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Kubrick's 'The shining' is just plain eerie. i have to say though that original 'Halloween' will always be the grand-daddy of horror in my eyes. (Then again, dare we forget hitchcock with 'Psycho', 'The Birds' and others?)

I suppose the key is to immerse someone into the story. For example, the realism in The Shining (we've probably all walked down boring hotel corridors) helps the viewer relate to it. Then bring in a threat to the character(s), which will be felt by the viewer too.

I was pretty anxious and horrified when watching these films:

The Sixth Sense (including the moment the little boy watches the video tape - that kind of horror is much more 'thrilling' (literally) than loud bangs and fast shots cut to scary faces)

The Exorcist (particularly the long opening scenes in the desert - much more threatening than pea soup vomit)

Event Horizon (because I wasn't expecting a horror movie)

Hide and Seek

The Village

Jaws

The last two are great examples of where an unseen threat is much more effective that something you can see.
EDIT: Actually, with the exception of Event Horizon, all of those films are scary because of what you don't see most of the time.

Tomo wrote:I'll tell you what's really scary: Man on Wire. Truth is always scarier than fiction because there's no undo button on life.

That's a brilliant film!

I too cannot say I have ever been truly frightened by a film but The Shining (the Jack Nicholson one by Kubrick not the terrible remake) definitely came the closest.

I agree with above, you need to be immersed but the film also has to make you feel isolated, then whatever it is trying to scare you with needs to be severe enough to actually be scary but not so unrealistic it becomes laughable.

As Tomo says, attention to detail is key. One thing slightly out of place and it ruins the entire atmosphere.

The Art Dept. bin in Independence Day still makes me chuckle...

Dario Argento's films have truly terrified me.

The Shining would have been better (and scarier) without the overt supernatural activity, in my opinion. Leave it open as to whether the place is actually haunted, or whether he's slipping into insanity. For most people, insanity is far more frightening than movie spooks.

A friend of Colin's went to see Jaws when it first came out, and at the scene where the shark is chomping on the boat, he was pulling his legs up higher and higher. Now that's immersion!

I'm playing the horror adventure game Scratches at the moment, which is turning out a bit disappointing after all the hype when it came out, but is *very* atmospheric. The other night Col found me whimpering in front of a picture of a closed door on the screen. When he asked what was up, all I could say was, "I don't want to go in the basement, I don't want to go in the basement!" No sympathy at all from him. "You're the one who wanted to play the damn game, get down there."

Shame on you all no one has mentioned REC a master piece in camcorder horror a lot better then paranormal activity with some one tapping on a bit of wood. (bingo that), Also Orphan was great if just a touch too long, and going back to things shot on camcorders I also liked Welcome to the jungle.

Ooh, yes, REC is excellent! I thought the ending was a bit of a letdown, but I may have missed parts near the end because other things were going on.

There is a Hollywood remake of REC, which I understand wasn't nearly as good (like most Hollywood remakes).

quarantine I have it haven't got round to watching it yet I ve heard mixed things about it, Zombie virus on Mulberry street is rather good too, and the British Zombie film Diary of the dead is worth a watch some tense moments in that too.

Oh I had forgotton about REC but I still think that was a bit "do something suddenly and make them jump" rather than "scary".

El Orfanato was a much better Spanish film for building tension and general eeriness.

Come to think of it I also liked (prepare to hate me) the Hollywood remakes of The Ring and The Grudge. There's something about weird dead looking children doing that weird juddery thing all of a sudden.

Oh and speaking of juddering... Schnapps anyone? For an advert that was quite scary.

Theres one film that I could never figure out. The triangle. Was it a horror? If so, it was the worst one I have ever seen. By the third rotation I accidently yelled "for f*cks sake!", and ruined what little atmosphere was in it.

Anyone remember "Food of the Gods"? back in the 1970s, my cousin swore blind that she spent the movie looking away from the screen and that the row of blokes behind her ran off to be sick. I still say she was lying about that second part.

Somewhere in my vast dvd collection I have freakshow what we meant to be the most horrifying movie of all time banned in 43 countries, I think it was banned because it was c*** (not the best), the first ten minutes are more edited then a levitation on you tube.