I'm a bit slow chiming in here. No doubt if you've ever read anything I write, horror is my favorite film topic. So many ways we can react to different film, the gore factor or Saw's "in your face" gore (which is some rough scenes to watch without wincing a bit) wouldn't have half the impact if it were lightened up like Evil Dead 2 or Dead/Alive.
One category of horror that opens the door to tons of movies is CREATURE sci/fi horror - the best of these in recent years I have seen is called INFESTATION about giant beetles and a small group of people trying to find the nest and take it out cause eventually no doubt the beetles would win.
But I agree with JP, The Exorcist (I was about 17) scared the crap out of me every time the camera walked up to Linda Blair's room - you never knew what to expect. The pace of the movie is quirky slow in the beginning to emphasize the rapid scenes later. Tempo is so important.
Hitchcock said it isn't the shot from a gun that is scary, it is the anticipation of the BANG!
I don't like Mockumentries like The Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity and Cloverfield, the Later then best. But one where everyone is trapped in an apartment building and the real "creatures" are the CDC who wants the contagion stopped in that building at all cost - it is called Quarantine with Jennifer Carpenter.
The Mist was certainly NOT a bad movie, very sad ending indeed - but the pace was fairly break-neck compared to most King stuff. It was well made too, great acting and awesome special effects - the creatures in the mist were done really well. Just as the FOG had done decades earlier, the claustrophobic nature of mist and fog are as thick and scary as swimming in croc waters at night.
About the Ring, a pretty fat person could climb into my living room through the TV, not sure if I want to think about that - lol. Think I'll tackle the list now.
*What is the scariest movie you have ever seen:
I'm trying to remember a scene that truly horrified me and I'm a bit stumped at the minute - I may update this one later. Although the first scene that ever grossed me out was the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre has a scene where the captured girl (sister of the wheel chair guy) has her finger slowly cut open in a close up scene and then grandpa sucked the blood from her finger.
Side note on that... As long as I can remember, I have had a fear of broken glass and handling sheet metal or other sharp objects except knives. I think seeing that finger scene triggered that fear BEFORE I knew I had it, I don't think my fear came from the movie.
*What is the best horror movie you have ever seen:
Well, this is gonna be another creature, Zombie of course this time. There are so many George Romero films that they all sound a like after a while, but Zombies have gotten better, faster, smarter.
You can't help but throw Dust 'til Dawn in here somewhere either, 30 days of Night and The Thing. But the best horror is tough because you can say, what had the BEST STUFF and which WAS the BEST overall movie. I'll still stand by the Exorcist - I can't imagine if that were done TODAY with all the CGI effects what the Exorcist could be today. In the same light, Poltergeist had some frightening minutes in it.
*What is your favorite horror movie:
Hands down, Evil Dead 2 - Bruce Campbell and directed by a master of campy and true horror, Sam Raimi who did a show last year (very well directed horror film) "Drag Me to Hell" - check that one out too!
*worse horror movie:
So many, I wish I had kept a diary. Queen of the darned was horrible, but I look back and think back, I never liked the Dr. Phibes with Vincent Price were crap. Still thinking on this one too.
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Runner Ups to any of these are the Incestuous families in the mines and woods type movies. I especially liked the Wrong Turn movies and The Hills Have Eyes. 1000 dead corpses and other Rob Zombie stuff hits the mark too as entertaining.
And one last film in the mix, not horror really, but the weirdest movie you are likely to ever see was Terry Gilliam's "Tideland" with Jeff Bridges.
There are two directors: Terry Gilliam and Tim Burton who are similar but stand out in their talents. I love Johnny Depp, but he pedo-creeps me out in almost every Tim Burton movie - boo!
I'll tweak this up later, it is getting late and I need to think it out a bit more. But I strongly suggest Infestation as a light horror movie that is fun for the family. A little more frightening is Drag Me to Hell. Both cool movies, although Infestation is more creature than horror.