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| Scariest Horror Movies Ever |
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In 1896, pioneering French filmmaker Georges Méliès set out to scare the bejeebers out of audiences with a short film he called Le Manoir du diable that is often credited as the first horror film. With his "House of the Devil," not only did he do just that, but the innovative filmmaker also unknowingly unleashed a whole new genre of filmmaking onto the world that would go on to become one of the most proliferative in the history of film.
Ever since Méliès' creepy images flickered on a wall somewhere in Paris, audiences have been clamoring for the next thrill, the next fright or some new way of getting their "horror freak on." And fortunately for an ever-increasingly sophisticated and skeptical audience, horror filmmakers keep on delivering.
Everyone has a different threshold of "horror," and everyone has a different way of having that threshold breached, so keep that in mind while perusing our list of the scariest horror movies of all time. You may not find your favorite on the list, and you may not think that every entry included is scary, but remember that each movie listed, at one time or another, scared the pants off someone, somewhere.
If you don't see your favorite scary horror movie on the list, you can let us know about it by posting in the comments section at the end of the article.
The Shining - Numerous memorable scenes come to mind, ("redrum", "all work and no play", "man in the bunny suit") - but they all add up to the scariest movie of all time.
Silence of the Lambs - The most visceral fear comes from one's own mind, and this one is the king of psychological horror. We recommend watching it slathered in lotion while listening to a Sparklehorse CD.
Se7en - Wonder if FedEx would really make that delivery? It's been reported that the studios balked at the ending, but Brad Pitt refused to complete filming with a different final scene. Good move, Brad!
King Kong (1933) - Despite the flickering gorilla fur, this one frightened a whole generation of new moviegoers. it's now available in sparkling blu-ray.
Psycho - The most prominent representative of the genius of Hitchcock. Janet Leigh's shower scene is often mentioned as one of the most frightening scenes ever filmed for a movie.
The Ring - A ringing phone will scare you for days after seeing this one. A clean change of underwear anyone?
Halloween (1978) - So scary it spawned no fewer than 8 direct sequels, not to mention numerous acknowledgments in other Hollywood productions. William Shatner should be proud of that!
Frankenstein (1931) - Combines a beautifully simplistic tale, with the potent topic of man vs. nature, to create a horrific fairy-tale that continues to mesmerize more than seven decades after its release.
The Hills Have Eyes (2006) - with the threat of nuclear disaster and its effects on humans largely forgotten, how successful would a remake featuring villains mutated by radioactive fallout play to today's generation of horror fans? Well, it worked back then and it works today.
Carrie (1976) - Mixes telekinetic powers with our innate fear of high school ridicule to create a classic horror masterpiece. This was the first Stephen King novel to be adapted for the big screen.
