Every year, there's a new crop of horrifying movies that will keep you on the edge of your seat — but only a small few make it into the category of "I didn't sleep for a month" or "I never looked at a clown/dog/bird/small child the same way again."
The Exorcist. The Ring. Silence of the Lambs. Rosemary's Baby. Halloween. Just a few of the titles whose mere mention can induce shivers.
So what are the q team's picks for the scariest movies of all time? In honour of Halloween, check out some of our favourites — then let us know which scary movies really got your ticker thumping in the comments.
The Shining (1980)
There are so many terrifying moments in this Stanley Kubrick classic, and even if you haven't seen this horror flick for 20 years, they're probably emblazoned on your brain: the typewriter scene with "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" written over and over; the son with the knife screaming redrum; the twin girls in the hallway; the creepy bartender; and of course, Jack Nicholson's unforgettably fearsome "Here's Johnny!" For legions of moviegoers, the film — which, despite persistent rumours, was not shot in Canada — was an instant classic, but it also drastically reduced the appeal of a remote mountain getaway. — Jennifer Van Evra
28 Days Later (2002)
Zombies are so popular now that it's hard to believe there was a time when they weren't. Zombies on screen seemed to peak in the '60s and '70s with George A. Romero's Living Dead films, but there is one film that is credited with reinvigorating the genre for the modern era, well before shows like The Walking Dead took over. In 2002's 28 Days Later, which was directed by Danny Boyle, screenwriter Alex Garland posed a novel question that turned zombies, for me, from a somewhat corny concept (braaains) into one of the most terrifying things ever: What if zombies were fast? Here, zombies are no longer inept, feet-shuffling stiffs, but more like rabid baboons with bloodshot eyes and a taste for blood — and it makes all the difference. Set in post-apocalyptic London, the streets completely devoid of life, 28 Days Later changed the way you looked at an empty street. I saw this in the theatre when it came out and when I went to sleep that night it gave me some of the most vivid nightmares of my adult life. So much so that I had to go back the next night and watch it again. — Jesse Kinos-Goodin
The Witches (1990)
I could sit through a double-header screening of The Exorcist and Halloween and clock a solid, dreamless, eight-hour sleep immediately afterwards, no problemo. But even the trailer for Nicolas Roeg's The Witches — bafflingly marketed as an action adventure movie for children — takes me right back to the three-month period that followed my first viewing, when I couldn't close my eyes without visions of cackling, long-nailed demons in bad wigs. I totally get why Ari Aster, director of Hereditary (second scariest movie ever) cites Roeg as a huge influence. — Frank Palmer
The Descent (2005)
The double-whammy horror of The Descent makes it not only the scariest movie of all time, but also one of the best. The first half of the film plays like a classic man vs. nature thriller with a group of spelunkers navigating a system of caves to help their pal cope with the death of her husband. Soon they're lost and find themselves at various points trapped in the labyrinthine network of tunnels. But just when you think you've figured this film out — BAM — cave vampires. A variety of bloodthirsty, demonic cave vampires prove that tight spots aren't the only dangers in the tunnel system. The Descent also boasts not one, but two unsettling endings to leave you breathless. This one has stuck with me for years — not helped by the fact that I've rewatched it multiple times. — Mitch Pollock
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Not long ago I turned a corner on our q floor here in the Toronto CBC building to see a lone empty chair wedged into a corner, facing in. I was immediately scared and I blame The Blair Witch Project. Assuming there is a statute of limitations on spoilers, this of course mirrors the final scene that, let's just say, does not end well for our friends Mike, Heather and Josh. Rarely does a film live up to its scary hype like Blair Witch did. The whole "is it real?" marketing ploy came and went but left behind a truly original, very real-feeling experience. The characters do exactly what we the viewers would do — scream, cry and try to go home. No one is trying to be the hero and that's what makes it so relatable and scary. I don't think I've been in the woods at night since without thinking about it. — Catherine Stockhausen
The Omen (1976)
This film has a lot of Easter eggs for me personally. I remember watching it as a youngster, probably at too young an age (blame my father!) and being terrified by the dogs in it. Moreover the film had a lot of landmarks that were from my upbringing — the church where the priest gets impaled by the spire was 10 minutes from where my family lived when I was a kid. I would always expect something bad to happen when I was walking by it, and would quicken my pace going by its front door. I actually graduated in the cathedral where the climax of the film occurs in. My halls of residence at university in Guildford, England were nestled in the shadow of it at the bottom of a massive hill. Needless to say I didn't waste any time getting home late at night from the student union. I love Gregory Peck`s performance in the film and the nanny of Damien is truly terrifying. — Saam Hashemi
Pinocchio (1940)
Yeah, it's not a "horror" movie, but this scared the crap out of me as a kid. I watched it again recently and it had the same effect. I'm talking specifically about the scene where all the "bad" street kids turn into donkeys and are thrown into cages. The whole thing has a really dark sensibility, though — not surprised at all that Guillermo del Toro is working on a brand new version. — Austin Webb
Hereditary (2018)
I remember getting to see this film a few weeks before it came out because I was going to interview the director Ari Aster. I sort of knew it was a horror movie, and I'm a real wimp and really hate horror movies (I don't think I've seen any of the other ones on this list), but I figured "How scary could it be?" The answer to that question is "incredibly scary." It didn't help that it was just me and one other person in the theatre, but it investigated the scariest parts of our humanity: psychology, ritual, family, childhood with a heaping helping of jump scares, violence, blood, gore, and weirdly low frequencies. After I left the theatre I texted our producer Frank and said, "First question to Ari Aster: What is wrong with you?" But I have to admit while it was terrifying, it wasn't wholly unpleasant and this wimp began to see the virtue in sitting in a dark theatre and having the wits scared out of you. — Tom Power
So what scary movies left you thinking you would never sleep again? Share your stories in the comments!
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