Scariest TV shows or films you’ve ever seen

[butterfliesandhurricanes]

One of the creepiest films I’ve seen is The Others with Nicole Kidman. Genuinely think it’s one of the best psychological horror films I’ve ever seen. Doesn’t seem to get spoken about much but I love it, it’s so atmospheric.

 

[Blue pumpkin]

I've can take a lot when it comes to horror. Not much scares me or disgusts me but years ago I turned Human Centipede off in the first five minutes.

Makes you wonder who would be married to someone who writes such sick stuff.

 

[bubbadabut]

I’ve never seen or heard of Ghostwatch. Do you think watching it as an adult in 2021 it would still be scary or is it one of those ones where watching it as a child, you carry the fear with you into adulthood and so it’s still scary but only because of the memories?

The thing about Ghostwatch was that they trailed it for days on the BBC, including on kids shows like Going Live, so everyone who watched it went into it thinking it was going to be some mildly scary Halloween thing. It was presented by a respected broadcaster in Michael Parkinson, the reporter at the house was Sarah Green, kids TV presenter. Craig Charles was on it too. It was all set up to be a suitable, legitimate BBC broadcast.

We weren't expecting the sights or the sounds we saw, nor did we expect to see much-loved TV presenters being 'posessed'. It was the whole build up to it. To an adult now, it probably seems tame, but there's an entire generation of kids who were shit-scared of it, and rightly so. The BBC were irresponsible in their billing of the show. There was a 10 year ban on it being repeated, and I don't think they ever have, but its on YouTube. I think you probably had to be there at the time to get the full effect. I've seen brief clips of it since, and I still don't understand how they thought it wouldn't cause a problem with children.

I've watched a lot of horror, especially as a teen. The Shining scared the shit out of me, more recently (sort of) Sinister with Ethan Hawke. Some truly creepy scenes that have stayed with me even 8 years later.

Sinister is one of the few horror films I have actually watched in recent years, yet I hardly see it mentioned for some reason. I agree, very creepy. Good film too, a cut above the usual stuff from the genre.

 

[quinzel]

Two horror movies I’ve really enjoyed but would never watch again are Babadook and Hereditary. Something about them made me feel so uneasy. I love horror but rarely come across anything decent these days. Those two stand out for me.

 

[a.squonk]

Your post really made me laugh. I misread Ringu as Pingu and thought WTF?

And I’m not clicking the video but I too remember that advert and didn’t like it. The one that used to scare me were those skeletons that used to talk and looked creepy, can’t remember what it was for, and also the Scottish Widow lady as I thought she was a witch lol.

I hated Pingu as well to be fair. And why was the dad always ironing?? THEY DON'T WEAR ANY CLOTHES

Not sure about the skeleton one, that sounds right traumatising though. Made me think of that hideous pylon advert for some reason! Where they all come alive and march through the countryside, terrorising children looking through their windows. Nightmare fuel. What was wrong with people in the 80s


Agree on Scottish Widows. She always looked a bit too smug, didn't she. It's that billowing black cloak and knowing half smile to camera at the end. You too can get a massive life insurance payout if your husband suddenly, tragically, inexplicably dies while walking on this very high up, isolated Scottish cliffside! Free red lipstick and dotty hat veil with every purchase. Hmmm.

 

[hrh89]

The Others always sticks with me. Super creepy and atmospheric, genuinely think it’s one of the best supernatural horrors I’ve ever seen.

I would highly recommend the tv show of The Exorcist. Unfortunately it got cancelled after two series but it was genuinely creepy and really good. Still gutted that it didn’t get a third series.

The woman in black -I think is a 12 but it scared the shit out of me I’d seen the play which is also terrifying.
there was a show a few years ago (I think Whitechapel but it might not have been) where a couple are lying in bed and the killer comes through the ceiling?! That was awful too

woman in black in the west end stayed with me for the years. For some reason the empty rocking chair just freaks me out

 

[under the ivy]

Both of the IT films made me jump and I was watching through my hands at the cinema!

Don’t Look Now with the dwarf at the end

 

[Matricks]

I remember seeing "Jaws" at the age of around 12, scared the Hell out of me, especially the fisherman's head popping out of the side of the partly submerged boat!

Also "The Thing" was a great film, especially with the thing bursting out of some bloke's chest and biting the arms off a doctor. Which brings me onto another classic chest-busting scene in "Alien"

Finally, "The Haunting" (1963) always chills me, not least because its in gothic black & white rather than colour. But also it uses noises, shadows, and other weird sounds/lighting rather than gory visual effect to unnerve you. Great film!

 

[HockyRorror]

Return to Oz I remember watching it with my sister at my grandparents, even now thinking of The Wheelers makes me shudder and it’s been 20+ years.

I love Return to Oz! One of my favourite childhood films, but it is creepy with those wheelers and the witch with all the different heads. Certainly wasn’t anything like Wizard of Oz

 

[Phoenix Lazarus]

Theatre of Blood (1973) starring Vincent Price.

 

[Rockin' Robin]

There is a film called O lucky Man! with Malcom McDowell, it is a weird disjointed film with powerful themes and imagery. One scene in particular is terrifying to watch - a man volunteers to be a guinea pig for some kind of medical research. Malcom McDowell's character accompanies him. The man awakes after the procedure, to McDowell's absolute horror, the man has the body of a pig. McDowell lets out a blood curdling scream, it is a truly terrifying scene.

 

[PaddyDomino]

My friend and I went to see When a Stranger Calls, in our local cinema, we shouldn't have been allowed in because we were only about 12
When it was over, we came out petrified and ran all the way home
I found it on YouTube a few years ago and watched it to see if I still found it scary, and I would recommend it, the beginning especially is good for a fright!
I would never watch The Exorcist again, once was enough, just too creepy!

 

[Baconbutties]

Watched Poltergeist aged 11. Gave me nightmares for years. The bloody clown coming from under the bed.
Oh and Hellraiser! Pinhead scared the shit out of me.

 

[FenellaTheWitch]

Another good, creepy, atmospheric film I was thinking about recently is 'What Lies Beneath' with Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer.

I haven't seen anything worth posting about lately but I am looking forward to 'Midnight Mass' which is coming to Netflix.

 

[FenellaTheWitch]

The Omen was TV last night.

I think it still stands the test of time.

 

[maxrigger]

Classic here, full length

 

[BorisBear]

I watched nightmare on elm street aged 11 & didn’t sleep for about a year, my dad loved horror we watched hell raiser & one called the hole I think. I’m not a fan of gory but liked jeepers creepers

 

[What's the craic Jack]

I've also watch a lot of horror. It's my favourite genre and as such I don't really find them scary but occasionally one does leave you feeling very uncomfortable. One of those films for me was 'Sinister'. Really unnerving and creepy. I started watching it one night and switched it off because I felt unnerved but was strangely drawn back to it the next day to finish it. I've never watched it again and never watched the sequels.

As a teenager 'Salem's Lot' was my scariest TV. I made sure all the windows were shut for months afterwards

Salem's Lot was terrifying as a teenager, the window scene stayed with me for a long time!

Surprised no one has mentioned Event Horizon, that movie scared the bejesus out of me! Probably didn't help that it was billed as a sci fi movie so you really weren't expecting the turn it took. It was terrifying and really got inside your head. Have never been able to bring myself to watch it again

 

[Woolmercardington]

Actually, one of the most scary things I saw on TV when I was very little was comedian Tommy Cooper collapsing and dying on stage at the London Palladium

 

[HockyRorror]

Poltergeist! I saw it as a kid as well. That clown doll sneaking up on the little girl was legitimately terrifying. The tree coming through the window scared me for years

The Exorcist - seen it once, brilliant film, but never watching it again

The Omen (the old one) - when he's creeping around the house at the end trying to kidnap Damien. The graveyard with the jackals

Salem's Lot - James Mason slinking around and putting kids in binbags for his vampire master to nom on later. The coffin moving up the van

The Box of Delights - no one seems to remember this one, it's this amazing surreal 1980s BBC kid's serial, but it has some really creepy moments.

Ring / Ringu - have mercy I'm never watching those again

The Soft Mints advert from the early 1990s where everything in the world is sort of lumpy and soft and pillow shaped and the postbox laughs manically as Mr Soft strides past in his horrible pillow world way, drawling 'Mrrrrr Soffttttt' like he's just had a stroke. It freaked me out so much as kid I refused go near postboxes for a while

Edit: right you can all share my pain, I've found that bloody Mr Soft advert and it's just as creepy as I remember:

Mr Softttttt

Your post really made me laugh. I misread Ringu as Pingu and thought WTF?

And I’m not clicking the video but I too remember that advert and didn’t like it. The one that used to scare me were those skeletons that used to talk and looked creepy, can’t remember what it was for, and also the Scottish Widow lady as I thought she was a witch lol.