There are a few of the usual contenders in there that have stood the test of time, but mostly this was intended as a showcase for the lesser known or more recent thrills and chills, so without further ado, I give you the Greatest Scary Movies 2012.
50) Shrooms (2007) dir, Paddy Breathnach
'Shrooms' sees your typical bunch of American youngsters journey to fair Ireland to indulge in some home-grown psychedelics, with the assistance of a local mushroom expert. They always say, "never trip alone," and this movie perfectly demonstrates why. A frightening blend of the paranormal and vulnerability, it'll make you glad you can switch a movie off, whereas once you've eaten those shrooms, you gotta ride it out. No matter how long it takes.
49) Gothika (2003) dir, Mathieu Kassovitz
Despite a patchy plot and a thoroughly unrealistic ending, Gothika is one hell of a supernatural thrill ride. Halle Berry stars as psychologist Miranda Gray, who finds herself committed to the very hospital she works at for having killed her husband. She doesn't know how or why it happened, but is soon the recipient of ghostly and violent correspondences from the one who holds the answers. It has a lot of good jumps, and very successfully built tension, thanks to a superb cast.
48) Hostel (2005) dir, Eli Roth
When it was released, Hostel was reputed to be the sickest, most violent film ever (boy how things change in five years!) and is crafted into two halves- the first is softcore porn, the second is hardcore torture, but no one could deny that it brought around a whole new level of slasher movie. The sequels were poor, but this is a little gem of our generation, and certainly a milestone of the horror genre, and of Eli Roth's career.
47) House of 1000 Corpses (2003) dir, Rob Zombie
Achieving huge cult acclaim and enthusiasm, House of 1000 Corpses is an interesting lot. Featuring just as much dark humour as actual horror, and a fantastic take on the deranged killer family of Texas Chainsaw Massacre type, it is certainly not 100% frightfest. But it is original, full of character, and some genuinely spine-chilling moments that make you think "What the hell would you do in that situation?"
46) Urban Legend (1998) dir, Jamie Blanks
Thoroughly cheesy and one of the archetypal teen slashers of the '90s, Urban Legend sports real-life takes on the scare stories we all know and love. The killer on the back seat, the killer on the roof of the car, and the old Pop Rocks and Soda combo all make an appearance in this Big Killer on Campus flick, and through all the in-jokes and unrealistic dialogue, it produces a few pretty terrifying moments as all your favourite legends come to life.
45) The Hole (2001) dir, Nick Hamm
Not for the faint of heart or claustrophobic, The Hole sees four teenagers looking for a good time sneaking off to an abandoned war bunker instead of going on the school trip. But when it's time to go home, they can't open the door, they find themselves in a nightmare: with no one who knows where they are, and nothing for miles around, their hopes of ever getting out dwindle, as we discover the shocking truth as to why they can't leave. Thora Birch boasts a chilling performance, albeit with a rather forced British accent, and stars alongside Embeth Davidtz, Desmond Harrington and Keira Knightly in one of her earliest roles.
44) Resident Evil (2002) dir, Paul W S Anderson
Based rather loosely on the hit video game series, Resident Evil stars Milla Jovovich as Alice, a woman sucked into a secret government company's viral fiasco with a crew of agents, with no recollection of who or where she is. When the gang encounter a swarm of undead employees in the underground facility, they are in a race against time and zombies to get back to the surface before the automated doors seal them in for good. One or two terrifying jumps, and one of the good modern zombie films, the first is still the best, no matter how many ridiculous sequels they produce.
43) The Crazies (2010) dir, Breck Eisner
Speaking of good modern zombie films, this is a great one. A remake of the George A. Romero film, The Crazies is a truly horrifying account of a zombie apocalypse, and the dreadful lengths the Government will go to to cover/control it. As well as being generally scary, this movie builds an incredible sense of dread, with some scenes bringing me to nausea. Very absorbing and frightening, The Crazies is a damn good watch!
42) The Witches (1990) dir, Nicolas Roeg
A haunting little number from childhood, The Witches is a terrifying-for-its-target-audience spin on the Roald Dahl classic, starring Anjelica Huston. With some truly startling make-up effects, it goes into the same category as Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal, for family movies which seem too damn scary for kids!
41) Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) dir, Ken Hughes
A while back, I passed a mother in town, who grabbed her young daughter who had strayed only a few feet, and hissed, "Don't EVER do that or the Child Catcher will get you!" It made me chuckle somewhat, but in the midst of the Paedophile Moral Panic, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang causes the same, if not more terror in modern audiences. Voters still rated this as one of the scariest movies of all time, and it's all down to this guy!
40) A Clockwork Orange (1971) dir, Stanley Kubrick
Attracting huge controversy ever since its original release, A Clockwork Orange is based on the novel by Anthony Burgess, and follows the life, incarceration and 'redemption' of violent young hoodlum Alex DeLarge. When he and his Droogs violently kill a woman in her own home, Alex is imprisoned and submitted for an experimental new treatment for the rehabilitation of violent criminals. The scenes of forced brainwashing are shocking, and it's a terrifying concept in itself, delving into the question of whether it is right to rewire someone's brain.
39) Wrong Turn (2003) dir, Rob Schmidt
One of many in the trend of Mutated Cannibal Hillbilly movies, Wrong Turn is a pretty creepy one, with gruesome make-up effects, even more gruesome deaths, and some seriously impossible pickles for our young heroes to escape from, it's fun and horrific, with a good portion of the scares coming from the ridiculously irritating voice of the actress in the Wimpy Girly-Girl role.
38) When A Stranger Calls (2006) dir, Simon West
One of the more successful remakes I've seen, When A Stranger Calls modernises the old 'babysitter and the calls from inside the house' story, and does it incredibly successfully up to the last 20 minutes or so when the Caller is finally seen, which detracts the majority of the unknown terror. But before this point, it is incredibly creepy, and, speaking from experience, the worst movie to be watching when the phone suddenly rings!
37) Insidious (2010) dir, James Wan
Insidious is one of those movies, which usually take place in a house, that has permanently scarred my brain, and that always sends terrifying flashbacks at the most inconvenient of times! Using the hard-to-perfect technique of long silences, and throwing in a lot of genuinely terrifying shocks, it is a movie that is best watched with the lights on and in trusted company to avoid some serious trauma!
36) 1408 (2007) dir, Mikael Håfström
Based on the short story by "the greatest author of the last thousand years- Stephen King," 1408 stars John Cusack as a writer of the paranormal, investigating a string of mysterious deaths in a particular room at the Dolphin Hotel after receiving an anonymous tip. His night in the room turns into a terrifying ordeal, blurring the line between what's real and what's not. One or two moments are thoroughly chilling, and there are plenty of great scares throughout, with an awesome supporting character played by Samuel L. Jackson.
35) Fatal Attraction (1987) dir, Adrian Lyne
A familiar entry but one of my all-time favourite movies, Glenn Close was seriously cheated out of the Oscar for her performance as Alex Forrest, a woman impregnated and abandoned by a married man, who refuses to be ignored. Of course there is the famous bathtub scene that still scares the pants off of everybody, but Close's incredible performance as a whole is definitely what made Fatal Attraction one of the best thrillers of the decade.
34) Jeepers Creepers (2001) dir, Victor Salva
A creepy and original monster movie produced by Francis Ford Coppolla, Jeepers Creepers is a great, self-aware horror with one of the best closing shots I've ever seen. A brother and sister are taking the long way home from college and stumble across the macabre lair of The Creeper, who is soon on their trail to the very end.
33) The Grudge 2 (2006) dir, Takashi Shimizu
The most frightening cinema experience of my life, The Grudge 2 is one of those ghouls-and-ghosties movies that etches terrifying scenarios into your brain, never to be erased. For weeks after viewing, I was convinced I could see long black hair dropping down from the bunk above mine at night, and definitely wouldn't sleep with the closet door open. It remains one of the most terrifying movies I have seen, and for this very reason my viewings of it now are minimal!
32) Black Christmas (1974) dir, Bob Clark
Putting a '70s seasonal spin on the classic 'caller from inside the house' legend, Black Christmas sees the glorious Olivia Hussey and her sorority terrorized by a mysterious stalker. Silence and suspense are well used, and it's a definite horror classic from the decade.
31) Cabin Fever (2004) dir, Eli Roth
As well as being a horror that 'gets under your skin' so to speak, Cabin Fever is an absolute riot for anyone with an open-minded sense of humour. Marking the start of a great career in the genre, Eli Roth's 2004 hit sees a bunch of college students staying in a cabin in the backwoods of some far-out place, who one by one find themselves afflicted by a flesh-eating disease, and learn that the locals are not so trustworthy.
30) Creep (2004) dir, Christopher Smith
A young woman finds herself locked in the London Underground overnight, and is being hunted by a terrifying disfigured man who has lived down there since 'creation.' There are many sickening scenes, a lot of suspense and one shot that will make you jump right out of your freakin' skin! I'd advise that you approach Creep with caution: it is seriously vile stuff.
29) Drag Me To Hell (2009) dir, Sam Raimi
A fantastic little number from old-timer Sam Raimi, Drag Me To Hell tells the story of a mortgage banker cursed by a gypsy woman she evicts, and becomes the opponent of terrifying, evil forces from beyond the grave. The plot gets somewhat obscure toward the end, but the closing sequence makes up completely for any ambiguity. In classic Raimi-style, there are plenty of jumps, creeps, scary make-up effects and imaginative terrors.
28) Pan's Labyrinth (2006) Guillermo del Toro
Pan's Labyrinth is a wonderful, absolute must-see film, but undeniably involves a number of memorably horrifying scenes. Ofelia is a young girl, who is taken by her heavily pregnant mother to live with her military stepfather in Francoist Spain. Being the princess of the Underworld reincarnate, the Faun seeks her out and sets her tasks to gain her entry back to the Underworld, but in order to do so, she must escape the evil clutches of her stepfather and the war going on around her.
27) Dead Silence (2007) dir, James Wan
Ventriloquist's dummies are a common phobia nowadays. Their manic staring eyes and lifeless bodies are seriously unnerving, and here James Wan taps into this rather modern fear by making them the accomplices of a vengeful and psychotic ventriloquist from beyond the grave. In rather similar fashion to its main antagonist, this movie is psychological and plays tricks on you, making it a fantastic scare.
26) May (2002) dir, Lucky McKee
May is one of the best and most original modern horror films, and is ridiculously under-seen and under-available. Starring Angela Bettis in the title role, May is a shy and lonely veterinary assistant who makes her own clothes and notices beauty in everyone.When all the people in her life reject her, May sets out to make herself a new friend, and only the very best parts will do. May is also one of the few on this list with an absolutely top-notch closing shot, which I wouldn't dream of describing here. It must be experienced.
25) Videodrome (1983) dir, David Cronenburg
Cult favourite James Woods stars in David Cronenburg's mind-fuck Videodrome, in which the CEO of a small, tacky cable channel comes across a broadcast of extreme violence and torture, and believes this is the show he needs to pull in the viewers. It soon becomes apparent however that Videodrome is having a startling effect on its audience, and is being used in the most corrupt ways. Blondie singer Debbie Harry co-stars in this so-called 'techno-surrealist' cult classic.
24) Harry Brown (2009) dir, Daniel Barber
Legendary Brit Sir Michael Caine consumes the screen as ex-Marine turned vigilante Harry Brown. When his best friend is killed by a gang of thugs that he had reported to police to no avail, the kind-hearted widower takes matters into his own hands, in a much more enjoyable and realistic style than I Spit On Your Grave. It's fair to say that Harry gives it to the little buggers good and proper, but the most terrifying performance comes from Creep star Sean Harris, as the evil junkie who supplies Mr Brown's gun, in the most fantastic sequence of the film.
23) The Descent (2005) dir, Neil Marshall
Following a horrific (but wonderfully shot) accident, Sarah is invited by friends on a caving expedition, to help ease the loss of her husband and child. The women certainly know what they're doing, except for venturing into an unmapped cave system, and soon all skill and hope goes out the window when they're hunted by flesh-eating monsters. The all-female cast makes for a movie that's nicely lacking in the macho bullshit, and takes on a very real, terrifying ordeal.
22) Poltergeist (1982) dir, Tobe Hooper
Beautifully normal family, the Freelings, find themselves in a state of terror and frustration when evil spirits kidnap their young daughter Carol-Anne, and she is held somewhere in a spirit dimension inside their house. The fantastic movie is just as well known as its subsequent "curse," which saw many mysterious happenings on and off set, as well as the deaths of several people involved, including 12-year-old Heather O'Rourke (Carol-Anne) and 22-year-old Dominique Dunne, who played her older sister Dana. Poltergeist is a fest of special effects which are used suitably and professionally, and to their full potential.
21) The Woman In Black (2012) dir, James Watkins
Moderately-matured Daniel Radcliffe features as a young lawyer sent to review the estate of a deceased woman, and is stalked by the ghost of a woman in black, whose evil force causes the suicides of local children. Rather in the style of The Others, it consists of lots of dark, shadowy, "did I just see something" sequences with frightening bursts of horror that make it very hard to sleep that night. Supernatural movies have the means to go beyond reality and make it frightening, and The Woman in Black certainly does that.
20) [REC] (2007) dir, Juame Balaguero & Paco Plaza
Spanish 'Found Footage' horror [REC] was so popular it was remade in the US a year later as Quarantine, and is one of the best loved foreign films of the time. A reporter and her cameraman follow a firefighting crew to an apartment building, and find themselves sealed in and sectioned off on quarantine by the military, along with a load of the residents. It is soon evident that a viral disease is spreading throughout the block, and the characters are gradually picked off by either the virus, each other, or both! This is all captured by Pablo the trusty cameraman, and it forms the most successful fake documentary since The Blair Witch Project.
19) Saw (2004) dir, James Wan
Spawning huge cultural influence, and an obscene number of sequels, Saw is another modern horror great. Two men wake chained up in a rotting old bathroom, and are told they are at the hands of Jigsaw, a notorious and twisted murderer who 'plays games' with his victims. The phrase "torture porn" comes up a lot when talking about Saw, as it was part of a generation of new horror movies that took extreme violence to a whole new level. It is gross, horrifying and gets worse as the movies go along. It's really sick stuff, but the first in the series was fantastically original, and worthy of a place on the Scary List!
18) Goosebumps: The Haunted Mask (1995) dir, Timothy Bond
An odd entry, but a truly terrifying one. Back in the '90s, Fox made a TV series out of R.L. Stine's best-selling Goosebumps books, the best kids' horror of all time. The shows were scary, but The Haunted Mask really takes the prize. Carly-Beth is a young teenager who is easily scared to say the least. Local dickheads Chuck and Steve torment her constantly, and this Halloween, she wants to get sweet revenge! A weird new party shop, with an ever weirder owner, comes to town, and Carly Beth gets the most terrifying mask, much to the despair of the shopkeeper. However, when she's had her fun, she can't take the mask off, and she is stuck in a truly nightmarish situation. Star Kathryn Long demonstrates superb acting skills for one so young, and creates a lot of the horror in this frightening little TV number.
17) Fantasia (1940) a Disney Picture
In 1940, the Walt Disney Company produced an incredible new form of cinematic entertainment, entitled Fantasia. Leopold Stokowski conducts an orchestra through a set of classical numbers, while Disney create stunning visual accompaniments, in a beautiful fashion way ahead of its time. Fantasia featured several frightening numbers, the main being A Night On Bald Mountain, which shows a hideous demon raising evil from Hell, and having a jolly good time doing it. The Sorcerer's Apprentice not only cast Mickey Mouse in an immortal red-cloaked, blue-wizard-hatted image, but was a chilling visual of the classic poem about a foolish young apprentice who tries to master some of his terrifying boss's tricks.
16) Misery (1990) dir, Rob Reiner
I've said it once, I'll say it again, "the greatest author of the last thousand years, Stephen King" wrote the fantastic thriller Misery, and through it Rob Reiner fulfilled his ambition of making a Stephen King film for a second time. Paul Sheldon is the popular author of crappy period romance novel series 'Misery.' He has finished writing his first serious novel, when he is run off the road in a blizzard, and miraculously rescued by his "number one fan" Annie Wilkes. But his devotee is seriously displeased when she learns he has killed off her Misery in favour of his new work, and with his legs increasingly broken, Paul finds himself at the mercy of the original Psychotic Nurse.
15) Halloween (1978) dir, John Carpenter
Establishing Jamie Lee Curtis as a Scream Queen, Halloween remains to this day hugely influential on horror culture and film-making. Mysterious, masked and maybe-mortal Michael Myers stalks his former neighbourhood on Halloween night, particularly targeting Laurie Strode and her buddies. This also spawned a ridiculous number of sequels, one even worthy Jamie Lee Curtis reprising the Strode character. This also remains the best of the lot.
14) Don't Look Now (1973) dir, Nicolas Roeg
Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie star as a couple whose daughter's recent death has found them in Venice trying to get over it, while the husband works on renovating an old local church. While there, the wife is befriended by two elderly sisters with psychic powers, who bring the Baxters messages from beyond the grave. The wife Laura is convinced of something terrible approaching, but John remains skeptical, to the very end. One of the greats of the genre, and a final reveal of the villain that sends your blood running cold and your head through the ceiling, Don't Look Now is an absolute must-see.
13) Beauty and the Beast (1991) A Disney Picture
Everybody knows it, everybody's seen it, but in the style of Snow White, the Disney animators once again demonstrate their love for scaring children (and adults!) in Beauty and the Beast. An absolutely chilling opening scene illustrated by stained glass windows tell the initial story of the Prince's damning cruelty, and when Maurice stumbles upon his castle, it is the most sinister and haunting setting and accompanying music I can recall in animated feature. No matter how we age, it seems these scenes, which require no gore, jumps or slashing, never lose their effect.
12) Jaws (1975) dir, Steven Spielberg
Thanks to Spielberg's master thriller, I am one of probable millions who suffer fear of sharks and water to ridiculous levels. Anyone who hasn't seen Jaws simply hasn't lived, and almost 40 years on it remains one of the best made, best selling and best loved movies ever. It is one of the few that is on every Scary List which also makes it here, but it is completely earned. This gem of cinema and human craft is just perfect in every way.
11) Hatchet (2006) dir, Adam Green
Directorial debut of modern horror genius Adam Green, Hatchet is a rip-roaring hardcore slasher set in the Louisiana Bayou, where hatchet-face Victor Crowley is brutally picking off the stranded party from a sunken Ghost Tour boat. With 0% CGI and gruesomely original deaths, Hatchet is one of the initial few that motivated me to create this updated list. It is an awesome scary movie, and deserves all the recognition it can get.
10) The Hills Have Eyes (1997) dir, Wes Craven
Another gruesome demonstration of old-school film-making, in their wondrous use of reality. Nothing is faked. So when Wes Craven set out to make a movie about killer mutants, he hired the likes of Michael Berryman, whose hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia causes a cone-shaped head, and lack of hair, nails or sweat glands. A family stranded in the middle of the desert find themselves hunted by psychotic mutants, who were victims of nuclear experiments. It is very disturbing and terrifyingly real, in the same sort of way as the Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
9) The Others (2001) dir, Alejandro Amenabar
Unfortunately dismissed for its similarity to The Sixth Sense which was released shortly before, The Others is a terrifying tale of a supposed haunting on a widowed woman with two photosensitive children, giving the movie grounds to be in constant darkness. There are some memorably frightening sequences, strung together with a lot of chilling silences and build-ups. Fantastic performances from Nicole Kidman, Fionnula Flanagan, and child actors Alakina Mann and James Bentley perfectly occupy the chilling surroundings of a dark manor house, whose doors are all locked.
8) The Exorcist (1973) dir, William Friedkin
Here comes another common entry, in all its vomit-covered, crucifix-defiling glory. Sweet young Regan MacNeill (Linda Blair) becomes increasingly vulgar, ill and demented, leading her distraught mother, the wonderful Ellen Burstyn, and a group of local priests to believe that she is possessed. It is really the progression of Regan's possession that causes a lot of the horror, as we see a beautiful little girl turn into a foul-mouthed, murderous demon. Godfather of Horror Dick Smith contributes make-up effects to stun and scare, which have never really been topped by anyone, man or machine.
7) Black Swan (2010) dir, Darren Aronofsky
A contemporary take on the classic ballet, Black Swan is one of the most triumphant films of recent years, scooping a plethora of awards, including Best Actress Oscar to Natalie Portman. She stars as Nina, a young ballerina who has managed to score the lead role in Swan Lake, but finds herself unable to release enough to embody the bold Black Swan: she is all sweetness and light, the White Swan. Rival dancer Lily can do both, and threatens Nina's big chance at fulfilling her obsession of 'being perfect.' The rivalry and desperate work to achieve perfection slowly challenge Nina's sanity, as we see Aronofsky's trademark psychological film-making coming to order.
6) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) dir, Tobe Hooper
An absolute classic horror, which Roger Ebert said "is really a lot better than the genre requires," The Texas Chainsaw Massacre tells the tale of Sally Hardesty, her disabled brother Franklin, and their friends Pam and Kirk. "For them, an idyllic summer afternoon drive became a nightmare," the introduction narrates, as they stumble across the house of a family of cannibals. Incredible direction and cinematography, with the most realistic, and least cheesy performances of the horror genre, TCM deserves every slot it gets on the Scary Lists, it's a winner!
5) The Blair Witch Project (1999) dir, Daniel Myrick & Eduardo Sanchez
The first of (the new generation of) Found Footage Horrors, The Blair Witch Project is a petrifying psychological masterpiece, all done on hand-held cameras. Three young film-makers venture out into the woods of Maryland, filming a documentary about the legend of the local witch. When they find themselves lost, and hunted by something not-so-mythical, a terrifying ordeal ensues, all from the ever-realistic perspective of the hunted's cameras.
4) A Tale of Two Sisters (2003) dir, Jee-woon Kim
Based on a Korean legend, and remade into American version The Uninvited, A Tale of Two Sisters is a spine-chilling psychological horror, about two young girls released from a mental hospital after the suspicious death of their mother, coming home to their father and cruel new stepmother, their mother's former nurse. The stepmother is beyond cruel, and haunted by their tragic mother, the girls are driven insane by horror, guilt and abuse. One of the scariest movies I've ever seen, A Tale of Two Sisters is a real great of foreign film.
3) The Strangers (2008) dir, Brian Bertino
Using the old "based on true events" gaff, The Strangers is a haunting little number about a couple stalked by three masked attackers in their isolated summer home. The feeling of being hunted is all-encompassing, and the intruders have a truly ghostly presence for human characters. Liv Tyler stars in this truly terrifying horror flick, which never loses its threatening appeal.
2) Paranormal Activity (2007) dir, Oren Peli
Another game-changer of the last few years, Paranormal Activity broke all records and standards, and launched one of the most successful film series ever. With some mind-blowing effects for a home-made $15,000 dollar movie, Paranormal Activity documents a young couple haunted by an evil presence in their house, leading to one of the most shocking and haunting endings in film history.
1) The Human Centipede: First Sequence (2009) dir, Tom Six
Undoubtedly the sickest and most controversial horror of modern years, Tom Six's Human Centipede: First Sequence made such a huge impression it was even made into a South Park episode. Demented Doctor Heiter kidnaps people for his sick new experiment, which involves sewing three humans together, mouth-to-anus, to create a single continuing gastric system. Sick, shocking, twisted and spawning a sequel that's just plain evil, The Human Centipede shook the world, and remains one of the most notoriously vile movies in history.
