Top 5 Movies That Scared the Hell Out of Me
Oct 3, 2009 by Ross MillerIt’s October, the month where our thoughts turn to Halloween and scary movies – here’s one list of films that scared the heck out of one of our writers.
1. The Descent (2005)
Like with [REC], anyone who’s read Screen Rant for a while will find it no surprise that number 1 on my list is Neil Marshall’s horror masterpiece, The Descent. It features an all-female cast (despite one guy at the beginning for a few minutes) and has what I think is some of most well-judged atmosphere to ever grace the big-screen. It starts off with the terrible death of our main character’s (Sarah) husband and daughter which sets in motion our ability to feel sorry and connect to the character, meaning that we actually care about what happens to her as the film goes on. As we do for the rest of the cast – it’s very rare for us in horror movies to care what happens to what are essentially “meat for the killer” but Marshall manages it with ease.
One of the great things about The Descent is that even though it’s essentially a “creature feature,” it’s scary BEFORE we even get to the monsters. For a good 45 minutes we are subjected to what seems likes endless caves of darkness, almost unbearable claustrophobia and hints of what could be lurking in the shadows. The tables definitely turn once the monsters (“Crawlers” as they’re billed as) are introduced, but it’s really something when a horror can be two types in one and for that to work out so well.
Scariest Scene/Moment: A couple of scary moments of note is when Sarah is trapped in one of the narrower passageways that lead from one cave to another and suddenly it starts to collapse, and when the night-vision gets turned on and we see the Crawlers feeding. But the crowning moment has to be when we first get a look at the Crawlers: the group of women find their way to an fairly open part of the cave that has paths leading off in directions all around and suddenly, out of nowhere, one of the Crawlers appears, standing upright and looming over one of the women. I remember when I first watched the movie I literally had to pause it because of how much I jumped at that moment. What ensues is a bloody, messy and crazed attack from the Crawlers on the women, some managing to fight them off and run away, while others are not so lucky and get killed or injured. Truly terrifying stuff that’s just one of the reasons The Descent sits comfortably at number 1 on my list.
Five Honorable Mentions: Ju-on, Dumplings, Inland Empire, Rosemary’s Baby, Psycho
Well, there you have it, my list of top 5 movies that scared the hell out of me. I’d love to hear your thoughts on my list: Do you agree or disagree? Am I a big wuss or was I right to be scared by those mentioned? What is YOUR list of movies that scared the hell out of YOU? Let us know in the comments below.
Look out for more Halloween related articles from Screen Rant on the road to October 31st.
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the ring, hellraisers & aliens were VERY scary!!
Anyone that hasn’t seen “Midnight Meat Train” should rent it or buy it yesterday,,,
Best horror film in years,,, Clive Barker’s best film, better then Hellraiser!
@790
i loved midnight meat train… I was actually watching it last night but i never found it scary… Just purely awesome.
Yeah it wasn’t scary it was intense. Just thought I’d mention it Jago.
When I see horror films these days they have to have more then Zombies and throw away lines like, “Nut up or shut up!”
Don’t be fooled by the title, “Midnight Meat Train” has one hell of a story and a mind blowing ending.
@790
Warning Possible Spoiler!!!
Or better said mind blowing start…lol… I love that movie.
i guess i will have to rent that one.
Exorcist!!!
Watched it when I was 15 in boarding school along with about 20 deeply religious guys. After the movie, honest to god, I could hear a few guys praying in the middle of the night.
Funnily enough I was the one who chose what we were gonna hire that day.
I have put alot of thought into my child about whatmovies actuall scared and came up with this.
5. Nightmare on elm street.(the blood pooring out of the bed)
4. friday the 13th (when he kills them while lying under the bed and sticking the spear through the bed and then through there neck)
3.hellraiser( always had a thing with pinhead, he was just creeepy)
2. jaws( I lived on a beach and would never go much deeper than waist deep, with out being uber paranoid0
1. pet cemetery ( gage coming out and slicing the achilles tendon and biting his neck, i was like nine when i snuck it from my dad [stephen king fanboy] and watched it. slept on the couch for weeks because i would not go near a bed that gage could hide under.
Oooh the movie that scared the crap to stay in my body was ” Candy Man”… I was only able to use the bathroom in places like the theater and walmart and such. Places where other people where in the bathroom as well because my bathroom looked just like the one the protagonist had in the movie… Same color even( not the crap, the bathroom).
In The Mouth of Madness terrifies me in the same way the shining does, watching Sam Neill’s descent into true insanity. Kinda like his performance in Event Horizon.
If anyone wants to watch a truly unsettling movie that you will never ever in your entire life forget, search for a movie called Possession, it stars a very young Sam Neill, and the plot well… I couldnt even begin to explain it. It isnt easy to find uncut except from Canada and France. Look for it.
the ring
I also loved The Descent. It was chilly even before the creatures and to this day I’ve never seen a more chilling movie. It’s a shame the American ending was different to the European one, the latter is the one i watched and it was exactly like my worst nightmare.
Saw “Trick r Treat” this morning ( came out today) and it was pretty cool… Had a couple of jumpscares that got me as well too.
The best thing about The Descent is becoming one with the darkness.
I have to
disagreestrongly disagree with Robb saying that the Mick Garris directed mini-series of The Shining is “vastly inferior”. Sure, I like Stanley Kubrick’s version too, but the miniseries from the 90′s is better than what Robb implies.As to my five, I have to go from five to one.
5. When I was young i caught an edited for TV version of Joe Dante’s Pirhana…I had a few nightmares over the opening scene where that fish eye flutters, then the guy says “stop tickling down there”. Then the mutant fish munch him up and then his girlfriend. It’s not the fact that they were fish food; it was the fact that they had “the appetizer” first, y’know? And then it was munching on the old man’s ankles…and the chewing on the river raft. Years pass, I realize how much I loved the corny film.
4. Chloë Sevigny’s acid bath in 1998′s noir thriller “Palmetto”
3. Angus Scrimm throwing kiddies in a giant meat grinder in “Mindwarp” (1992)
2. The Satanic ritual/conspiracy at the end of Janet Greek’s 1988 film “Spellbinder” (Dude’s heart is not just broken, it is cut out by the woman he wanted to rescue; his best friend is also part of the coven )
1. I’m so tempted to say Batman & Robin ALL OF IT. But that’s an easy target, so I’ll go with an unlikely choice. Patrick Muldoon getting his brains sucked out by the Brain Bug in 1997′s “Starship Troopers”.
Notice that, understandably, The Exorcist is on most people’s list. Well I certainly recommend the book by William Peter Blatty. Absolutely terrifying. I’ve read all my books at least three times, bar that one. And I’m in no rush to again.
And I’m 36.
@John “Kahless” Taylor
I am glad to know that others find the TV “Salem’s Lot” from the 70s scary. I was probably 6 or 7 years old when I walked into my dad’s studio (he was an artist) and he had it on a little black and white TV in there while he was working on a painting.
It was the “Look at me, teacher.” scene. It gave me nightmares for like a week. My dad rushed me out of the room when he saw me in the doorway. I didn’t see the film in its entirety until high school. I now own it and it is a favorite.
It still scares the CRAP out of me to this day. And I am 25.
1st time i saw the original amityville horror (@ a young age)
for like 2 weeks after i saw it i refuzed to look windows at night afraid id see glowing red eyes peers through the windows at me.
Lol
other than that nothing really frightend me.
i’ve got to much Vulcan in me.
oh and ‘Arachnophobia’
i hate Spiders!
This is a tough list there are plenty of good scares or great moments. So like many I have to define my movies by a fear or dread that lasted days and by whether I am still spooked at the prospect of watching them again. In no particular order:
The Exorcist
Hellraiser
In The Mouth Of Madness
Night Of The Living Dead
The Ring
Anyone remeber Prince Of Darkness by John Carpenter? That movie is creepy and gets an honerable mention in my book.
The Shining
Saw
The Ring Two (in my opinion scarier than the first)
1.Exorcist
2.Evil Dead
3.Ring
4.Jeepers Creepers
5.Bramstokers “Dracula” by Francis Ford Coppola
Oh yeah, “The Others” was pretty scary too!Lol!
Horror movies ,scary films are not my type of movies to watch , but i have seen a few ( in my younger days)here is my list:
Exorcit: i couldnt sleep hardly a wink for atleast a week
nightmare on elm street: those claws
Alien: the cheast bursting scene OMFG
Fantasia: ( i know disney ) but as a kid it scared the pee out of me, when the devil/monster came over the mountains, still wont watch it now
Halloween: for no good reason just a scry ass movie still
Saw a vampire movie when I was 10 – didnt sleep properly for 6 months. My older sister came towards me in the back yard one night, with a dressing gown over her head, arms out and hissing. I fell over, nearly fainted, then grabbed a shovel and came close to knocking her head off, at which point she revealed her true (and very scary) self. I think the movie was “Vampire Lovers”. I seem to remember signifcant cleavage being shown as well.
oh yes, the missery.. it an abnormal movie, yet, drawn me to something scary-thrill feeling..
and the REC #1 is really get under ur skin.. #2 is so boring.. and strange..
Great post. I’m a fan of the Clive Barker – Hellraiser series myself.