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Films / TV that have scared you

Oh yeah, Altered States a Ken Russell flick I saw on video, that freaked me out a bit and not something I'd fancy seeing again.
 
When I was maybe 10 or so, there was a (I think) bbc drama miniseries thingy called Chimera, about a monkey/human hybrid.

That scared the crap out of me.
Chimera was chilling, for the first episode but I felt it dipped a bit for the rest of the series.

First Born was better and a great theme by Zimmer (borrowing from Magma)

 
The first scene in the otherwise unmemorable TV adaptation of The Stand:

(such a good song too, which since has been almost ruined by Christopher Walken and his exacting percussion demands)
 
The Descent was the first horror in a long time that made me jump.

There's two endings, iirc, one less satisfying than the other.
 
There was a Jackanory spin-off in the 80s called "Chillers" (iirc) and a story about Pan, possibly by Saki (again, iirc) ... whoever wrote it and whoever narrated it for the show... brrrr
 
I have a clear memory of watching, far too young, a programme which had a sequence involving a person being trapped in their car as it was set on fire. I can still hear the whimpers of fear as they struggled with the doors.
 
Was scared of spiders for a good few years after watching Arachnaphobia at the age of about 8.

More recently, I found 28 Weeks Later to be really horrific. Not so scary perhaps as just horrifying.
 
Also Postman Pat, the one where his van breaks down. Pat opens the bonnet and tries to fix it, and gets an electric shock, or something :eek: really scared 3/4 yr old me 😅
 
The first time I saw Miracle Mile it blew me away — the juxtaposition of ordinary life (as depicted in a meet-cute romantic comedy kind of film) getting infringed upon and then totally blown away by massive global events, I guess, and the fear of never regaining one's footing and coping with stuff.
 
The only thing I’ve watched that has genuinely scared me was The Blair Witch Project. I think it just tapped into a real, deep-seated fear I have of “something out there in the dark that is going to get you and it’s just a matter of time”.

I saw it at the cinema when it came out and was actually breathing heavily, heart racing, towards the end. I had a couple of disturbed nights sleep afterwards.
Yes, it left a lot up to your imagination - to use a much over-used phrase these days, it was immersive. The night time scenes were the worst, you really did feel a huge sense of relief when the next day came. And then the end scenes in that derelict house, and then you left and it haunted you afterwards. Chilling.
 
When I was in primary school in the 60s I was terrified of Jimmy Savile...I think it was his bug eyes or that stupid Tarzan noise he use to make or maybe just a sense of what was to come. I also had a friend who was petrified of Roy Orbison (no idea why) and use to run and hide whenever he was on TV.
 
As a kid, those final scenes in Carrie (the graveyard scene) and Don't Look Now. What were my parents thinking?

As an adult, watching the Japanese film Audition, not realising how fucked up it was.
 
As a chid or early teen, Salem’s Lot. As a late teen or adult, the first time I watched The Evil Dead was definitely one. The only other one I can think of is Event Horizon.

For whatever reason, not only I have never found everyone’s old favourite The Exorcist scary at all. In fact, slightly comedic at times.

Special mention to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre though. Not scary in the dictionary definition sense, but extremely tense and impactful. The same goes to R.E.C.- a fucking masterpiece of the found footage sub-genre, as is Host. This latter one actually succeeded in giving me a few old-fashioned jump scares. Great film that deserves more recognition.
 
As a kid, Dr Who. The cybermen in particular. And Jaws, when the head pops out. Like many other kids who saw that film, I was apprehensive about going in the sea (on the Gower or in Pembrokeshire :D) for years after that.

As an adult, horror films don't do it for me and I just don't watch them, except occasionally by accident, like recently with the execrable Longlegs. I'm struggling to think of the last film that truly scared me.
 
How is Texas Chainsaw Massacre not scary in the dictionary definition sense, T & P ?
It’s fucking terrifying!
It is massively disturbing and unsettling, and fantastically good. But not scary in the terrifying, jump off your seat, cover-your-face-with-cushion sense.

This is not a criticism of the film in any way, but I didn’t find it scary in the jump scare way, which is what I interpreted the OP to be referring to.

One film I have just remembered that I would definitely deem as scary is Hereditary. A few brilliant spine chillers there.
 
When I was maybe 10 or so, there was a (I think) bbc drama miniseries thingy called Chimera, about a monkey/human hybrid.

That scared the crap out of me.
It was on ITV, and aired on a Sunday night. It scared me as a kid too, even the music in the opening. As the episodes progressed, though, I empathised with the hybrid child. There's a scene with the farmer's children (boy and girl) who befriend him (after he's killed their parents iirc) and they host a make-believe tea party.
 
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