What horror movie scared you the most?

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » October 2, 2007, 1:29 pm

I was talking with my co-workers and an odd trend emerged from those of us who enjoy horror movies and all things Halloween in general. We were all scared by something as a child and really didn't care for it at the time. However, as we've all grown into adulthood, we've been on a constant search for something that comes clse to that original scare. At least, that's my armchair view on things...

I will gladly start this topic off with my childhood movie memory.

John Carpenter's, The Thing.

I was 7 years old when that came out. I stayed up late and watched it without my parent's knowledge. If you have not seen this movie, it is a textbook example of what a 7 year old should never, ever, fucking see. Ever. It probably stuck in my head a good couple of weeks, and subconsciously for the next several years. I feel this film is a horror classic, for many reasons other than the fact it scared the bajesus out of me as a child. I still turn my head and cringe when the guy is trying to resuscitate his friend, when his stomach caves in, turns into teeth, and bits his hands off.

As an adult, I'm still sticking with The Ring. I think it was the combination of technology and horror that hit home with me. Oh yeah, scary kids. Those creep me out. I still remember my wife dragging me to the theater. The premise alone made me think it was going to be pure suck. Five minutes in, and I was actually feeling a bit scared, which is pretty rare for me. Too bad the sequel sucked ass.

Throughout the years, it's just been a constant search for another movie that will freak me out a bit. Of course, it's getting more difficult the older I get due in large part to being a jaded horror movie fan. Too much garbage out there!

Boogahz · Post by **Boogahz** » October 2, 2007, 1:38 pm

It

f@#k clowns!

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » October 2, 2007, 1:43 pm

Boogahz wrote:It

f@#k clowns!

Seriously, "It" was easily the most popuar choice for movies that fucking messed kids up. That was released in 1990, so I was a bit too old (15) to be scarred by it. It left quite an impact on any unfortuante young kids that happened to watch it!

Post by **Sylvus** » October 2, 2007, 1:47 pm

The movie It didn't scare me that much, but I actually had to stop reading the book for a few months and pick it up later. I think the movie was less scary because I'd read the book.

I remember Hellraiser scaring me when I was like 10 years old.

I also remember one night when I was like 12, my brother and his gf and I were watching Poltergeist and then some other horror movie. Neither of which scared me too badly. We lived out in the woods on a river, with big picture windows facing the river, and the driveway was on the other side of the house. My brother and his gf left to go out for the night (they were like 19), and I kept watching whatever the second horror movie was. About a half hour later, I hear this like "tap-tap-tap" noise on the glass window behind me. I'm a little spooked so I just continue watching the tv, and a minute later it happens again. This continues to happen, with me getting more and more scared, when I start hearing tapping on other windows around the house. By this point I'm freaking out and I go running through the house to my bedroom where I lock the door and hide in my bed. I was probably crying, I don't even remember. A minute later I hear someone come in the house and I'm absolutely flipping my shit, and I hear laughing and my brother calling my name. It turns out they just got in his car, drove like 1/4 mile down our driveway, parked the car, and sneaked back to scare me. What an asshole! It worked though.

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » October 2, 2007, 2:09 pm

"It" the movie didn't scare me anywhere near as much as the book, because the movie was made for tv and they cut a lot out of it. That and I have never had an issue with clowns like it seems so many people do.

I think that for some reason candyman probably scared me the most when I was little. It didn't help that when I was watching it (I was probably somewhere in the 6-8 range) my dad came running into the room with this mask he had on that always scared the shit out of me.

Fash · Post by **Fash** » October 2, 2007, 2:12 pm

All I remember is having nightmares after watching Howard the Duck.

Aabidano · Post by **Aabidano** » October 2, 2007, 2:25 pm

Two episodes of Night Gallery. One where the guy had to keep his house refrigerated and another where bigger and bigger spiders kept coming out of the sink every day.

Boogahz · Post by **Boogahz** » October 2, 2007, 2:27 pm

I too read It before watching It. The book messed me up enough for the movie to be listed here

Hesten · Post by **Hesten** » October 2, 2007, 2:30 pm

Sadly, the movie i reacted most strongly about when i was a kid wasnt a horror movie at all.
It was the cartoon version of Tintin: The Seven Crystal Balls.

That mummy was mean, its the only nightmare i can still remember as an adult, i dreamt the mummy would come and make me go to sleep too.

rhyae · Post by **rhyae** » October 2, 2007, 3:39 pm

I saw The Exorcist when I was 9.
BIG mistake.

Leonaerd · Post by **Leonaerd** » October 2, 2007, 3:48 pm

I love horror movies but they scare me shitless every time. I'm a real weenie. The scariest two have been The Grudge 2 (yes I know it's horrible) and The Descent. Brrrrrr.

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » October 2, 2007, 3:51 pm

The descent was the first movie that actually scared me in a long, long time.

Lalanae · Post by **Lalanae** » October 2, 2007, 3:57 pm

I agree with most of you guys about It. I read the book and it scared the fuck out of me. Never had that happen before or since. The TV movie paled in comparison.

I generally stay away from horror films because I've always been easy to scare and I don't particulary like being scared. The Ring probably would be my choice, although the first Nightmare on Elm street was pretty scary too.

Truant · Post by **Truant** » October 2, 2007, 4:04 pm

Mine will be a bit odd. As a kid I loved horror flicks. (I still do, even the bad ones). My mother had let me rent literally every film in the horror section at our local store (pre blockbuster days!) before I was 10. None ever really scared me or gave me nightmares or anything. I just enjoyed them.

The first (only, now that I think about it) film I remember scaring the shit out of me was Flatliners. I was 9 when that flick came out, and I literally was scared to fucking death by that flick. I remember crying and not finishing it the first time, but I made myself sit through it the second time. The third time, I was good to go.

Also, I'm not 'scared' of clowns per se, but I definately don't like them. Were I to be harassed by a clown at a bar, there's a good chance I'd put myself in jail for the night for punching the clown.

Spang · Post by **Spang** » October 2, 2007, 4:49 pm

I don't remember the name of the movie, I was about 4 or 5 years old. A kid was lying in bed and had a stuffed clown sitting on a chair infront of his bed. The camera would focus its attention back and forth from the clown and the kid. Eventually the clown would disappear and grab the kid from under the bed and I think the kid died.
For a long time after seeing that, I always thought something would reach out from under my bed and get me.

I don't think horror films scare me much anymore but they can be very disturbing. Wolf Creek has probably come the closest.

Neziroth · Post by **Neziroth** » October 2, 2007, 6:37 pm

Mostly I was afraid of the "Unsolved Mysteries" show where people were abducted by aliens, especially the ones who were sleeping in their beds when it happened...

...a bed is supposed to be safe, or at least that was my logic as a kid.

Anyhow, I'm impressed with myself for the logic I came up with as a kid that was my "go to thought" to make myself feel better, and that was:

"Seeing that show didn't make it any more likely to happen to me, it could have happened before this so I'm freaking out for nothing"

Not bad for a young kid, eh?

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » October 2, 2007, 6:54 pm

The only movie I ever walked out on was The Late Great Planet Earth when I was a kid. It dealt primarily with Nostradamus' predictions and other upcoming predicted disasters. I saw it in 1979 when I was very young. Talked about New York going up in flamed, war in the Middle East, Killer Bees in the Southwest U.S. It scared me.

Next up is worldwide famine and more war in the middle east with some nukes thrown in.

It also had some off the mark predictions but as a pre-teen kid, I was impressionable, and believed it all, just like when religious parents tell their kids there is a God.

Truant · Post by **Truant** » October 2, 2007, 7:03 pm

Spang wrote:I don't remember the name of the movie, I was about 4 or 5 years old. A kid was lying in bed and had a stuffed clown sitting on a chair infront of his bed. The camera would focus its attention back and forth from the clown and the kid. Eventually the clown would disappear and grab the kid from under the bed and I think the kid died.
For a long time after seeing that, I always thought something would reach out from under my bed and get me.

I don't think horror films scare me much anymore but they can be very disturbing. Wolf Creek has probably come the closest.

Sounds like Poultergeist to me.

Drinsic Darkwood · Post by **Drinsic Darkwood** » October 2, 2007, 10:14 pm

I loved horror films as a child... I can't think of very many that really scared me. The only films that really stand out are The Exorcist and Poltergeist. I was 5 or 6 when I saw both of them, and the night I watched Poltergeist I absolutely could not look at the closet door while trying to sleep. And fuck clowns. And trees.

laneela · Post by **laneela** » October 2, 2007, 10:24 pm

For me, it's between:

Killer Clowns From Outer Space

and

The Phantom Tollbooth

masteen · Post by **masteen** » October 3, 2007, 1:12 am

Johnny Quest - The Invisible Monster. Monster that fed on energy, including that in the human body. Freaked me the fuck out. I had to sleep with a light on for years after that (because the monster would go for the energy from the light, thus giving me time to escape). My parents thought I was afraid of the dark.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzHtijK4A5o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjWS2RDJJMc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mVlMA2Kt0E

Siji · Post by **Siji** » October 3, 2007, 1:31 am

Leonaerd wrote:I love horror movies but they scare me shitless every time. I'm a real weenie. The scariest two have been The Grudge 2 (yes I know it's horrible) and The Descent. Brrrrrr.

The Descent I could understand, but The Grudge 2? Seriously? The Grudge I could even understand.. that movie made me jump like none had in a long time. But not #2.. that movie just sucks.

For me, the last movie that really got under my skin was The Blair Witch Project. This was before it was actually released in theaters and all you could watch was a somewhat grainy version on your computer. At that time, they were doing the whole 'true story' thing with it, and it was just freaky.

Post by **pyrella** » October 3, 2007, 1:42 am

Siji wrote:
Leonaerd wrote:I love horror movies but they scare me shitless every time. I'm a real weenie. The scariest two have been The Grudge 2 (yes I know it's horrible) and The Descent. Brrrrrr.
The Descent I could understand, but The Grudge 2? Seriously? The Grudge I could even understand.. that movie made me jump like none had in a long time. But not #2.. that movie just sucks.

For me, the last movie that really got under my skin was The Blair Witch Project. This was before it was actually released in theaters and all you could watch was a somewhat grainy version on your computer. At that time, they were doing the whole 'true story' thing with it, and it was just freaky.

I had that same copy! I was in my first apartment, and there were a ton of trees outside my window. First and last movie that has ever scared the living shit out of me.

Legenae · Post by **Legenae** » October 3, 2007, 2:08 am

When I was in the second grade, I was at a birthday sleep over at a classmates house. One of the movies they rented was (I believe) the second Amityville movie. That really scared me. Also the Nightmare on Elm Street (the earlier ones) was pretty scary when I was a kid. Oh, and IT.

I didn't watch the Exorcist until I was in college. Even then it freaked me out a bit.

redeemed · Post by **redeemed** » October 3, 2007, 5:35 am

the first movie to "scare" me was actually E.T. The scene where elliot finds him in the yard with the flashlight and ET freaks out and screams scared me as a little girl. the first movie to really freak me out was gremlins, I thought those little suckers were gonna pop out of my heating ducts at any time.. their size scared me the most because they could be anywhere ;p
as an adult I've been scared a few times.. mostly if I see something in the theater. when I saw pan's labyrinth I was *gripping* my guy's leg during the scene with the creepy eyes-in-hands creature. and when I saw 1408 in theater I actually let out a quick scream when the dude is crawling through the ventilation ducts and that man/thing just pops up in his face..
but being scared is fun! (but not when you're little I guess)

Bojangels · Post by **Bojangels** » October 3, 2007, 7:57 am

Care Bears Movie. There was this evil spirit in a book that mind controlled people and made them go crazy and fight each other. Pretty fuggin scary for Care Bears.

Canelek · Post by **Canelek** » October 3, 2007, 11:30 am

Like many.... as a kid:

Poltergeist
Someone describing Alien to me (I was too young to see when it was in theaters)

Somewhat recent---
Probably the best and most genuine horror flick in several years--The Descent (fucking brilliant)

runner up...

Event Horizon

As far as 'It'--yeah, the mini series could not do the book justice--the book was just scary as all fuckall.

Bubba Grizz · Post by **Bubba Grizz** » October 3, 2007, 12:52 pm

As a kid the movie was Prince of Darkness. The ending freaked me out.

As an adult, Event Horizon. Still freaks me out. Along with the Hell Raiser series.

cadalano · Post by **cadalano** » October 3, 2007, 2:12 pm

save yourself.......

... from hell

i found a lot of event horizon to be sub-par but that is a great movie moment.

Leonaerd · Post by **Leonaerd** » October 3, 2007, 2:19 pm

Ooooh event horizon... with the log... brrrr

Moonwynd · Post by **Moonwynd** » October 3, 2007, 2:49 pm

When I was a kid there was a movie called Suspiria:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8zbV_fFkYs

That trailer scared the crap out of me. I eventually saw the movie years later - although it didn't have the same effect as the trailer did on me:

Scene from Suspiria > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6zJGUUiG0c

Sywauja · Post by **Sywauja** » October 3, 2007, 5:47 pm

Like a few others here, I loved horror movies as a kid. I watched Poltergeist, It, Child's Play, The Omen, The Blob, Pet Cemetary, The Shining, Nightmare on Elm Street. The only one that sticks out in my mind that really scared me was some lame movie I don't know the name of that I found while flipping through channels late at night about this evil rocking horse these people couldn't get rid of.

That and one night after watching TV, I was joking around. It was dark in the room, and as soon as we'd turned off the TV, I put my hands on it like in Poltergeist. Well, of course it starts glowing around my hands, which freaked me out for a second and made me jump, but by I was old enough at that point to have a good laugh about it.

I still like creepy/macabre stuff though.

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » October 3, 2007, 5:57 pm

cadalano wrote:save yourself.......

... from hell

i found a lot of event horizon to be sub-par but that is a great movie moment.

liberate tutemae ex inferis!

I did like Event Horizon, I would watch it tonight if someone hadn't stole it from me.

Kwonryu DragonFist · Post by **Kwonryu DragonFist** » October 4, 2007, 6:15 am

Just like the threadstarter, the horror movie that scared me the most was The Thing, since i saw it when i was young.

I was covering my face with a pillow when certain scenes started (dogpen etc).

The thing started my hunger for good horror though.

But unfortunately, i never felt that feeling or experience again while watching horrormovies.
Still love watching them though, but i cannot return to that boy who sat in that sofa hiding behind a pillow, even though i try to be really scared.

Maybe they just dont make horrormovies like before or im too old.

-

Number two was Prince of Darkness, saw it late night on the cinema with a pal when younger.

After the movie we had to walk home in the dreaded night and a weird sound coming from a bush (was prolly a cat or something) scared us to heck and we ran like the boogeyman was after us.

Not sure if it was the Prince of Darkness that made an impression or just scary youngsters imagining things in the night.

Was a scary moment though. It could've been a cat but i still ain't sure since it sounded veeery strange. We thought it was a witch or something.

Deward · Post by **Deward** » October 4, 2007, 9:33 am

I remember seeing The original Amityville Horror at the drive-in. We were there to see a different movie but my brother and I were walking around to the other screens. We got to that movie just as the window crashed down on the kids fingers.

Not sure why but Serpent and the Rainbow scared the shit out of me. I woke up puking in the night all over my aunt's brand-new couch. I felt pretty bad about that couch. Not sure what scared me because I watched it years later and wasn't scared.

Other than that no movies really scare me. I just watch them for the special effects anymore. You can always tell nowadays when something is going to happen. The directors just aren't that creative anymore.

rhyae · Post by **rhyae** » October 4, 2007, 10:02 am

Does anyone remember Westworld? Came out in the early 70's, one of Michael Crichtons first efforts. It was basically Jurassic Park with robots:
Expensive theme park, robots that malfuntion, they shut down the power grid, get trapped in the control room, robots running amok killing everyone.
Yul Brenner with his melted robot face gave me nightmares for years.
etc etc etc

Siji · Post by **Siji** » October 4, 2007, 12:52 pm

rhyae wrote:Does anyone remember Westworld? Came out in the early 70's, one of Michael Crichtons first efforts. It was basically Jurassic Park with robots:
Expensive theme park, robots that malfuntion, they shut down the power grid, get trapped in the control room, robots running amok killing everyone.
Yul Brenner with his melted robot face gave me nightmares for years.
etc etc etc

Loved that movie.. would like to see a modern remake done of it.

Hesten · Post by **Hesten** » October 4, 2007, 1:01 pm

rhyae wrote:Does anyone remember Westworld? Came out in the early 70's, one of Michael Crichtons first efforts. It was basically Jurassic Park with robots:
Expensive theme park, robots that malfuntion, they shut down the power grid, get trapped in the control room, robots running amok killing everyone.
Yul Brenner with his melted robot face gave me nightmares for years.
etc etc etc

Of course, Yul Brynner was evil in that movie

Oh, and for remake, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0475784

Nothing decided yet though, doubt itll be remade. On the other hand, they made the Wicker Man, so theyll probably remake Westworld, and make it be a female zombie robot running amok in Disneyland

Jarori Bloodletter · Post by **Jarori Bloodletter** » October 4, 2007, 2:08 pm

Wizard of OZ when I was 9..some uh 40 yrs ago..

Lalanae · Post by **Lalanae** » October 4, 2007, 2:22 pm

Westworld

It didn't scare me but it had good creep factor. Of course I didn't see it until I was about 20-ish, so it might have scared me if I saw it as a kid.

Abelard · Post by **Abelard** » October 5, 2007, 3:38 pm

Motherfucking Ernest Scared Stupid. I shit you not. That scene when the little kid hears a noise, checks underneath his bed to see if anything is there, and then comes back up to go to sleep .. and you see that troll behind him..

I couldn't sleep on my side for YEARS after that, because of some sick fear that the troll would sneak up behind me..

The funny thing is that I brought this very movie up during halloween a few years ago and there were loads of other people my age who felt the same way, haha.

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » October 5, 2007, 4:12 pm

Abelard wrote:Motherfucking Ernest Scared Stupid. I shit you not. That scene when the little kid hears a noise, checks underneath his bed to see if anything is there, and then comes back up to go to sleep .. and you see that troll behind him..

I couldn't sleep on my side for YEARS after that, because of some sick fear that the troll would sneak up behind me..

The funny thing is that I brought this very movie up during halloween a few years ago and there were loads of other people my age who felt the same way, haha.

The movie "The Gate" scared me pretty damn bad when I was little for a similar reason. Kid gets out of bed and some and things under her bed start grabbing at her ankles.. That movie really freaked me out..

Mawafu · Post by **Mawafu** » October 5, 2007, 11:38 pm

Rosemary's Baby

Scared me so bad as a kid I would freak out years later just from hearing the music..

CrazyMe · Post by **CrazyMe** » October 6, 2007, 12:38 am

I watch the exorcist @ a very young age. I am still traumatized by her. Whenever I see stairs I can only go up them but never down the stairs by myself or in the dark because i think that she is going to chase me with her spider walk.

and whenever i see people that look like the exorcist chick, i get creeped out.

i see her as an evil creature but i know that she was possessed by an evil spirit, but she just looked so f*ed up!

I've seen the movie a few time but of course i don't really watch it...but it sucks though becaue even if i hear the movie playing even with out watching it i can play the movie in my head..

i should go see a therapist.haha