Top 10 Scariest Films of All Time (to me)
TW: tight spaces, lockdown, abuse, mental illness** **
Spoilers: Haunting of Hill House, Signs
These are the scariest films I personally have ever seen. This isn’t a list of my favorite horror movies of all time, though generally, the scarier they are, the more I like them. This is also purely from my (a unique, but almost entirely white woman’s) perspective, so it’s by no means definitive.
10. The Haunting of Hill House (2018)-Netflix
Subgenres: Supernatural, gothic
A family is forced to reconcile with their past when one of them (Victoria Pedretti) turns up dead.
Where to start with this instant classic? As someone with several mental illnesses, this one does hit close to home. It’s really scary when you’re not sure what’s real, and that feeling comes across very well to the audience throughout the story. Just when you think you’ve decided it’s real, it turns out to be an illusion, and vice versa. Even in the end, you’re just never really sure. It replicates that lack of confidence in reality so well. The music and the set really add to the uncertainty, as well. The non-linear storytelling is brilliant, especially after it’s revealed that after death, time falls all around you like “confetti.” I could rave on and on about how well-written it is and all of that, but I’m sure it’s been done to death at this point. I think this entry speaks for itself.
Subgenres: Alien invasion, apocalyptic, scifi
A former pastor (Mel Gibson) ’s world gets turned upside down when crop circles start appearing all over the world.
Hear me out. I’m not a big M Night Shyamalan fan (and I really dislike Mel Gibson), but this movie has stuck with me since I first saw it as a kid in the early naughties. I don’t think the water thing is scientifically that far off because we breathe things that are poisonous to us all of the time, too, but even beyond that. The whole thing with the water was that they were originally going to be demons, and the water was supposed to be holy water, which would have definitely made more sense. But anyway. The news coverage felt realistic, as well as the lack of answers/visuals. Less is more, and that shines through in most of the film. I felt like I was in lockdown with the characters and their internal conflicts, and it was very uncomfortable and affective. I think I’m going to be using that word a lot haha. Ultimately, it would have been better without the shitty CGI alien at the end, but I can forgive that moment for how terrifying the rest of it was.
8. Greenland (2020)-Hulu, HBO Max
Subgenres: Thriller, apocalyptic, existential
John (Gerard Butler), Allison (Morena Baccarin), and their son get several notifications that they’ve been chosen to go to a bunker in Greenland for an imminent mass extinction event, and they must fight everyone in hysterics to get there.
This film is more of an existential terror. You will see that I generally find realism to be the scariest, and that rings true here. This film really felt like it was probably how this situation would be handled. Everything from the woman begging Gerard Butler to save her child to the US government flying its most important people to an underground bunker for safety. You will find yourself rooting for Gerard Butler and Morena Baccarin to make it through this truly harrowing and emotional ordeal, from which escape seems impossible. There’s just a relentless feeling of dread and desperation throughout the whole film.
7. Coherence (2013)-Tubi, Pluto TV, Hulu
Subgenres: Thriller, supernatural, existential, scifi
A group of friends is gathered for a dinner party during an astronomical event that causes weird things to start happening.
This film excels at disorienting you by making you question the characters and their true intentions. It even makes you question whether YOU are a good person or your own evil twin. What are we capable of that we didn’t think we were? There are other movies that do this, but this one is subtle and makes you think you know the answer before turning it on its head.
Subgenres: Psychological, thriller
A civilian truck driver in Iraq (Ryan Reynolds) must work against the clock to get himself out of a buried coffin with little more than a lighter and a Blackberry.
I think this entry speaks for itself.
Subgenres: Found footage, supernatural
A group of friends hold a seance over Zoom to entertain themselves and spend time together during lockdown when a malicious spirit starts messing with them.
This entire film was written and produced during lockdown. Maybe that’s part of what makes it so scary. It uses one of the functions we found vital to stay connected during lockdown: Zoom chat. How terrifying would it be if you were talking to your friends over Zoom, they were being attacked, and there was nothing you could do about it? It really utilizes the format for its scares with its “less is more” mentality, too.
4. You, season 3 (2021)-Netflix
Subgenres: Thriller, psychological, crime, dark comedy
A serial killer named Joe (Penn Badgely) and his serial killer wife, Love (Victoria Pedretti), try to work out their marital problems while living lives they’re keeping secret from each other.
I already wrote a post detailing how this season is more horror than the previous two seasons. I could definitely see Penn Badgley’s influence. He does not like Joe; and in this season, we’re not supposed to either. In the previous two seasons, I could feel the show’s ambivalence with the character, but this time it was clear to me that he is meant to be scary. This season is scary to me because of its realism and dramatic tension. But certainly, the atmosphere is also more intense this season.
3. The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Subgenres: Found footage, supernatural, psychological
Three college kids head into a forest in Maryland in an attempt to make a documentary about a local cryptid for a college film course when the subject of their film takes an interest in them.
The found footage film that kicked off the format’s popularity. This is “less is more” the movie. Your imagination is far scarier than anything shown on screen, but that’s what’s scary about it. You can’t see exactly what’s happening, and the confusion and uncertainty are what cause you discomfort.
2. The Strangers (2008)-Netflix
Subgenres: Home invasion, psychological
James (Scott Speedman) takes his partner, Kristen (Liv Tyler), to the family vacation home for a relaxing weekend away that quickly sours due to random acts of harassment and violence.
I’m sure you can guess I’m going to say I like its realism. You’re correct, but also, what is more chilling than someone attacking you simply because “you were home”? It’s the total randomness that’s scary. It could happen to anyone at any time for no reason, really, at all. It reminds you life is chaos, and even if you do everything right, you could die tomorrow just because someone feels like killing you.
1. The Invisible Man (2020)-Hulu, HBO Max
Subgenres: Thriller, scifi
Cecilia (Elizabeth Moss) runs away from her abusive ex-partner, Adrian (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), then soon after, finds out he’s dead. Weird things start happening to her as she tries to put her life back together in the aftermath of their relationship.
Honestly, this is one of the most terrifying things as someone with mental illness, a history of being abused, and just as a woman. Your abuser coming back and no one believing you because of your mental illness? That’s not exactly what happened here, but it’s close enough. The camerawork is some of the best I have seen in my life. It and the music are so terrifying. And of course, the acting is impeccable (Elizabeth Moss is a genius). I cannot recommend this movie enough. It is in my top 10 favorite, AND top 10 scariest. It’s just a GOOD horror movie.
That concludes my list of the top 10 scariest films I personally have ever seen. What do you think? What are the 10 scariest films YOU have seen? Got any recs? Hmu
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