Scariest Film (not the most gory)

[Steve1956]

Original? Or De niro?

De Niro..what a fantastic actor....and the ending was brilliant....that's today's film sorted cheers Hunter.

[Rubstuds]

Another shout for the exorcist. Never watched it again.

[claptrappers_union]

An old school mate had a summer house style timber structure in his garden, mezzanine floor and fully decked out with electricity and sky tv. 4 or 5 of us stayed over one night and we watched this, definitely creeped us out. Pretty sure it will be lame if I watch it back.

In truth it’s a disappointing genre, the old ones are usually the best as they’re don’t rely on special effects and jumpy moments. I prefer the more psychological films like The Shining and Don’t Look Now. Can’t remember the last time I found a film scary though.

That said, I found the series The Haunting of Hill House ridiculously intense. If you haven’t seen this and want a scare then give this a watch.

With the Blair Witch, I realised I watched it accidentally in the best conditions, with no expectations, watching it alone and as a budding film student myself, I got really engrossed into the plot it because it was a realistic situation someone like me would get into. I think everyone who watched it before watched it with friends and probably didn’t ‘get it’.

The Shining is one of my favourite films and that Haunting of Hill House was excellent - episode six where it the episode was filmed in continuously is immense.

But the best horror films have good character development and a slow pace. People don’t want that these days so instead a horror film is judged on jump scares.

[Billy Balfour]

We were taking about this during a big family get together at our parents house last Christmas. Same as the OP, none of us went for gore and those pathetic slasher movies with crappy hammy actors. The Omen came out top. The Shining was second and the original Wicker Man was third. I wouldn't say we went for the most scariest. Just good films of their genre.

I like those ghost stories the BBC puts on over Christmas. I think they've been doing this for years and many are worth searching out on YouTube.

Also, our dad got the pee ripped out of him for saying that Daleks scared him when he was a kid. Now when he's being a pain we shout 'EXTERMINATE'. Yeah, I don't think we've grown up either.

[Hipper]

Cape fear great shout,great film.

Agreed - the original with Robert Mitchum.

Another Mitchum film was The Night of the Hunter, especially this bit at 0206:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4se5hr9O84

And there was Jaws of course.

[Bertiebeehead]

Poltergeist terrified me for years, also cocoon.

[Chester Perry]

Agreed - the original with Robert Mitchum.

Another Mitchum film was The Night of the Hunter, especially this bit at 0206:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4se5hr9O84

And there was Jaws of course.

Mitchum seems largely forgotten these days - incredibly good actor with a vast range of roles - he could do menace incredibly well without the use of some of the cartoon elements you see in De Niro's Cape Fear (which is still a good film btw)