Top 5 – Scariest Movies

I don’t get scared too often at the movies.  I’m not just saying that to be a tough guy, but it’s true.  I think it is a combination of me being desensitized to blood, gore, and jump scares, as well as a lot of horror movies are not very good movies and are predictable.  But, these movies right here, they got me.  These are the ones that genuinely scared me.  So if you’re looking for something really scary to watch tonight, check out one of these five.

5 – THE SHINING (Stanley Kubrick, 1980)

One of the few Kubrick movies I actually like, The Shining will haunt you for days after you see it.  When Jack Torrence (Jack Nicholson) and his family agree to watch an isolated hotel for the winter, Jack descends into madness while his son Danny (Danny Lloyd) starts seeing spirits of those who have been murdered in that hotel.  With its shocking images, horrifyingly brilliant performance by Nicholson, and lingering pace, The Shining is like watching a nightmare that you can’t turn away from.

4 – THE STRANGERS (Bryan Bertino, 2008)

The Strangers is probably the scariest movie I have ever seen in theaters.  I remember when I saw this movie in summer 2008, I was with this girl and trying to be all cool while watching it while she was terrified.  My coolness wore off about 20 minutes in, as The Strangers had me jumping and on the edge of my seat until the very end.  The scariest part of The Strangers is the randomness and realism of it all.  Three kids terrorize a couple (Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman) at their vacation home just because, “they were home.”  The kids linger in and out of the house, sometimes just staring at the couple as to almost taunt them.  They never know where they are coming from and neither do we.  It is a frightening experience and makes you look twice outside your window before you go to bed.

3 – THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (Tobe Hooper, 1974)

What makes The Texas Chainsaw Massacre one of the scariest movies ever is how Tobe Hooper made the film.  Shot on a micro-budget with a no-name cast, Hooper gave us a dirty, gritty, terrifyingly real movie that made us feel like we were watching a documentary.  The randomness of the movie is also chilling.  You have no idea what is going to happen in this movie and can never prepare yourself for what you are about to see.  From the carnage of Leatherface to the cannibals, it is a gut-wrenching experience that will have you shook.  But the scariest aspect of the film is the end, where we have gone through this horrific ordeal and the bad guy is STILL ALIVE!  He and his weird family are still out there waiting for their next victim.  Leatherface spinning his chainsaw in the air in anger and frustration is a final shot that will stay with you long after you see it.

2- The Conjuring/The Conjuring 2 (James Wan, 2013/2016)

In an era where exorcism movies are overplayed and boring, The Conjuring came along and blew me away.  James Wan, who also wrote and directed the original Saw (2004), made two of the smartest and scariest films of this decade.  The films look at real life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson & Vera Farmiga) and their encounters with the hauntings and possessions.  The Conjuring is loaded with unbearable tension, a smart story, and features an ending that literally gave me goosebumps.  And, even more impressive, this year’s sequel is arguably better.  It’s relentlessly scary, intelligent, and a one of the finest horror sequels ever made.

1- The Exorcist (William Friedkin, 1973)

The Exorcist is far and away the scariest movies I have ever seen.  It is shook me to my core the first time I saw it and still freaks me out to this day.  It is a deeply disturbing, nightmare inducing classic that you’ll need to see twice because you’ll turn away for half the movie.  A 13 year old girl Reagan (Linda Blair) is possessed by the devil and torments her mother (Ellen Burstyn), a number of doctors, and herself until an exorcism is performed by two priests (Jason Miller & Max Von Sydow).  This is psychological horror at its best.  With a haunting score, excellent effects and make up, and some of the most terrifying scenes ever on film, The Exorcist is a scary as they get.

What are the scariest movies you’ve ever seen?  Drop a comment or hit me up on Twitter @kevflix or on Facebook at Kevflix.