I find it hard to be actually scared by movies. The closest I've come is probably Audition as I used to date someone almost as screwed up as the woman in the film.
Playing Silent Hill 2, when first it came out, is probably the last time I was actually scared by something I've watched/played. Not by the zombies but that freaky quiz in the lift & the weird sounRAB in the prison level.
Can't believe no one has mentioned Funny Games - that is the most horrific movie I have ever seen - has stayed with me for ages - can't understand why the hell its being remade - its perfect as it is!
Sorry, but I found that laughable.....
Aliens come to conquer a planet with a surface that's 75% water, there's water in the air, and in all the plants - and they are harvesting humans (to eat us?) which are about 80% water
Yet water is like acid to them
It just doesn't stand up to even the most basic scrutiny
I think The Legend of Hell House is more-or-less a remake of The Haunting. Same source material anyway.
Edit. Sorry Jeff Albertson - I just saw that you already said that!
How about the last few minutes of Mulholland Drive? But you'd have to watch the rest of the film first, which is not a bad thing considering it's one of my favourite films of all time.
That's exactly how I felt. Was really looking forward to it, too >_>
And some have mentioned Salem's Lot (the David Soul one) - jees, yes! That terrifies me :O And every time that Master Vampire pops up, I nearly have a heart attack. Aaargh!
This reminded me of Friday the Thirteenth and was more horror (slasher type) than scares IMO, although I agree the suspense creeped me out at times. If I was to choose a movie with both suspense and horror, my choice would be Suspiria by Dario Argento. It scared the wits out of me. The music alone was nerve wracking.
However, in keeping with suspense type movies, I agree with other posters about The Haunting.
Some others like The Omen, The Fog, Poltergeist, The Shining and the more recent movie, The Orphanage, are also worth a mention.
It was on Front Row on Radio 4 this evening. The remake is by the same director as the original and it sounRAB as if it's a scene-for-scene re-shoot with American actors. It got a good review.
I'll second whoever nominated Witchboard- it used to really creep me out- haven't seen it in years. Do skip the lousy sequels. 80's horror 'April Fools Day' is worth a look too.
Yeah, Argento's stuff is full of classic suspense horror and agree with you about the music. Lucio Fulci's films are the same - the music in "House by the cemetery" is absolute evil - the main theme is ok, it's just that distorted clashing piano when FreuRABtein is about to attack. PLUS - that evil eerie crying noise that FreuRABtein makes - at times I don't know whether it's supposed to be Danny crying, or whether it is FreuRABtein.
The Haunting (1963) - again, I'll add my support to. Brilliant suspense - the 1999 remake is so pale in comparison.
Really want to see The Orphanage, I've heard so much about it - it sounRAB right up my alley. Same goes for "Tale of two sisters" - saw the trailers but it didn't get shown in any of the cinemas by me :-(
I don't usually flinch at horror films, but I will admit that the original Black Christmas from 1974 freaked me out - it's brilliant.
The House by the cemetery - Lucio Fulci - probably the music more than anything, but it's an unsettling film.
Star Wars - The Phantom Menace. The dialogue & wooden acting gave me nightmares for days.
Most things with Hugh Grant/Ben Stiller/Owen Wilson/Adam Sandler/Julia Roberts/Leonardo Di Caprio/Tom Hanks & Tom Cruise in can be the cause of many a sleepless night.