?


Sandor

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Has this been done before?

Please don't mention films you saw as a child, because at a young age even He-Man was scary. If you know what I mean.

For me: I thought Se7en was quite scary, because it let you play out all these horrible torture acts in your mind since only flashes of photography and verbal information was given. The guy on the bed.... That scared the hell out of me!

Also; 28 Days Later. It was so realistic and the first time I saw running "zombie"-like things.

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Believe it or not but Exorcist was scary as hell for me. I saw the movie just two years ago (I do not watch much scary/horror films. My imagination is way too vivid even without horror movies). The movie builds the horror in a subtle and ominous fashion (though there are more graphic sections in the movie). A very disturbing picture.

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I found Red Dragon to be disturbingly scary when I saw it. The blind girl hanging out with Red Dragon guy was unsettling. I did not think SAW was scary. And Scream series was good for some chills. I was frightened by the Blair Witch project as well.

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Unlike a lot of others, I thought Blair Witch Project was creepy.

Me too! But you have to allow yourself to see it from the right perspective. When Josh was screaming in the middle of the night and his friends heard his agony I was on the edge of my seat. Also the last shot of the guy standing in the corner and the girl screaming her lungs out... unsettling.

Believe it or not but Exorcist was scary as hell for me.

It's one of my favorite films.

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The Exorcist always gives me a restless night. Most recently the Hideo Nakata film Dark Water (not the US remake, which I haven't seen) really scared the crap out of me. I also vote for Blair Witch Project. That was very creepy and deserved all its success IMO.

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For me: I thought Se7en was quite scary, because it let you play out all these horrible torture acts in your mind since only flashes of photography and verbal information was given. The guy on the bed.... That scared the hell out of me!  

Also; 28 Days Later. It was so realistic and the first time I saw running "zombie"-like things.

Indeed. I also thought parts of The Ring were scary. Especially the end bit.

Justin

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for Blair Witch Project. That was very creepy and deserved all its success IMO.

Perhaps I was in a wrong mood when I watched Blair Witch Project since that movie was rather funny IMO. I do not know what was the reason but I laughed in many places while watching the movie.

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I'm a bit of a horror freak, so excuse an rambling I do.

I HATED The Ring. I just thought it was incredibly blase. It's like an american writer asked a Japanese writer what was scary, and then kind of took some of the ideas and just splattered them on a script. Not good.

As for which movies scare me, to this day, The Exorcist does...simply because part of me always thinks "What if this really happened to me?" And that subliminal imaging of "Captain Howdy" always disturbs me.

I also really loved The Omen...very creepy. I think for some reason religious-themed horror films strike a chord with me.

And I have to agree with the people who thought Blair Witch was good. A lot of people HATED it. But people like myself, who do more imagining at a horror movie than watching, totally freak out during that movie. Not knowing what is going on completely is so much scarier than seeing everything!

One last movie that I think is creepy is the original Halloween. I mean...it's where we get the modern slasher movies from...except done well. Carpenter did it with no budget, and managed to really invent a new way of being scared. Wouldn't you be scared if you looked out your window and this expressionless thing was just sitting there staring at you? I would be!

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I HATED The Ring.  I just thought it was incredibly blase.  It's like an american writer asked a Japanese writer what was scary, and then kind of took some of the ideas and just splattered them on a script.  Not good.

I wholeheartedly agree.

I was 15 when I saw Alien in 1979. It scared the living sh$t out of me. The Exorcist also frightened me big time. The problem with scary movies is that once you've seen them, they sorta lose their purpose a little bit.

EDIT: Silence Of Lambs also scared me, especially that creep who keeps a girl in his pit.

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Alex Cremers

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Am I the only who thought The Ring remake was actually better than the original Japanese version (which is a bit overrated really. Liked Ring 0 even more)?

I forgot a really, really scary movie: The Descent.

It's a 2005 British horror film and it's FANTASTIC!

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Marian - who never understood what's scary about The Exorcist.

Give yourself time.

I've seen it twice' date=' and found it quite good, but not great and not at all scary. I remember being very scared by [i']Don't Look Now. And that one scene the Don Siegel Body Snatchers probably was one of the greatest shocks in my life.

Marian - who also found Blair Witch very scary.

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What about the 70's remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers? That last shot of Donald Sutherland screaming.... That's a shocker!!

Don't Look Now... The "little red dressed girl" reveals herself-scene.... Scary stuff. REAL scary stuff...

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I am also part of the cadre of folks that thought The Blair Witch Project was scary. At the time, I had never seen anything like it in the theater. Unfortunately, most of the movies I find the scaries today, are the films I saw as a child on TV, like The Exorcist, Alien, ect...

Though the ending of The Ring was extremely eerie, when the girl was coming toward the television doing that little shoulder twitch dance. The original has it too, but the US version is more effective.

Some films are scary for different reasons. I saw Touching the Void in the theater, and I'm telling you, that movie made me very uncomfortable.

Tim

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Does Pitch Black count as a horror? That took me completely by surprise when I saw it first.

I would have said Alien but I was in my early teens when I saw it first in the early 80's...I still have nightmares about those things to this day even though the DVD's have taken some of the mystery away.

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What about the 70's remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers?

Why did I write Don Siegel? That's the one I meant...

I haven't been able to watch Mulholland Dr to the end yet.

I said, give yourself some time. :)

What does time help? It scares me.

Marian - :)

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Never been more scared then during the "basement scene" in Silence Of The Lambs.

Or when the killer opens the door for ... Jodie :P ! That was a truly OMG scene.

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Can't say for sure what my scariest movie moment was, but i can say for sure what i think was the most nailbiting "movie moment" i can think of and STILL get the same feeling everytime i watch it, despite knowing what happens. It's the Russian Roulette in Vietnam scene, in "The Deer Hunter" (Christopher Walken, Robert DeNiro, etc). My god, those three guys as prisoners in the hut acted that scene so well, everytime i watch i wonder if they themselves thought there was a real bullet in the gun or something. I don't know how they managed to work themselves up over that so much to be so convincing. So tense. I remember the first time i watched it, it was late at night and my adrenaline levels from being so involved in the scene, were so high i couldn't sleep for hours. Felt i was there with them. Great stuff.

MOW.....MOW

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I was geniuney scared during the basement scene in Signs - although the film had scared before in earlier scenes (Mel Gibson in the crop field when... nothing really happens; the cutting-alien-finger scene; the Brazilian brithday video). I was never so scared in a movie theater. Haven't seen it in DVD, though, don't know how that works on a smaller screen.

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Ringu, the original Japanese "The Ring" - this film is scarier than the american version by tenfold. The scene of Sadako coming out of TV is much more disturbing in the original film, as are the contents of the cursed tape.

The Exorcist - Veru distrubing, very realistic performances and genuine reactions, which makes the film even scarier

Signs- Some parts of it really are nerve-wrecking

Alien - That feeling of lurking never really leaves you.

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Ok, I must say, I laugh at everyone of you who found the Blair Witch Project, or the Ring scary.

both are terrible films. Totally worthless pieces of ****, they give horror movies bad names. BWP was only successful because people got caught up in the is it real crap.

Also Saw is a vile piece of garbage, its not scary, its VILE, did I mention its VILE, but its not scary, there are moments of discomfort. They are the films only redeeming quality.

The Exorcist is not particularly scary, but it has a high level of discomfort, not to mention high standards in all aspects.

I liked 28 Days later, it was good, but not scary, and I didn't like the running zombies in any of the newer versions, give me the slow stumbling kind anyday, running zombies might as well be any ole gang members, Warriors with a skin disease.

I agree that Sign's had its moments, so did the underrated The Villiage, which isn't a horror movie. Hell there is one scene in HPGOF that made me jump, but jumping doesn't make it a horror film.

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I've seen it twice, and found it quite good, but not great and not at all scary. .

That's really just an indirect way of saying, you buy into the preposterous post-modernist notion that everything can be explained through science. Demon possession can't be scary, because it doesn't actually exist, right? Spirits don't exist, etc etc.. In time you may discover otherwise.

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I was geniuney scared during the basement scene in Signs - although the film had scared before in earlier scenes (Mel Gibson in the crop field when... nothing really happens; the cutting-alien-finger scene; the Brazilian brithday video). I was never so scared in a movie theater. Haven't seen it in DVD, though, don't know how that works on a smaller screen.

That's a great pulse quickening movie. It's grown on me with every viewing. Of the best scares was the alien reflection in the TV. Also The Village has some horribly frightening moments in the woods between the girl and the creature. Especially when it starts running right at her. A real pants wetter. ;)

Also I had some trouble sleeping after the final scene of The Ring when the little girl is crawling out of the well and through the TV. The movie is poorly done though. Especially the script as a whole.

The Machinist also had a scary moment when he's in the sewers and the dude laughs and we just see his shadow.

Justin

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There’s a huge flaw with The Ring. What happens if you watch that tape and you get the phone call that tells you that you have seven days to live but when the time comes, you’re out in the middle of the desert, meaning you’re not in the vicinity of any kind of visual display device whatsoever?

She can’t get you then. You win.

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There’s a huge flaw with The Ring.  What happens if you watch that tape and you get the phone call that tells you that you have seven days to live but when the time comes, you’re out in the middle of the desert, meaning you’re not in the vicinity of any kind of visual display device whatsoever?

She can’t get you then.  You win.

I believe this scenario will be covered in the third film.

Tim

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Ok, I must say, I laugh at everyone of you who found the Blair Witch Project, or the Ring scary.  

both are terrible films. Totally worthless pieces of ****, they give horror movies bad names. BWP was only successful because people got caught up in the is it real crap.  

Also Saw is a vile piece of garbage, its not scary, its VILE, did I mention its VILE, but its not scary, there are moments of discomfort. They are the films only redeeming quality.

Somehow I just knew you were going to say this! ;)

I agree that Sign's had its moments, so did the underrated The Villiage, which isn't a horror movie.

But Joe on this I really agree with you! That scene with the blind girl in the woods in The Village and the creature is all of a sudden standing in front of her (and then besides the tree)... my heart went all gung-ho during that part!!

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The first time I saw The Village I was really tense when she had her hand out waiting to be saved, and you could see blurry in the background the thing getting closer, and closer to her...

Signs I just didn't get that scared with, though it's a good film...the scariest part for me was when the alien is locked in the pantry, and Mel Gibson is talking to it, and it's rattling around, I thought sure it was going to bust out of there!

Se7en, I can't watch, saw it 10 yrs ago and avoid when on TV. It's really pretty shocking. And gross!

There are several films that have an ending which I find to be pretty scary, for ex. where there is a woman and a guy, and either he goes crazy on her, or he's a murderer or intruder, and he tries to kill her, she fights back, and you think he's dead but he's not, then you think yeah, she got him, he's gotta be dead, but he's not....and then he's shot at point blank etc and he's out, and she finally relaxes, turns around, it's over...but then he moves an arm amazingly and grabs her. Oooh, that's a scary one.

Greta

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There are several films that have an ending which I find to be pretty scary, for ex. where there is a woman and a guy, and either he goes crazy on her, or he's a murderer or intruder, and he tries to kill her, she fights back, and you think he's dead but he's not, then you think yeah, she got him, he's gotta be dead, but he's not....and then he's shot at point blank etc and he's out, and she finally relaxes, turns around, it's over...but then he moves an arm amazingly and grabs her. Oooh, that's a scary one.

Funny that those are the typical scenes I do not find scary at all...

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I agree that Sign's had its moments, so did the underrated The Villiage

The Village had a few moments but still deserves to be underrated for numerous of reasons, mediocracy being the most obvious one.

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Alex Cremers

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That's really just an indirect way of saying, you buy into the preposterous post-modernist notion that everything can be explained through science.

Please elaborate. Not talking about positivism?

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Ok, I must say, I laugh at everyone of you who found the Blair Witch Project, or the Ring scary.  

both are terrible films. Totally worthless pieces of ****, they give horror movies bad names. BWP was only successful because people got caught up in the is it real crap.  

Also Saw is a vile piece of garbage, its not scary, its VILE, did I mention its VILE, but its not scary, there are moments of discomfort. They are the films only redeeming quality.

Who cares if the Blair Witch was successful? Plenty of movies that are considered classics completely bombed at the box office. What we are talking about here is if a movie scared you. And I happen to think that Blair Witch was quite clever. There are too many films that show everything. This film did just the opposite. It gave you a great sense of voyerism like in Psycho. You always feel like you are watching the action, but not seeing EXACTLY what they see gives me more dread and fear than being there.

And I agree that The Ring was terrible...though I'm not sure how much I agree with you since you didn't give any reasons.

Saw is another film that I thought was quite clever. Especially since it was directed by someone barely older than myself! However, I would agree that it wasn't that scary..definately unnerving...but not scary. However, I think that one shouldn't discredit a film simply because it doesn't go for "traditional" scary. I think unnerving works just as well!

And trust me, coming from someone who owns, directs and produces their own haunted attraction, as well as assistant directs the number one haunted house in the entire east of the US, unnerving gets just as many people as "Boo!" ;)

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Somehow I just knew you were going to say this!

yes you knew, because I always speak the truth, even if I am wrong.

I think JoyRide was a terrific horror film, I think Jeeper's Creeper was effective, nothing grand, but it was effective.

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I actually agree with you on Jeepers Creepers. It kind of left me unsettled...but it was nothing amazing. It could have been a lot more...but just the general concept alone was enough to make it cool.

Another movie that didn't necessarily scare me now that I'm older is Evil Dead. But come on...who doesn't like Evil Dead? Bruce Campbell is awesome!

But I also have to mention that I absolutely loathe all of Wes Craven's films. I think Nightmare On Elm street was well thought out...but too cheesey. But now, whenever he's interviewed he seems to think that he's the "master of horror." That annoys me to no end. I must admit that Scream ONE was entertaining.

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I found The Texas Chainsaw Massacre to be quite unnerving, even before the movie was well underway (the monologue about the slaughterhouse). I must admit, though, that I did not sit through it, because I had a feeling it wasn't going to be my cup of tea. I'm not a big fan of bloody horror movies.

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That's really just an indirect way of saying, you buy into the preposterous post-modernist notion that everything can be explained through science. Demon possession can't be scary, because it doesn't actually exist, right? Spirits don't exist, etc etc.. In time you may discover otherwise.

Just because something doesn't exist doesn't mean it can't be scary. ;)

Marian - who considers both Blair Witch and Village severely underrated (but the former was a long time ago, so my recollection isn't that good... need to see it again).

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That's really just an indirect way of saying, you buy into the preposterous post-modernist notion that everything can be explained through science.

Please elaborate. Not talking about positivism?

I can't elaborate without breaking rule 4.

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