The Descent

15 Horror Fans On The Scariest Movie They’ve Ever Seen

Updated 3 years ago, January 31 2022
Spooky

If you truly want to watch a horrifyingly scary movie–one that will keep you up at night for weeks on end–ask horror fans. Most people who watch horror regularly have become desensitized to it, very rarely getting creeped out by what’s playing out onscreen. But if a movie scares even the most diehard horror fans, then you know it’s going to haunt your life. The next time you want to watch something especially spooky, try these suggestions from horror fans on reddit.

REC (2007)

I would say that the Spanish found-footage zombie film REC scared the hell out of me. I could handle the zombies themselves, but the Portuguese girl trapped in that abandoned apartment?! Urgh!
u/SlingIt\InTheVan

Pet Sematary (1989)

Not gonna lie, even as a lifelong fan of horror, Zelda in the original Pet Sematary is fucking terrifying. Not so much the whole movie, just her.
u/MyNameIsNumber037

Goodnight Mommy (2014)

There’s this Austrian horror/thriller that comes to mind called Goodnight Mommy. It’s essentially about two twins who’s mother gets facial reconstructive surgery so her face is all bandaged up and the kids start to question if the person behind the bandages is actually their mom. super fucked would highly recommend!
u/BurgundyCheese

Fire in the Sky (1993)

Fire in the Sky. It has the scariest alien abduction scene I’ve ever seen, and it really fucked me up as a child.
u/ghostmetalblack

Pulse (2001)

Pulse (the original Japanese one). It genuinely caused an emotional spiral that almost landed me in the hospital.
u/mustnttelllies

The Descent (2005)

Sounds a little ridiculous, but The Descent still freaks me out and I’ve seen it more times than I can remember. It’s like knowing what happens makes the anticipation unbearable.
u/hannaraehorror

Martyrs (2008)

Martyrs ruined me. I didn’t know what to expect going in and as soon as you think you have a feel for the plot the movie takes the darkest turn imaginable.
u/bunnysmugler

The Blair Witch Project (1999)

I hate to admit it, but I’m rarely, rarely scared or even pushed to feeling fear when watching horror films. But the original Blair Witch Project got the most out of me. I wasn’t jumping all over the place or screaming – it’s the fear it installed inside me. How simple and almost real it looked.
I guess it’s a mix of creepiness and overall feeling of dread.
u/FaxJunkie

Hereditary (2018)

I laughed a lot during my first watching of Hereditary.
No, I wasn’t finding anything funny. The family drama messed with some stuff deep inside. I just had a weird reaction and something in my brain sort of broke. I was terrified the entire time. That movie is fucked up. I love it.
u/caohbf

Tusk (2014)

I don’t think it’s inherently “scary” but I watched Tusk without knowing anything about it and i get really anxious whenever I think about it. It was so fucked up and disturbing to me I hate that movie lmao.
u/gothcoffee

House (1985)

House scared me as a kid. The scene when the wife bends down to pick up the bullet that fell off the table and she pops up as a big pink monster with big teeth and she does this high pitched squeal/laugh. Scared the hell out of me. That was like 25 years ago and I still haven’t forgotten that scene lol
u/cantstandya1234

Hell House LLC (2015)

Hell House LLC – paranormal stuff gets to me, and I have a soft spot for found footage so it was a great combo to get under my skin
u/groovy604

Jacob’s Ladder (1990)

Jacob’s Ladder could be you. That’s what’s so disturbing about it. Watching your loved ones be slowly peeled away from you along with your sanity, while you start hallucinating demons and angels and having flashbacks of your child’s violent death, and your body begins to break down and a voice in your head taunts you the whole way with no end in sight isn’t something anyone could handle.
That movie works best to me during its really sad scenes and subtle reveals. Like when Jacob is in the bed thinking his first family is next to him and that’s it’s over but then the voice gets really loud and he just turns his head with tears in his eyes begging for it to go away. That stuff is more powerful than any other scare you can offer me in a horror movie.
u/Sgarden91

Alien (1979)

Nothing beats the pure, unrelenting horror of the original Alien. That final 15 minutes of Ripley frantically running like a bat out of hell, trying desperately to escape the living nightmare that is the “Big Chap”. Then the brilliant fourth act twist, followed by a pure shot of adrenaline and catharsis as Ripley AND we the audience get to breathe our first sigh of relief since this ordeal began. Truly a masterclass in sci-fi horror.
u/_thelonewolfe_