i the other day i saw final destination 3 on tv. i was disappointed, (although not that much because i didnt really have high expectations for it) to say the least. it seems like movies now a days arent that scary, and substitute gore for suspense.

movies like the ring (which i liked) and the grudge (which sucked) and a million other movies just use creepy japanese girls with dark black hair covering their face, crawling around really fucked up.

in your mind what makes a movie scary? and what are some of the scariest movies you have ever seen? suspensful movies that dont just have cheap thrills.

For me, the scariest movies are ones where the situation could actually happen. The supernatural movies can be scary, of course, but I think the real-world movies tend to stay with me more. And on that note, smart characters are a must. If a character does the smart thing and still gets hurt/killed, then that's a lot scarier than some dumbass who is just asking for it.

Most of the movies that fit that description aren't really even horror movies, I don't think. Breakdown (with Kurt Russell) comes to mind. Vacancy sort of comes to mind, because although the plot was way too elaborate to be believable, the characters were smart and real enough that they pulled me into the scenario.

As for supernatural movies...well, I'd say anticipation (ie. atmosphere) is most important. To date, the only movie that has scared me shitless has been The Shining remake. The first time I watched it, I got a glimpse of the woman in the tub and just freaked out. Even if I try to watch the scene now...it really just scares the hell out of me. The makeup itself isn't really that bad...there's certainly been worse in zombie movies, and I have no problem with all of the shock-crap you find on the internet or in movies like Hostel. So what makes it traumatizingly scary for me? It's the slow build-up where Danny is walking to the bathroom and looking at the faint shadow behind the shower curtain. It doesn't matter what the hell is behind the curtain, because your mind is imagining something 10 times worse.

ANYWAYS, anticipation, and a sense that the horror could actually happen to me.

The pop-up moments are the only things that really scare me.
Some are predictable, i.e. through the tone of the music, but others are just thrown straight at ya'.

The only good execution of pop-up moments I've seen was with Shyamalan in Signs. Pretty much every other horror movie has just relied on loud music, or that uber-cliche side-to-side camera bullshit. Shyamalan ultimately uses the loud-music gayness too, but he gets props for being clever with it.

It's supense, it's making the audience use it's imagination.

You take a look at the movie "Alien". It's not actually seeing the Alien, it's seeing what the alien has done. I mean, they don't show that fucker until halfway past the end of the movie.

Movies like Hostel, and those torture porn are really just desensitizing audiences.

And like others have said, it's much more scarier if it's somewhat based on fact. And I don't mean shit like "Hills Have Eyes", I mean more like "The Exorcist" Now that is a scary motherfucking movie.

O rly?

atmosphere. it's what makes all the difference in a horror film.

yarly

People jumping out and stabbing some well endowed blond chick isn't really horror for me. Psychological stuff is much more frightening to me.

I wholeheartedly agree. The fact that the Blair Witch Project implemented this technique is what made it the least bit frightening - come on, you know the ending was creepy the first time.

Movies nowadays are abusing the use of the "based on a true story" statement. The fucking Texas Chainsaw Massacre was based on Ed Gein, who supposedly only killed ten people. Yeah, he wore people's skin, but he didn't have a facial deformity that caused him to stalk people with a chainsaw.

And according to Wikipedia, the Hills Have Eyes was based on Sawney Bean, who headed a clan in the 16th-fucking-century. There you go.