Is there such a thing as a scary movie?

[Tallim]

I'm always on the lookout for decent horror movies to watch but I find that most of them are amusing at best rather than scary or unnerving.

Asian cinema seems to be rather good at the genre without stooping to cheap scares or gore.

My question is what horror/thrillers are creepy or scary enough to be worth watching, or have really interesting ideas in?

 

[Gotham Soul]

Although I personally found it boring, slow, and a bit idiotic, I know a lot of people liked Paranormal Activity and you might like it too.

For maximum effect, turn all the lights off and watch it alone.

 

[Zacharine]

Yes there are.

the Ring is one of these. Damn, the ending made me want to pirate the movie, burn it to a disk, and then show to a friend of mine. Not because the movie was good (it was), but because I wanted to avoid even the slightest hint of a possibility that there was a taste of a smidgen of a hint of truth in the movie...

Yeah, it was that scary. I'm fairly rational, and do not believe in anything supernatural, and Ring took it, threw it out of the window and slapped me in the face repeatedly during those two hours it lasted...

 

[Tallim]

Well, it's very possible that you just don't find horror films scary. Some people just don't.

As for things to watch, The Human Centipede is a good piece of body horror, Alien is very tense, Manhunter is a nice psychological horror, and Jacobs Ladder is incredibly disturbing.

I can't think of anything else off the top of my head.

Jacob's Ladder is one of my favourite films. Audition was quite disturbing too.

 

[DocBalance]

1408 is some awesome psychological horror. It won't be the cheap "AAAAAH BLOOD RUNS DOWN THE WAAAAAALLLLS" scary, it's pure concept horror. This does come with the caveat that it's at it's peak when you are really thinking the situations out and putting yourself in them. I love it, personally.

 

[Tallim]

Yes there are.

the Ring is one of these

I hope you mean the original and not the remake, I have all 3 on DVD.

 

[SplashyAxis]

I really, really liked The Descent, it's quite a good horror movie, especially if you're claustrophobic. It has some genuine scares, one of the only movies I've seen I would classify as scary.

A sequel came out last year, straight to DVD I think, but you really need not bother with that.

 

[Just Craig]

It is a thin line between scary and campy, and finding good horror movies is difficult.
What's more, what scares some people makes others roar with laughter...

Anyway, you could always try the movie Teeth.
It manages to be both very unsettling and funny at the same time.

 

[The Maddest March Hare]

I'd say no, there aren't any truly scary horrors out there. At least not for me. Even in the most chilling, psychologically damaging scenes I stay aware that there is a camera between me and the action, and that it is all scripted.

That and the fact that many horrors are more based on shock value, and after a while the effect wears off.

 

[Lionsfan]

I've yet to see a movie that has actually scared me. I guess I'm too much of a practical person, I know way too many tropes to actually like the characters

That and the fact that many horrors are more based on shock value, and after a while the effect wears off.

Agreed, maybe the first one gets you, but not really because nowadays you can always tell since the music will be dramatic...and then just stop for some tense "scared" breathing before the shock

 

[countwiggles]

To the best of my knowlage no i have seen all the listed above movies didnt effect me at all. I mean people say "it" ist the scaryist movie of all time but its no more then a childs horror. I watched that "let the right ones in" movie it was more of a story then horror.
If you know any one or suggestions please tll me.

 

[countwiggles]

Yes there are.

the Ring is one of these...Yeah, it was that scary.

The Ring was interesting, if bit predictable. The Ring 2 was a horrible abomination that should have never been made.

Spoiler

Oops, forgot to put the top back on the well. Thank god we could turn that into a 2 hour movie...

As for scary movies, I can't think of any off hand. I tend to suffer the same problem and laugh through them. Always find myself rooting for the bad guy anyways.

wait wait wait we can turn it into 3 two hour movies

 

[Drakmeire]

I was pretty freaked out but David Lynch's "Eraserhead"
almost all of the scenes in the movie come out of nowhere and the disoriented nature of the whole experience feels like a nightmare in which you have no control.

 

[Fusoiya]

Although I personally found it boring, slow, and a bit idiotic, I know a lot of people liked Paranormal Activity and you might like it too.

For maximum effect, turn all the lights off and watch it alone.

Dude this movie is awesome if you watch it at midnight and with your bro's and some girls, I can't even remember the movie because I was beeing smuttered to death by the boozems of screaming girls xD

 

[Just_A_Glitch]

The Orphanage is probably my favorite horror/psychological thriller film probably. If you get a chance, and don't mind subtitles, watch it and you're bound to enjoy it.

Really, a film can't really be scary unless its got a mind-fuck element to it. Its gotta be something that makes you think about what's going on, draw your own conclusions, and imagine what you'll actually do in that situation. And that's something The Orphanage does really well.

 

[Tjebbe]

I've yet to see a movie that has actually scared me. I guess I'm too much of a practical person, I know way too many tropes to actually like the characters

That and the fact that many horrors are more based on shock value, and after a while the effect wears off.

Agreed, maybe the first one gets you, but not really because nowadays you can always tell since the music will be dramatic...and then just stop for some tense "scared" breathing before the shock

That's mostly for 'hollywood' type horror (though it is seen elsewhere). IMHO eastern horror (korea, japan, etc), is much more about setting a genuinely creepy atmosphere, which is (even more IMHO) much better.

Oh and don't know if you count it as scary or horror, but I recently saw À l'intérieur (A l'interieur, it seems the forum doesn't handle iso8859-1 well), which might be the most disturbing film I've seen in years.