The Shining.

So many good ones to choose from...

Murnau's silent "Nosferatu" (1922) tops my list.
"Bride of Frankenstein" is the class act--and funny, too.
Carpenter's "The Thing" arguably is a sci-fi, but it's really horrible, too.

"The Exorcist," hands down. (Good to "see" you, Turnbull!)

Snake!!! Where you been, Bro?

You name it, I've been there, my friend! ;-)

I too go with The Exorcist.




TIS

Don't know if it's the best, but one of the most disturbing (and downright scary) films I've ever seen is Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, a film based loosely on the crimes of Henry Lee Lucas.

I saw that. It was indeed disturbing.
As far as the best I couldn't say. It would change every day.
Right now it would be a tie between "The Lost" and "Nosferatu".

I'll join Snake and TIS in casting my vote for The Exorcist. I also was always a fan of a low budget horror movie, "Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things."

What would you say was the scariest scene in The Exorcist?

I first saw The Exorcist when it was released. The spinning head was one of the shockers at the time. I have seen it many times since, including a few months ago when they re-released it in the theater. Of course, it didn't have the same impact as the first time I saw it. BUT, as the years go on I still find it scary and here's why:

Firstly, the theme itself (demonic/devil possession) is a pretty scary topic to begin with. Add good acting (well, with the exception of Linda Blair....until the demon took over)Father Karras and Regan interactions were particularly good I think. Add to it the atmosphere of the film LIKE a room so cold you could see the actors breath as they spoke..totally creepy.. and to top it all off that horrible demon voice (Mercedes McCambridge). I likely won't see it again for a while. Let's face it you really need to be in the mood to see it right? Then again, what mood would that be?

TIS

I was around twelve when I saw it. I went with one of my sister's now ex-husbands, who, I guess thought it'd be funny watching a kid's reaction (not sure why they let a kid in, but I got in all right). Virtually all of it horrified me. The movie was quite ground-breaking back then for so many raw, graphic depictions (nowadays, it's hardly comparable to what's shown on even TV!). I just recall my feelings of dread everytime the mother, the shrinks, or the priests climbed those stairs heading to Regan's room. Like, "Oh, man! What's she going to do THIS time?!" To go from watching Ray Harryhausen films like Jason & the Argonauts to seeing this was quite traumatic! Guess it explains a lot about me! ;-)

I love The Exorcist btw, but I always thought they could've done without the head spinning. It looked ridiculous. I always felt Linda Blair did a fine job, so I don't why people say she was a bad actress. For a child, she was damn good. But my favorite scene is when Linda grabs the crucifix, shoves it up her crotch and goes 'Let Jesus fuck you!'. Absolutely priceless.

American Idol.

After seeing Steven Tyler in high def, I had to sleep with the light on.

The original "Night of the Living Dead" creep'd me out. Grainy, black and white, cheezy acting and those manical zombies. Saw it in the drive-in when it was first released. I was riveted. Didn't even bother to make-out with my girlfriend.

The Exorcist is the other topper. The anticipation of "what's next" made it scary. Jaws, as an ocean swimmer, I felt every bite.

Forgot about Romero's Night of the Living Dead. You're right on that one. Yeah, Jaws kept me out of even freshwater for a while after I saw it!

The Shining
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

The original OMEN creeped me out. I was only young when i first watched it and it got me going i can tell you.....

I forgot about The Omen. Yes another good movie! I too like "The Thing" (newer version is great).

As a kid, I remember watching Dr Jekyl & Mr. Hyde (Spencer Tracy, I think). I was so scared when I went to bed that I didn't dare take my glasses off (taking the chance of hopping out of bed.)

Fun "horror/scary" movie: An American Werewolf In London.

TIS

My mother was forbidden by her parents to see "The Invisible Man" when she was a kid, but talked her cousin into taking her. She was scared silly. He used to torture her all the time that the invisible man was in the house, and she couldn't tell her parents that she was scared because then they'd know that she went to see it!

It's tough --

THE HAUNTING 1963
THE INNOCENTS 1961
AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON (best werewolf movie ever)
THE WICKER MAN (original, if it qualifies as horror)
SANTA SANGRE (surrealist director Jodorowsky's arthouse homage to slashers and director Tod Browning)

My two favorite horror anthologies
TALES FROM THE CRYPT (Amicus 1972)
CREEPSHOW

My two favorite silent horrors
THE CABINET OF DR CALIGARI
THE UNKNOWN

I agree about HENRY PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER, one of the most disturbing serial killer movies ever made. Very real.

Another one of my favorites

I tend to forget about Halloween, but yea, that was good too. The recognizable theme is haunting and perfect for the film.


TIS

I really enjoyed this one.

Don't know if I could consider it "The Best Horror Movie" but in my opinion it is definitely the "MOST SCARIEST" of all time.


As for the BEST horror movie(s)? Well to be quite honest I am a bit biased in that I just love the old Universal Monster movies such as Frankenstein, The Bride of Frankenstein, Dracula, The Wolfman, etc.

Honorable mention goes to Dracula 1979 with Frank Langella. One of the most suspenseful and scariest scenes, for it's time, was when Sir Lawrence Olivier (Van Helsing)goes into the underground mines in search of his daughter Mina.....

How about the 50s Beast With Five Fingers? I saw it as a kid and it kept me up at nights.

Best this; best that. Scariest? There are so many that I would put in the same best/scariest category. Of course, the Exorcist is both just as Beast is also.

Yes, I love the classics, how about Cat People, The Spiral Staircase, I Walked With A Zombie, White Zombie, Freaks?

Of course who can't mention Boris Karloff's phenomenal performance the monster in Frankenstein, Bride Of Frankenstein, and Son Of Frankenstein. All of them great, of course, when Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney Jr, and Glenn Strange took over the role not only were they much inferior films but also much inferior performances.

Tucker & Dale vs Evil is one of the best movie i ever watched. This movie is very scary. I have watched this movie 2 times.


REMOVED SPAM

The Exorcist
Hands Down
Saw
The Ring