Boo! It's nearly Hallowe'en! ..............so, what's the scariest movie ever?

"Dead Of Night" is funny too and old = 40's

Most horror films don't have much effect on me. I liked the Ring and the Eye.

Worst one I have ever seen is Jeepers Creepers. One of the most pointless films ever.

brrrrr.

I forgot just how disturbing the Nanny/window scene is in The Omen: "Damien, look at ME! I LOOOOVE YOU, Damien! It's ALL for YOU!!" Man, that is fucked. The nanny was Holly Palance, too! (I remember her from Believe It.....Or Naught with daddy Jack)

Halloween is genuinely creepy to begin with, but especially if you haven't seen it in a long time and forgot the particulars of what happens. How about the "bedsheet with the glasses" scene? Yikes.

As a total film, though, I would say The Exorcist (the version WITHOUT all the extra scenes, that is; the 'Version You've Never Seen' ending is total crap) is still the best of the three. Jason Miller's performance as Father Karras is totally underrated...he really drives the film, along with Ellen Burstyn. And Lee J. Cobb (in his last high-profile movie) is always a pleasure to watch. Best scenes: "You're gonna die up there", the dream sequence with Karras' mother and the semi-subliminal cut of the demon face, and of course the actual exorcism.

If you watch it expecting gore, slashers, jumping in your seat every 10 seconds-type scary, you'll be disappointed. It is indeed generally not scary in that sense. Though there are some scenes that I think hold up quite well: the "you're gonna die up there" scene is underplayed and ominous, and the scene where Regan slowly rises from the bed during the exorcism, in crucified position, her eyes opening wide, is pretty dread-inspiring to me.

I think there are two main fears in the movie, that give it a 'deeper' type of scary. The first one that I think many people can relate to is the theme of being in a position where something is happening to a loved one that you are completely helpless to prevent: there's early on with Father Karras and his deteriorating mother (who makes him feel guilty in her senility), and then there's the larger part of the plot: the desperation of Mrs. MacNeil, who though she is a renowned, well-off actress with a cadre of psychiatrists in tow, can't help what is plagueing daughter Regan. The second fear, perhaps less accessible than the first but more primal, is that of being at the mercy of a mysterious, powerful, and on top of all of it, totally malevolent, force.

Hmm...time to check the IMDB! I'm sure you're right, though.

"Wicker Man" is great - soundtrack too plus anything with Britt Ekland prancing around naked's got to be good.
speaking of, a really weird lost film is "What The Peeper Saw". strange pairing of Ekland and Mark Lester, but I can't even remember it.

"The Night Visitor" is a great lowkey suspense film

They were actually in a couple of films together:

The Black Cat (Karloff: Satanic architect, Lugosi: good-guy nemesis)

The Raven (Lugosi: sadistic surgeon obsessed with Poe, the bad guy, Karloff: murderer on-the-run, good guy)

The Invisible Ray (Karloff: genius scientist goes insane after exposure to radiation, Lugosi: rival scientist colleague)

Son of Frankenstein (Karloff: da Monsta, Lugosi: Igor)

You'll Find Out (Karloff: seemingly avuncular judge, Lugosi: fake seer)

The Body Snatcher (Karloff: grave robbing cabbie, Lugosi: servant who blackmails)

i second this vote, but i propose "the tenant" (also by polanski) as another suitable contender. all that scary cross-dressing and bullshit egyptology references are terrifying. but funny.

have to agree with joe about 'halloween', too. masterful and genuinely scary.

the worst is 'my little eye'. has anyone else seen this? saw it on friday and got the impression that everyone in the cinema was actually embarrased when the lights came up. total shit.

Unfortunately the acting is awful and the movie goes on for way too long and it makes no sense, but SEATTLE looks GREAT (and I couldnn't sleep thinking of little girls climbing out of WELLS and telling me "SEVEN DAYS" the next nite!) I bet the crazy Japanese version is great. I can't wait until they release it on video here.

to avoid confusion: I recently found out there's a new film by the same name as classic UK 1945 film "Dead Of Night". in fact, the original seems to be unavailable on DVD and out of print on video in U.S. here's a link to the UK video - warning don't read if you want to avoid spoilers! :
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004CRR2/qid=1035851978/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_3_1/026-7012612-3839635

I can say, with no doubt in my mind, that "Ghost Ship" is a waste of time and money and not really even worth watching on cable (where it will be in about two weeks).

Alan has described Doctor Who INCLUDING Toyah!

imdb entry for toyah:
# Doctor Who: Thirty Years in the Tardis (1993) (TV) .... Herself
... aka Doctor Who: More Than Thirty Years In the Tardis (1993) (TV) (UK: video title)

run away!

andy

"You're going to die in there! All of you!
YOU ARE GOING TO DIIIIIIE!!!"

Man, that guy scared the living crap out of me when Poltergeist II in the theatre. Watching it now, it's still pretty effective.