It's a great movie, everyone should see it.

In random order:

• Poltergeist
• Jaws
• The Thing (1982)
• The Shining
• The Exorcist
• Seance
• The Haunting (1963)
• Psycho (1960)
• Suspiria
• Don't Look Now

Honorable Mentions:

• Halloween(1978)
• Night of the Hunter
• The Bad Seed
• Onibaba
• The Descent (2006)
• Audition
• Alien
• Rosemary's Baby
• Cold Prey
• Dressed to Kill
• Play Misty For Me
• The Silence of the Lambs/Manhunter (Two very different Hannibal Lector movies, both of them made by master filmmakers, both of them fantastic.)

If I had to pick my number one choice, it would probably be Poltergeist, if only for the fact it is the only movie as a kid that forced me to sleep in parent's room for two straight nights it scared me so bad. Definitely knocked me for a loop, that one did, and it still retains much of its horrific power to this very day.

Night of the Hunter is one of the funniest movies Ive ever seen. You most definitely have to watch it, for a laugh. Jacob's Ladder definitely belongs on the list, gave me nightmares for probably a week after I saw it the first time.

Anyway, for me personally, I remember seeing Scream for the first time when it first came out, and it scared the hell out of me, especially that first scene, so I think Id have that on my list.

Also, the remake of the Hills have Eyes was great as well. I think it had a very "real" horror feel to it. Watching that family literally and figuratively get torn about is so brutal and terrible to watch. Really struck a chord with me. To a lesser degree I would say the same about Wolf Creek, and I know a lot of people hated it, but I thought it was great. Both of these films are movies I feel use violence and gore to the best use possible, not in a Hostel type way, as you mentioned.

28 Days Later is another one that still gives me the creeps everytime I watch it, and 28 Weeks Later has one of the most intense scenes Ive seen in a long time(the farmhouse scene in the beginning).

Ill have to think more about this next couple of days and post again, Im sure theres some Im missing.

oh, and Ive never seen Mulholland Drive, but I just watched that diner scene, and it definitely freaked me out big time…

The strangers fucked me up. Carrie, cuz of the mom. And of course, Nights in Rodanthe, absolutely terrifying.

dont wanna sound cliche, but psycho, absolutely terrifying… especially when you're home alone, watching it at 1 in the morning…
also Les Diaboliques by Clouzot is a MUST see.

If you're 11 Ghoulies can be scary, but the ultimate, scariest movie I've ever seen is From Justin to Kelly.

As far as recent films, Zodiac scared the shit out of me.

Come on people, the scariest was the simplest: Halloween. It was creepy depressing and beautiful all at once. Master film making!

THE DESCENT (Constant shocks and scares from the get go. Brutal gore but not for the sake of gore. It helps make each of the scenes far more scary and disturbing)

HIGH TENSION (French horror which is bloody and brutal. Disturbing as all hell. Each killing scene make syou want to cover your eyes)

EVENT HORIZON ( I saw this movie on some other disturbing/ scary lists and checked it out. It is kind of a Sunshine, Sci fi movie until the end hits and it really leaves the most disturbin and uneasy feeling in the pit of your stomach)

THE SHINING (Stands the test of time)

NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET ( Its a shame after all the many sequels Freddy has been taken the piss out of. I still think the first is damn scary. When the guy is getting thrown all around the room by Freddy but you cant see him and the gashes on his back I find still scary)

The Blair Witch Project is one that you either love or hate and that movies freaks me the hell out!!! Id have to say I love it.

CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Shining, Alien, Psycho ('60), Halloween('78), Jaws, Evil Dead, Dawn of the Dead ('04)……

Do NOT forget to watch "Session 9" before you compile this list. It's one of those under-the-radar, truly creepy horror movies.

Seems everyone is scared by different stuff, I mean i didnt find movies like Jaws or Alien scary whatsoever, I just enjoyed watching them. I'd say a lot of people seems to be afraid of The Exorcist and Halloween.

Id say the original Halloween, the original Nightmare on Elm Street, and u ready for this, White Noise. That one had me jumping out of my seat

God this is good idea, that I myself may have to steal from you and write my own top 20 scariest movies of all time on my blog: http://schofizzymoviereview.blogspot.com

First and formost what constitutes scariest to me and to you may be completely different. For me it is usually mood and intensity rather than gore. Gore never really scares me in the slighest, but a building antcipiation and mood always get me on the edge of my seat.

I can sorta see Silence of the Lambs, strickly on the last 20 minutes of the film, when Starling is in Buffalo Bill's house and the light's go out. Those scenes were amazing and really built a great ending to an overall enjoyable film, but is it scariest of all time? Oh hell no!

The Shinning is a clear choice! That movie is amazing. What Kubric and Nicholson did in that film is so good. It is timeless and the remake was a joke! Why mess with perfection. The freakiest thing in the film is the shot of the man in a bear suit on his knees with his head in the other man's lap. I remember saying time and time again, WTF, was that!

Poltergiest is another film. It scared the crap out of me as a kid, so it definately deserves to be on the list. For a PG movie, it is a masterpiece! There's no gore just suspense and it is done in a way we unfortunately just dont see anymore.

The typical horror franchises like Nightmare on Elm Street and Halloween are good examples also. Really though, only the first in the franchise. Nightmare on Elm Street was great and kept most of the jokes to a minimum with a real sence of intensity and true terror. Unfortunately the Elm Street films became just a web of jokes with some elaborate kills mixed in. The first one does stand the test of time. The first two Halloween films were definately perfect. Halloween is probably my favorite horror film of all time, its sequel was so seemless, they way it literally begins with the next frame after Halloween. It really kept the same mood also, which was great.

The Exorcist is another easily mentioned horror film. That movie was downright freaky. With little Linda Hamilton ramming herself with a crucifix what else do you need to say.

The Blair Witch Project. Some people hated this film, but I got more scared in this film and afterwards than I ever have in my adult life. That said, I saw this film way before it was revealed a hoax. I went to one of the intial screenings where they led the audience to believe this was very real! They even had somewhat of a memorial of the 3 people in it to add to the mood. I read later that at the next screening because of the crazed reaction at our screening, the production comapny brought out the actors after the film, so people wouldn't leave in pandamonium like they did at our screening. Another level of my terror, is I am a hippie at heart, I followed the grateful dead and phish for 5 years combined and in those years I met a few Wiccans (White Magic) and some of the stuff that was used in Blair Witch Project were real spells that I have read and seen in action. I know this sounds out there, but believe me, witchcraft is very much a real thing! Furthermore, I had camped in nearby woods to where Blair Witch was filmed and let's just say, that I did not sleep the night I saw the film and was a little skepitcal to go camping again for a couple months.

The rest I will just ramble off some honorable mentions that could be argued to make any horror list: Jaws, Misery, Rosemary's Baby, Alien, The Thing, Friday the 13th Part II, Pet Sematary, Suspiria, Hellraiser, The Last House on the Left, House of 1,000 Corpses, Jacob's Ladder, Evil Dead, The Serpent and the Rainbow, Them, Night of the Living Dead, Duel, The Dead Zone, Dawn of the Dead, The Hills Have Eyes, It, Inferno, Phenomena, Diabolik, Operazione paura and Cani arrabbiati.

I could really go all day considering Horror is one of my favorite genres! But I want to save myself something to write about on my blog. Check it out: http://schofizzymoviereview.blogspot.com

Wow, looks like there are definitely a lot the many of you have in common. I am seeing Jaws and Halloween pop up a lot. White Noise is a pretty good call, that one actually surprised me at how creepy it managed to be, but I think many of you are hitting it on the head as to how subjective horror is and how films like Blair Witch can freak some folks out and others will be like, "Uh, what are you scared of?"

I have about 10 new films I have to watch in my Netflix queue so far and hope to add a few more if there are any more suggestions out there. Nice thing is there are so many recommendations by you guys that I have already seen, which leaves me more room to see a few new ones.

haha, I just saw that Night of the Hunter is on IMDB to watch for free, here:

http://www.imdb.com/video/hulu/vi1950089241/

Have yourselves a good laugh. :)

The Exorcist still gets me.
The Shining
Bug, nothing better than watching two nutbags go crazy together. left me feeling really freaked out.
Event Horizon is one that most laugh at when you say scary but it just gets me feeling uneasy.
High Tension that is some messed up crap
Evil Dead first horror movie i ever saw, I pooped my pants and never wanted to go camping again

JonTuesday said: Evil Dead first horror movie i ever saw, I pooped my pants and never wanted to go camping again

Hilarious… that gave me a good laugh… very nice!

Brad Anderson did an excellent job with Session 9!

Yeah the Blair Witch Project scared me. Movies Like Saw and The Hills Have Eyes don't, it's just Gore not really scary.

I'll have to check out Session 9.

the movie that has had the longest lasting effect on me is jaws i mean i know its cheesy now but i still get freaked a little even in a lake. alien was good. jurassic park was decent. halloween was good. a newer one that got me was Darkness falls it helped that i was watching during a horrible storm and then the power went out at an opportune time. texas chainsaw had some good elements of suppense but i watched it at the wrong age in the wrong environment for it to be scary. setting is important.

Blair Witch Project
28 Days Later
Nightmare on Elm St.
The Descent

I just finished watching Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), not a bad horror, but I wouldn't say it is particularly scary. It was my first time seeing it and a little shocked at how much Warner Bros. tried to say Invasion wasn't a remake, it was a complete ripoff if it wasn't a remake.

power13413 said: a newer one that got me was Darkness falls it helped that i was watching during a horrible storm and then the power went out at an opportune time.

Exactly, I think instances like this play a huge part in how much people like horror movies and even comedy. Mood is a huge factor in these kinds of films since they require so much investment from an audience member. Dramas can rely, for the most part on telling a story, but comedy and horror also require either laughter or fright along with the story. Not easy to do.

Jaws is definatly one that still has a little chill factor for me even though I have seen it a lot over the years. Just recently The Ring was a good one too. When I was a kid though I thought that the American Werewolf in London was the scariest thing I had ever seen. So here is my top 5 but they are not in any particular order:

The American Werewolf in London
Jaws
The Ring
Halloween (the 70s version)
28 Days Later

Jaws, Alien, and The Ring are both pretty scary, even after multiple watchings I'd recommend. Jaws, though, sort of loses its steam at the end, so that's a strike for it. The Ring as a film sucks, and it's held up entirely by its brilliantly crafted fear-inducing scenes, so there's another one with a flaw. I guess that leaves Alien, and you know, I'm fine with that.

Nightmare on Elms Street, since you brought it up, is definitely worth seeing, but not really for this list. Despite being a great concept (especially in terms of how the film handles the heroine), and basically acting as the blueprint for all things Halloween, it is painfully, almost laughably dated. I appreciate it as a quality film, but between the limitations on FX, limitations on cinematography, and limitations of budget, any hint of 'scary' packed its bags and left about ten years ago. Story-wise I love it. Horror-wise, I'm embarrassed to know it.

Anybody else think Cannibal Holocaust should be mentioned?

Most definitely not…personally, I didnt find anything scary about Cannibal Holocaust, except for that fact that it got made.

I think it depends on where & when you saw the film. The original Hitcher (C. Thomas Howell & Rutger Hauer) was very scary when I saw it in the theater (I was about 17 at the time, just got my driver's license), but I doubt it would have the same effect on me today.

A great number of scary films depend on NOT knowing too much beforehand, which may be why I hated Blair Witch when I finally got around to it. I can think of a lot of creepy movies you should check out (Lost Highway, Videodrome, Invasion of the Body Snatchers 1978, Rosemary's Baby), but I hesitate to say any of them actually scared me. Of course my dad took me to see Jaws when I was 6 (against mom's advice) so not much really scares me.

I love horror films, and my all-time scariest list is pretty long, but the top spot definitely belongs to "Session 9". It's not especially gory or action-packed, but it's seriously unsettling on a more psychological level. Check it out.

Just so you all know, I am still reading these and with the love Session 9 has received it is next up in my NetFlix queue followed by Jacob's Ladder so keep the suggestions coming. I may not be able to get to all of them in time, but I love building my queue of films to see.

The movie that has scared me the most was the original Psycho. I first saw it when I was about 10 and I didn't take a shower for about 2 weeks after that.

Not much has really scared me recently, too many new movies are just gore-fests with no real horror to it, just cheap scare tactics that fade almost as soon as it happens. The best horror flicks, in my opinion, are those which get into your head and creep you out long after you've left the theater/turned off the tv. For instance, I thought No Country For Old Men was very disturbing and even though it wasn't necessarily designed as a horror film, it was much scarier to me than Friday the 13th or Halloween or that sort of thing. I think it has to do with the feasibility of the piece for me, monsters don't really scare me.

Personally, I think Session 9 is being incredibly overrated here. It is a technically fascinating film, and Anderson proves once again to be an intresting filmmaker who never does the same thing twice, but on the whole I found it to be actually fairly forgettable. The last act, in particular, doesn't payoff like you really hope it would.

That said, there are a couple of freakishly good scares during the first two acts I admit to not even remotely see coming. For that reason alone the film is definitely worthy of a look. But one of the scariest films of all time? Not a chance.

Spoorloos (the Dutch original version of the Vanishing) was pretty scary. It's one of those films that makes you uneasy.

REC is also very creepy.

Most others have already been suggested, so I'll be quiet now.

"The Orphanage" or "El Orfanato" (2007) should be added to the list. This foreign language thriller had me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. I had been looking for a good "spooker" for years and finally found it in this gem.

i'm not a huge fan of the horror genre. however depending on your description of horror i do enjoy films i can laugh at when people die.
Idle hands
army of darkness
evil dead 2 dead by dawn
(evil dead the first one did have a few elements that scared me the first time i watched it- tree rape, pencil through the ankle, and for some reason the first time i watched it it seemed like it took ash 10 minutes to walk down the stairs into the basement. but the second one supersedes the first.)
arsnic and old lace is one i hope to be adding to my list but i am saving it until halloween.
oh and of coarse the scariest movie of all time would have to be Kazam. Shaqs acting/rapping still makes me shiver.

those movies were good but bullshit scares

What About The 1981 An American Werewolf In London? That transformation scene kicked ass. After years of CGI, nothing even came close to this latex beauty in its groundbreaking effect. How about 1980 The Changeling with George C.Scott? Spooky and creepy to the bone without any effect? Truly underrated. What about John Carpenter's 1994 In The Mouth Of Madness? Starring Sam Neil, it's terrifying wonderfully creepy film. I'm getting tired of hearing about the mainstream popular media opinion by Roger Ebert, Chicago times, etc. about movies that's not even horror, E.G. Alien is a by default a Sci-fi, Jaws is rated PG not R and it's an animal adventure film, and Silence Of The Lambs that is a crime/thriller. All these films might be good but aren't horror, Thanks

Top 10 Scariest Movies Of All Time ever

10.The Exorcist.

9.Evil Dead 2.

8.Psycho.

7.The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

6.Halloween.

5.An American Werewolf In London.

4.Fallen.

3.The Mothman Prophycies.

2.The Changeling.

1.In The Mouth Of Madness.

Though An American Werewolf In London is my personal favorite, and btw, chilling to the bone when I saw it as a kid, that awsome transformation scene, lol

Honorable Mentions: Candyman, Night Of The Living Dead(The 1968 Original), Suspiria, The Grudge, White Noise, Raising Cain, and The Howling.