Aside from a short few years right after my daughter was born, I’ve always loved scary movies.
There’s something so fun about getting that knot of nerves in the pit of your stomach or jumping out of your skin after a particularly gruesome scene.
So, while the title of this post says “What’s your favorite scary movie?” it’s only because I couldn’t pass up a chance to quote Ghostface from Scream.
To get into the Halloween spirit, we really wanted to know what everyone considered to be the scariest movie they’ve ever watched.
So for this week’s #SpinSucksQuestion, we asked:
Tell us the scariest movie you’ve ever seen. Not necessarily your favorite, just the one that scared you most, and be sure to tell us WHY it scared you.
Apparently, we weren’t the only ones in the mood for some Halloween conversation.
The Scariest Scary Movie
When we asked this question on Monday, I had every intention of telling you about the time I saw the movie The Grudge in the theater.
I’m not exaggerating when I say I refused to turn the lights off when it was time to go to bed later that night. (I was married by this time, mind you.)
That scene with the thing in the bed … still gets me.
Or the time I was watching Jacob’s Ladder with my brother and a crazy freak lightning storm hit and made the experience even more terrifying.
I haven’t watched it again.
But, both of those have now been bumped off their tie spot for Scariest Movie I’ve Ever Watched.
A Little-Known Found Footage Film
Monday night, I watched the movie Lake Mungo. You probably haven’t heard of it and I only found it because another horror movie fan recommended it and it’s streaming on Prime.
It’s filmed as a documentary and if you didn’t know it was fiction, I promise you would think it was real.
The film follows a family whose 16-year-old daughter drowns in a tragic accident.
After her death, some unsettling events start to unfold and the story proceeds to get creepier and creepier until it builds up to the ending which actually made me feel like I had been punched in my stomach.
The visuals are nightmarish.
And if you want to watch it, don’t do it alone and maybe keep a light or two on.
Haunted House Movies
I can watch most haunted house movies without even flinching, but these two choices … sheesh.
I have yet to work up the nerve to watch The Houses October Built and Insidious made me shriek out loud.
I’m a HUGE horror buff … and the scariest movie I’ve ever seen is The Houses October Built. It’s an exploration of haunted houses, and it’s terrifying because you see what types of torture could happen in a place where people (the actors) have bad intentions.
Insidious, if only for the Lipstick Demon.
Creepy Children? Enough Said.
If a scary movie involves creepy children, it probably involves the killing of an innocent and beloved pet.
If a dog dies, that’s a hard pass for me.
For me, it’s Children of the Corn. Something about it has always creeped me out. The name Malachai will always give me the chills.
Rightfully so, Nathan.
Demons and Devils? No Thanks.
Oh man—I used to be VERY into horror movies, but I’m finding I have less and less tolerance for them now! Recently I tried watching Hereditary … OMG. After the car scene and hearing the mom cry when she found her, I turned it off and watched The Big Bang Theory the rest of the day. Just yesterday, I saw a kid with his hand out the window on the freeway and my stomach turned. UGH.
This movie doesn’t scare me any more. Probably because I won’t let myself think about and will only watch if there is light outside—The Exorcist. For the next 15 years, I couldn’t even see an image of possessed Regan MacNeil without freaking out.
Hereditary is a scary movie I had to prep myself for, and couldn’t go in blind.
I actually read the entire plot on Wikipedia before I watched it.
It didn’t help.
The scene with Charley in the car is burned into my memory.
It’s on YouTube, but I refuse to link to it in the post.
It’s that disturbing. I linked to the trailer instead.
As for The Exorcist … I’ve never seen it and don’t plan to.
I don’t do movies about the devil.
Too scary for even me.
Very Athletic Zombies
Probably the Dawn of the Dead remake—at the time, it was the first time you’d seen a zombie sprint. ZOMBIES DON’T RUN. That was terrifying to me. I left the theater three times.
The opening scene of the Dawn of the Dead remake still gives me cold chills, but not enough to keep me from watching it. And Katie is right, zombies should not be fast and that’s exactly what’s so scary about this movie.
Would You Like Some Fava Beans with That Chianti?
Silence of the Lambs. Hands down.
I’ve seen Silence of the Lambs once and while I will say it’s a GREAT scary movie, it’s not one I just put on to watch in the background.
The idea of a genius being a cannibal is a combination I would prefer to avoid.
Gini Dietrich even mentioned Hannibal Lecter as one of the greatest villains in literature in an earlier post and guess what … she’s not wrong.
What’s The Scariest Movie You’ve Ever Seen?
We still have a few days until Halloween and we want to know all about your scariest movie.
Did it involve ghosts? Maybe you’re more afraid of the psychological horror?
Whatever type of scary movie you fancy, we want to hear about it.
Better yet, have you ever watched it again?
Our questions always spur some fun conversations in our community and we’d love for you to join.
Fill out the form here and watch for a new #SpinSucksQuestion every Monday!
The comments are yours!
