Content Warning: This article contains graphic references and discussions of racism
Now that horror auteur Jordan Peele is returning to the big screen with his new film Nope, audiences are guaranteed to get a healthy dose of terror that will send them fleeing from the theater. The horror genre has spooked viewers since the beginning of film history, but certain movies have found a way to scare as much of their audience as possible.
Whether its supernatural horror like in The Conjuring, or downright gross films like The Human Centipede 2, some films push viewers to their absolute breaking point. Though there are many classic chillers, users on Ranker took to the site to vote for the films that they were too scared to finish watching.
It (1990)
Generally considered one of Stephen King's best TV adaptations, It attempted to capture one of the author's densest tomes. Set in the 1960s and 1990s, a group of friends band together to stop a mysterious and deadly being that manifests itself as a clown named Pennywise.
Essentially sparking the "scary clown" phase of horror, King's story featured a wide variety of interesting characters and freaky scenes. Because so many viewers saw It when they were younger, a lot of the scariest moments have stuck with fans over three decades since the TV movie's release.
The Green Inferno (2013)
Attempting to recreate the magic of classic grindhouse horror films like Cannibal Holocaust, Eli Roth's The Green Inferno took its horrors to the jungles of the Amazon. A group of student activists travel to South America to protest the destruction of the rainforest and quickly find themselves captured by the indigenous peoples who live there.
While some horror movies are hard to get through due to their terrifying nature, this was not completely true for The Green Inferno. Instead, many people struggled to finish it due to its controversial elements (including how the movie depicted indigenous peoples and their culture). Some also struggled to get through it for its excessive violence and weak plot. While Eli Roth has certainly made some memorable horror movies in the past, this was definitely not his best work.
Hereditary (2018)
Bursting on the scene as one of the most original horror films in years, Hereditary was as cinematic as it was terrifying. While dealing with the death of the matriarch, a grieving family is plagued by a series of horrific, and possibly supernatural events.
While also making subtle statements about grief and loss, director Ari Aster delivered some of horror cinema's scariest moments. Pulling its inspiration from many film sources, Hereditary builds its tension slowly until the entire thing explodes in a shower of surreal horror, with a ghostly slant. What makes the film so scary is that it finds many ways to frighten its audience, and the viewer is constantly kept guessing as to what will happen next.
Ringu (1998)
While most fans are familiar with the American remake from several years later, Ringu stands head and shoulders above its copy. A journalist and her husband fall down a dark rabbit hole while investigating a mysterious videotape that is said to kill the person that watches it within seven days.
With its unique, J-Horror style, Ringu slowly builds its creepy tension until the viewer is practically crawling in their seat with fright. The film combines its slow pace with shocking moments of terror keep the audience off-balance throughout. One of the scariest aspects of the film is that the locations are all very plain and it is clear that the events of the story could happen anywhere.
Ju-On: The Grudge (2002)
Proving to be one of the best Japanese horror films of all time, Ju-on: The Grudge pushed the boundaries of what was possible in supernatural horror. A volunteer social worker is assigned to look into a case and finds that she is haunted by a vengeful spirit that resides in the house she visited.
Drawing its ghost designs from Japanese folklore, The Grudge's terrifying spirits are quite simple and yet effective. Using sound, along with visuals, the film ratchets up the terror by introducing frightening children. The film was so effective with its terror that even the watered down, American remake is horrifying.
The Conjuring (2013)
Supposedly drawing its story from the case files of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, The Conjuring added another dimension to the supernatural. Called to help out, two noted paranormal researchers attempt to free a family from a supernatural force that is occupying their farmhouse.
Combining elements of ghost stories with demonic possession, The Conjuring opened the door to a whole new cinematic world of terror. While its sequels went in strange directions, the original film is down-to-earth with its approach and slowly builds suspense throughout. Using the medium of film to showcase strange and frightening visuals, the film is a slow burn with a big payoff.
Insidious (2010)
Taking the ghost story in new directions was a difficult task, but Insidious quickly proved it was still possible to showcase an entirely new vision in horror. A family recruits a psychic's help when they begin to suspect that their comatose son may be trapped in a frightening netherworld known as The Further.
Variety is the name of the game when it comes to Insidious, and the movie provides a wealth of frightening ghosts throughout. Not relying exclusively on one character design, the ghouls in the film are numerous, and each reflects certain primal fears that the audience has. Building slowly, the film's climax plunges the viewer into the terrifying world of The Further for even more chills.
The Descent (2005)
Monsters are scary enough, but by adding in an element of claustrophobia to its mix, The Descent proved to be a terrifying tale. A group of friends go on a spelunking expedition through a series of caves. Things take a dark turn when they are trapped inside and find themselves pursued by a group of subterranean human-like predators.
Benefiting from its creepy uses of sound, The Descent is best enjoyed in silence and will surely have the audience's skin-crawling throughout. The film is essentially a tale of two horrors as the first half plays on many viewers' fears of confined spaces, and second on more primal fears of death.
The Exorcist (1973)
When discussing the scariest films of all time, one movie has consistently been in the conversation since its release. The Exorcist is the story of a young girl named Reagan who is possessed by a demon and must be exorcised by a grieving priest and a mysterious priest, who is an expert in demons.
Every aspect of The Exorcist is dripping with fright, from its creepy soundtrack to the horrifying visual of a possessed little girl. Director William Friedkin's realistic style of filmmaking only helps to add to the terror as things go from bad to worse throughout. While the stories were conflated for promotional purposes, The Exorcist had viewers literally running from the theaters in terror when it was first released.
The Human Centipede 2 (2011)
Coming as a follow-up to the ultimate dare film, The Human Centipede, the sequel brought things into reality like no other horror franchise had before. Inspired by the fictional story from the first film, a desperate loner concocts a plan of kidnapping and murder in order to recreate the fictional doctor's evil deeds.
Given that the movie is banned in several countries, including the UK, for being "potentially obscene and sexually violent" (via The Hollywood Reporter), it's not surprising that some struggle to even go near the movie. Not only had the first movie been deemed controversial because of its excessive violence and unnecessary graphic images but even critics struggled to review it (including Roger Ebert). It's certainly not a movie that fans will be rewatching in a hurry.