It's almost Halloween and you're trying to find a really good scary movie that will actually scare you. But most lists of the scariest horror movies ever probably include the usual fare: "The Exorcist," "Poltergeist" and the original "Texas Chain Saw Massacre," among others. Those are great, but who hasn't seen them?
Fortunately, we're here to help. If you're really in the mood to be chilled to your core, here are 13 of the scariest movies that you've likely never seen before (or should just watch all over again because they're terrifying):
"Three... Extremes"
This 2005 horror anthology includes not one but three scary stories from some of East Asia's best horror directors. The first segment, "Dumplings," directed by Hong Kong's Fruit Chan, is about special dumplings with a nasty secret ingredient. The second part, "Cut," from Park Chan-Wook ("Oldboy"), is about a kidnapped couple forced to play games or else the wife's fingers will be chopped off one at a time. Last is Takashi Miike's "Box," about a woman's nightmare of being buried in the snow. Trust us, these will spook you.
"Eyes Without a Face"
No, not the Billy Idol song. This is the 1960 French-Italian horror film from George Franju. "Eyes Without a Face" tells the story of a doctor who lures women to his house in order to cut off parts of their faces and use them to make a new face for his badly burned, disfigured daughter.
"Black Christmas" (1974)
Forget about the 2006 remake; this original from 1974 is a true excellent scare. "Black Christmas" follows a group of college women trapped in their sorority house over Christmas vacation by a crazed killer. Ho ho ho-ly cow, no thank you. Warning: Some may find the trailer below upsetting.
"Suspiria"
This 1977 phantasmagorical nightmare by Dario Argento, one of the top Italian horror masters, follows a ballet student who transfers to a German school only to discover it's run by a coven of witches. "Suspiria" does have an element of '70s horror cheesiness, but it's mainly the eerie score and vibrant visuals that will creep you out.
"REC"
Whether or not you thought "Quarantine" was scary, the original Spanish version of the film, "REC," will definitely make you jump out of your seat. There's a constant frightening undertone to the movie that keeps you guessing and waiting for an infected, foam-mouthed person to pop out from the shadows. While the found footage genre has become trite, "REC" is still one worth checking out.
"Cannibal Holocaust"
This Italian horror film is mostly so scary for its controversial gore and explicit violence -- there's a notorious impalement scene and real-life animal slayings. The 1980 cannibal film, which inspired the found footage genre, follows a professor who discovers lost footage of a film crew making a documentary on Amazon cannibals. Still not sold on how scary this film is? Director Ruggero Deodato was arrested and investigated for claims that "Cannibal" was a snuff film. Warning: the below trailer is NSFW.
"Kill List"
With its blend of family drama, thriller and psychological horror, Ben Wheatley's "Kill List" isn't purely horror, but it was called one of the scariest films of the year in 2011. The film follows an ex-military hitman who takes on a new job only for things to unravel once paranoia begins to set in.
"Audition"
If you like shocking horror that messes with your head, "Audition" -- from Japan's controversial horror director, Takashi Miike -- is definitely the film for you. The 1999 classic follows a widower who screens women as prospective wives. But once he meets the perfect woman, who happens to be covered in scars, he quickly realizes things are not what they seem.
"Carnival of Souls"
This 1962 cult horror film -- not the 1988 Wes Craven-produced remake -- is said to have been the inspiration for David Lynch and George A. Romero's work. The film follows a woman who, after nearly drowning, accepts a job as a Church organist and becomes drawn to an abandoned carnival. Said the film's trailer: "'Carnival of Souls' arouses such emotion that the management has been forced to state 'positively no refunds.'"
"The Orphanage"
Produced by Guillermo del Toro, this 2007 Spanish film follows a woman who returns to her childhood orphanage with her family to discover that it is now haunted. "The Orphanage," also one of the scariest movies of the year when it came out, opts for traditional horror scares instead gore and obscenity.
"Shivers" or "They Came From Within"
Most know David Cronenberg, master of body horror, for "The Fly," "Scanners" and "Videodrome." Yet before those came 1975's "Shivers," also known as "They Came From Within." The sci-fi horror film is about apartment building tenants who get infected by parasites that turn them into sex fiends.
"The Haunting" (1963)
There may not be gore or ghosts in "The Haunting," the original 1963 screen adaptation of Shirley Jackson's novel, "The Haunting of Hill House," but it's known as one of the scariest films ever made. Director Robert Wise created such a terrifying atmosphere on screen by building claustrophobic sets, using a (purposely) flawed camera lens to create an unsettling effect and a handful of other technical tricks.
"A Tale of Two Sisters"
Kim Jee-woon's supernatural horror film follows two sisters who return from a psychiatric hospital and begin experiencing disturbing visions. "A Tale of Two Sisters" won't serve up the typical Hollywood scares you may be used to, but its dark, suffocating atmosphere is definitely unnerving.
Bonus: "Nosferatu"
Okay, maybe you have heard of this 1922 horror and cinematic classic about Dracula. And maybe you just brushed it off thinking no silent, black-and-white film could freak you out. Well try this: turn off all your lights and sit alone and watch. If you don't get creeped out in the slightest then you're clearly immune to horror.
Before You Go
