What's the Scariest Film You Ever Saw?

Yesterday the NY Times posed the conversation-starting question on it’s blog, “What’s the Scariest Film You Ever Saw?”.  My personal answer is William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist” starring Linda Blair which I actually saw in the theater during it’s original release when I was just 6 years old.  (Yes, my father took me to see the M.F.-ing Exorcist at the age of 6.)

What followed were years of nightmares (and daymares) well into my early teens and oddly enough a real love of horror films, haunted houses and the horror genre in general.  To be clear I’m talking scary here.  There are other very good films in this genre such as “Poltergeist” that are very entertaining and well-crafted, but not necessarily scary.  I’m talking about movies that give you the willies and make you sleep with the lights on.

So, here are some of my all-time scariest horror films:

The Exorcist
Hands down the scariest movie of all-time in my book.  The special FX, music, sound FX and story all still hold up 30+ years later.  What could be scarier than battling Satan himself?

The Blair Witch Project
Broke some new ground with the associated Internet campaign, very convincing documentary-style footage and realistic performances that all served to really blur the line between fiction and reality.  Virtually no violence or blood – it’s all psychological.  When I saw this film opening weekend many people thought it was a documentary.

Paranormal Activity
In the same vein as The Blair Witch Project, but a tighter story that mostly involves just 2 characters and mostly takes place in a single location.   This movie scared the hell out me in broad daylight watching on a laptop in a train full of people.  Equally creepy and convincing in the seeming realistic reactions of the characters who (unlike many horror films) actually do what you imagine yourself doing if faced with the same situations- and suffer dire consequences nonetheless.

The Shining
Classic horror.  Creepy ghosts.  Creepy kid.  Great unfolding story.

Nightmare on Elm Street
Although this series declined throughout it’s sequels, the original was quite scary just in the very concept that Freddy would get you when you were doing the one thing no one can avoid- sleep.  No doubt many teens were became insomniacs when this movie was first released.

Pet Sematary
Based on the Stephen King novel of the same name this film hasn’t gotten the attention it deserves as a full-fledged creepfest of shocking moments and psychological study of human nature as people deal with the death (and unnatural resurrection) of loved ones.

What are the scariest movies that YOU’VE ever seen?