As per title, I am looking for a horror film to watch, not necessarily recent, but scary.
Gore is ok, but I'm not a fan of jump scares - those get boring quickly. I am more into unsettling plots and dark or unusual settings.

To give you an idea of what I like, I am a big fan of John Carpenter (The Thing, Price of Darkness, The Fog, Christine...).
So let's see, what are your favourite horror flicks?

And now, for the unrelated GA: 1DyS0 [Level 1+] (ended)
New GA: /PFSnM/

UPDATE: I've watched "Don't Blink" because it was easy to find and cheap (a few pence, second hand of course). 9 for the idea, 5 for the final result. Too many plot holes, I guess that's where people disappeared. :D

UPDATE 2: I have now watched "Jacob's Ladder", wow that was a trip. Very weird film, I think "Hellraiser: Inferno" might have been inspired by it a little, but Jacob's Ladder was deeper, more mysterious and all round much better.

UPDATE 3: Watched "Emergo" (Apartment 143) and May, because I could get them for a few pence :D The first started ok but went downhill quickly, the second is very weird but a bit boring (very well acted, though).

9 years ago*

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An American Werewolf in London
Poltergeist (the original version)
The Omen (the original version)

9 years ago
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The Conjuring

9 years ago
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Pretty good one, but it didn't scare me.

9 years ago
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Not sure if these would fit into the category you are looking for. They are somewhat horror and I think they would fit into "unsettling plots" and "dark", but I would put them in these categories for completely different reasons than the movies you listed. These are both independent films that are more of psychological dramas with some horror. They are basically movies where the main characters are screwed up in the head. Not sure if you like these kind of movies, but I enjoyed them both very much.

Spiral (2007)
May (2002)

9 years ago*
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+1 for May, it's a criminally underrated movie by a promising director who doesn't get the recognition he deserves.

9 years ago
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So I would recommend Shine but you know it for sure, so try this - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089574/ There are a lot of specific polish movies but this one is my favourite.

9 years ago
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A'right. CBA reading all this, but give Dark City (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118929) a try. It's not new, but very unusual and pretty unsettling at first. Even more unsettling towards the end.

9 years ago
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Great movie, but it's another one that's sci-fi, not horror. Though it does have dark lighting.

9 years ago
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split second - if you like mine idea (hope its not a dupe) let me know and ill search my imdb account for more

9 years ago
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The DESCENT 1 and 2

9 years ago
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It sounds from what I've read so far that we've got pretty similar tastes in horror. I'm going to assume that you've seen a lot of the genre classics, and give you a list of some of my favorites and interesting horror films.

Eraserhead
Rosemary's Baby
Hellraiser and it's sequel Hellbound
I Saw the Devil
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (78)
Jacob's Ladder (this was the inspiration for a ton of demon related creatures, especially in Silent Hill. Very good film as well.)
Romero's Dead trilogy, Night is a bit on the rough looking side but it still holds up very well.
Pontypool
Re-Animator
The Brood, Videodrome, The Fly, anything Cronenberg directed is at least worth a watch.
Return of the Living Dead (hilarious and a bit chilling at the same time, this is where zombies that eat brains came from.)
Creepshow
Funny Games
My Bloody Valentine (my favorite 80s slasher, get the uncut version that was released next to the remake.)
Would You Rather (nice little recent torture film, it has some good suspense and ideas.)

9 years ago
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Rosemary's Baby is a good movie, though it didn't scare me.

Imo Hellraiser had the stupidest idea for the plot. Anyone who watches the movie should know, there was no reason those creatures should have been there at all. Hard to describe why without spoiling this though. And then there was one famous gore scene in it that was so horribly done it was almost laughable.

I'm glad you didn't mention the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers. That one had one of those endings that are a sudden shift, the company that released the movie to audiences thought audiences would prefer another ending, so slapped it in there, ruining it forever.

I can't remember anything from when I saw Jacob's Ladder, though I know it didn't scare me. I should see it again sometime.

Creepshow 1 and 2, though they're horror movies, they're more on the fun side and shouldn't scare anyone. They certainly didn't me.

9 years ago
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I think it's really hard for any horror movie to scare you once you watch more than a handful. I can't think of any movies offhand that freaked me out in the past few years except for some of David Lynch's films, and those aren't really horror movies specifically.

9 years ago
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The Grudge really messes with me every time I see it, and despite seeing many horror movies over the years, The Babadook really messed with me. Those are just about the only ones I can safely say are still scary.

9 years ago
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  1. The Babadook was fantastic. Great acting all around, but I've heard it said that the mother was deserving of an Oscar, and after viewing the movie, I have to say I agree; and that's really rare for the horror genre. This is one of those psychological horror movies that start out slow and gradually build up on the horror, and it keeps on building it, to truly unsettling, terrifying results. It's also a rarity in the horror genre for other reasons because 1) there's no gore, 2) there's no jump scares, 3) there's not going to be any sequels. EDIT: Ok so someone already beat me to it. Well at least now you know why it's recommended.

  2. Stephen King's It. Doesn't scare me anymore but it's a very creepy one (I think it scared me the first time I saw it, I was around 10 years old at the time, but that's not detracting from the movie at all, I've just for the most part grown out of being scared in movies as I got older).

  3. The original The Exorcist and

  4. The Omen (1976) may not scare you (they don't me) but they're great horror classics.

  5. Another great Stephen King film, I don't know if it'll exactly scare you, but it is creepy, 1408.

Going on other people's recommendations, what I liked, but unless I specifically mention it scares me, then they don't, so take the idea of what's scary with a grain of salt.

  1. Let the Right One In is good.

  2. The Grudge. This one messes with me every time I see it, love that one. And it takes a LOT to scare me in movies, most horror movies don't.

  3. Someone else mentioned "the Resident Evil movie" so I have to correct that. Love that series, all 5 of them so far, they're a lot of fun.

  4. Ghost Ship and

  5. the original Night of the Living Dead (1968) are good fun. Don't expect to be scared though, but NotLD is a classic, the one that started it all.

  6. Seen first 2 Insidious movies, they're pretty good fun, but once again, grain of salt.

  7. Rose Red is a fun Stephen King movie, not sure why it's listed in this thread as scary though.

  8. Cube is great (love that whole trilogy actually) but it's not horror, it's sci-fi.

And some recommendations other people have made that I don't recommend (and not for a reason of being too scary, but rather for other reasons):

  1. The Ring (or the original Ringu, The Ring was the American remake, same difference as far as what I'm discussing is concerned): Pretty good movie, until the ending breaks the rules the rest of the movie set and totally made it lose all credibility in my eyes, forever.

  2. Think it was the remake I saw of Dawn of the Dead. This was a total waste of time in my eyes; for one, there's nothing leading up to how the zombies (virus) started, it's just here's the first one, surprise! Plus, the video bit during the ending credits totally ruined all credibility I could have ever seen for this movie. If you check out this movie, and I don't recommend it, I strongly suggest you stop watching as soon as the credits start rolling. If you want to see what I'm talking about at the end, ok, but don't say I didn't warn you.

Well that's all, hope that helps you. :)

9 years ago*
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+1 for The Babadook. I really enjoyed that movie. I would love to have the popup book if they were still making them and they were cheaper. I wanted to buy one after watching the movie and I was surprised when I looked it up and they actually made them.

9 years ago
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Thanks, lots of good suggestions there.

I have watched Night of the Living Dead at least four times (there are different editions, too). No spoilers for anyone who hasn't seen it, but it's not just a zombie movie; it has a far deeper meaning most of which is revealed by the ending.

9 years ago
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I don't think anyone has mentioned Mientras Duermes yet (I can't think of the English title at the moment). It's a Spanish movie from 3 or 4 years ago and starring a great actor (Luis Tosar), I'd say it's a thriller that easily fits into the horror category. Personally I'd suggest approaching it without knowing anything about the plot, if that's even possible.

Some users already mentioned titles that I thought were excellent, such as Marebito, May, I Saw the Devil, and Funny Games (in my opinion, the American remake - also known as Funny Games US - is much better than the original, but there's a meta- aspect at play here).

Off the top of my head, I would also recommend the following: Maniac (the remake released not long ago), The Girl Next Door, and Calvaire.

9 years ago
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Mientras Duermes (Sleep Tight) sounds like my kind of movie. Gonna add it to my watch list.

Edit: "Sleep Tight" is the English title for the movie, but it looks like the direct translation of the original title is "While You Sleep".

9 years ago*
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Yeah that's the one, hope you like it :)

9 years ago
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V/H/S Tapes , part 1 and 2 only.
Drag me to hell
The Thing
"1408"
The Grave Encounters 1 - It is nice because it's "found footage" genre and it adds a big + to atmosphere.
REC 1 , 2 .
The Dyatlov Pass Incident / Devil's Pass - Found footage , OP.
Frankenstein's Army - This one is super bad the only reason i mention it its because it gave me a throw up feeling because of how bad it was.
Atrocious
Case 39
The Descent - there are 2 parts.
Kill List - Pretty boring but by the end it's pretty mindfucking. It just builds slow atmosphere. But it is interesting tho!
Creep 2004
Jeepers Creepers 1 and maaaybe 2.

9 years ago
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You sound like a found footage lover. The thing that gets me about found footage horror films, the amateur camera movement makes me thing how terrible is this, they can't even keep it credible. They're especially atrocious when the main character holding the camera is so shocked by what he saw that he turns the camera AWAY from the target. Instead of being scared from the buildup of suspense of having to wait to find out what happened, it just makes it lose even more credibility in my eyes.

The first V/H/S was totally random, I couldn't make any sense out of the movie at all, there's nothing to tie in all those videos, and there's nothing lasting or congruent for any sense of horror.

The Thing -- both were good (daresay they didn't scare me though) but which one did you mean? The 1982 one was the original, and the 2011 one was the prequel.

I like Jeepers Creepers 1 and 2, fun horror movies though they never scared me.

9 years ago
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Yes i am a found footage lover; i started to like the 'found footage' genre just because in my opinion , as opposed to yours , it adds more realism. Because it's POV it adds more realism and atmosphere. I can't say it's the best genre , or that the movies of this genre are very good , but most of the horror movies kinda suck nowadays because they lack a good story and atmosphere , due to the technology which you don't need a story if you just add gore effects and shits which ruins the movie in my opinion. SO , found footage genre are the best choice for a decent horror movie nowadays.

I would rather watch an atmospheric horror movie than a gore/slasher , i don't even like gore movies , unless there's a good story.
And found footage adds the atmosphere that i crave for in horror movies, that's why i would rather watch found footage because in my opinion there are no better choices out there for the horror genre atm.

V/H/S - Yea it was totally random , so what? I don't understand how that is a bad thing. Indeed the story sucks because there is like , no story at all , but the tapes were pretty nice and it was very mysterious , and what i love more than a story based horror is a mystery based horror and this one does a nice job. It is not a good movie , but it was a nice watch.

The Thing - I meant both because indeed both were good and it gave me some chills.

Jeepers Creepers , the only thing that gave me the chills was in 1 when they discover the church covered in bodies , it was macabre , but overall i agree that the movie is rather fun than scary.

As for me , i rarely get scared by horror movies. Horror genre always sucked and was inferior to the other genres. You don't see horror movies on imdb top 250 movies :P (And no , comedy-horrors doesn't count - Zombieland - , i don't even know why they are categorized as horrors when they are pure comedies but meh).

9 years ago
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I don't mind random in a movie, when there's something solid and coherent to the mayhem to tie it all together, a sense of story. That never happened in V/H/S, it's one of those that was just random for the sake of being random, and at the end of the movie you throw your arms up and say "what the heck did I just watch?!? That made absolutely no sense!" And for me that removes realism and credibility, because the people who made the movie couldn't even tie anything together; with nothing worth discussing or pondering over, the movie only became fodder to forget everything.

9 years ago
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Well yea can't say that i paid much attention to the 'tie' thing because to be honest , the core action (the house) just sucked if it is to think like that and the end sucked because after watching the whole movie in fact the story didn't progressed a bit. The core story which is about the house invading operation... But the tapes were nice to watch. Overall it's a decent movie in my opinion , even if i wouldn't watch it again , ever.

9 years ago
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The Grudge

9 years ago
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I don't like horror movies, but I suggest "Pan's Labyrinth". It has it's moments, but it's more supernatural feeling, than horror.

I think I add some national flavor. Viy (1967), tho nowadays it's more like comedy because DAT SFXs! New one (2014) left kinda mixed feelings.

9 years ago
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Pan's Labyrinth is one of the best movies ever made, but it's certainly not horror. It's more of a dark fantasy/drama.

9 years ago
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Play a horror game ... much scarier for me. As for movies though ... not sure ... I've never been scared by a "horror" movie.

9 years ago
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I suggest:
Jeepers Creepers<3
It is just funny:)
The Changeling
Classic one

9 years ago
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The Changeling (1980) is great, though like most horror movies, it didn't scare me.

9 years ago
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The Howling (1980) and other chapters this film
Phantasm (1978) and other chapters this film

9 years ago
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The Howling is good, though like others I've mentioned, didn't scare me. However as for the sequels, this is one I heard that only the original was good, so haven't bothered with the rest.

+1 on the Phantasm series (and can't wait on Phantasm RaVager coming out later this year at Halloween, will be nice to see the 5th one finally end it all, been waiting ever since 1998 on that one to be made.) If you're not aware of this, #5 was long rumored, promised, and anticipated by fans. They were even planning at one point to do a remake of the original instead of #5, glad they scrapped that idea. Oh and there's an official trailer on Youtube for this one, been out for a year.

9 years ago
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i don't watch many horror movies but from the few i have watched i can recommend john carpenter's vampires (i know you are a carpenter fan so you probably already watched it).
event horizon was already mentioned, so maybe you would like the blob (1988)... it's a bit cheesy but i remember it gave me nightmares when i was younger.

9 years ago
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Keep in mind that The Blob (1988) was the sequel to the original 1958 one. I have yet to see either, but I hope to sometime, and both are supposed to be great, so I don't think you can recommend one without mentioning both.

9 years ago
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Jacob's Ladder оne of the best movies I've ever seen.

9 years ago
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"Dead Silence" anyone??

9 years ago
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Thanks for GA !


" Lake Mungo "
It's a psycho-horror-mystery movie that is worth watching !

9 years ago
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I'm not good with horror movies... but if you like SAW maybe you'll like Hostel.

9 years ago
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Asia : Gui si, Suicide Club, Kairo, Shutter, Yogen, A Tale of Two Sisters, Uzumaki...

9 years ago
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Thanks! Out of those, I have only seen Shutter and I quite enjoyed it so I may look for the others you suggested.

9 years ago
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Twilight!!! Scariest damn movie I can think of. I mean its just so damn disturbing what they did to the Vampires in the movie. They sparkle in sunlight instead of burst into flame... gave me nightmares just thinking anyone could actually like crap like that.

:D

Actual horror movies...

A few that I have liked over the years were
Nightmare On Elm Street series
Friday the 13th series
Return of the Living Dead
Aliens
Evil Dead 1 & 2
The Stuff
Critters series, though 1 and 2 I believe are the better ones.
The Gate
Child's Play
Sleepaway Camp
Death Ship

There are more but those should do for now. :)

9 years ago
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Thanks! I've seen most of them, but I had never head of "The Stuff".
Just looked it up on IMDB, and it looks exactly like the kind of movie I may like :D I hope it's full of '80s cheesiness as well.

9 years ago
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Hey now, you left out Evil Dead 3, aka Army of Darkness! It's hilarious! XD

9 years ago
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... I'm not sure how I forgot that one

9 years ago
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Haunting in Connecticut
The Unborn
Orphan
My fav scary movies.

9 years ago
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9 years ago
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Good movie, I remember watching it after reading the book (I was the most avid Stephen King's reader back then), and it didn't disappoint.
Now the sequel, on the other hand...

9 years ago
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