The Scariest Film Ever? Looking For Rarer Suggestions

[deejaybenj]

Any suggestions for rarer scary films. I am not thinking the obvious choices like 'The Shining', 'The Exorcist' or newer ones like 'The Conjuring'.

Any very obscure, forgotten gems?

[gordiescotland1]

The Dentist

[Sipowicz]

I can vaguely remember an old episode of Mystery and Imagination called "The beckoning shadow". From what I can remember, that was quite scary.

[Sipowicz]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mystery_and_Imagination

[Sipowicz]

Hmm, 1966, I was 10!

[gollob]

"Wolf Creek" was pretty scary

[Kromovaracun]

The Blood on Satan's Claw is not for the faint-hearted - it's about a piece of satan discovered in a medieval English village and is quite disturbing. Was made in the early 70s and has largely been forgotten (for some reason it often gets overshadowed by Witchfinder General even though they have virtually nothing to do with each other).

Session 9 is an extremely effective chiller from the early 2000s (so might be a bit new for your taste), about a group of builders who agree to work over an abandoned asylum. It will stay with you, I promise.

Eyes Without a Face might be a bit too well-known because it has a following among critics, but it's an excellent French serial killer movie from the 50s, which I think is terrifying

The Brood is one of David Cronenburg's early ones, again from the early 70s. It's not as polished as some of his later films but it is extremely nightmarish. I think it's fairly forgotten - I never hear anyone talk about it.

Someone else mentioned Repulsion - a Roman Polanski film from the 60s which for my money is much more heavy-handed and disturbing than Rosemary's Baby, and gets talked about an awful lot less.

Finally, Carnival of Souls is a cult hallucination film from the early 60s which has largely been forgotten. It is really nightmarish and made me very, very uneasy.

[piggynose]

rec 1

[andy-hughes]

My favourite is Dead Of Night which was released in 1945.

It's a portmanteau film, the set-up allows people to tell an individual story, which is then played out.

The final - and most famous one - is Michael Redgrave as the ventriloquist and his dummy Hugo Fitch. I probably saw it when I was about nine.

It gave me a morbid dislike of puppets and large dolls that I have to this day.

Just listen when Hugo says 'Wouldn't I ...? three times, it is really scary!

[starone]

Wonder why we like being frightened!

[andy-hughes]

starone - "Wonder why we like being frightened!"

This theory is entirely mine - but I think it is based on logic -

although 'civilised', our veneer of civilisation as actually very thin, and a large number of the aspects of primeval man are still with us, but no longer used.

One of these is the 'fight or flight' mechanism that floods our systems with adrenaline and shuts of none-essential veins and arteries to prevent blood loss, dulls our pain sensors and so on, all designed to allow primeval man to fight of survival.

Now we are far more sophisticated, but this sense remains dormant, and I believe that the mind enjoys stimulating it under 'safe' conditions.

We know that films will not hurt us, that we will not come to harm on rollercoasters, but the adrenaline rush is still valid for our minds and experience, and we actively seek out stimulation for it.

Like I say, it is my own theory - believe it or not as you wish.