Scream (1996), Annabelle (2014), Halloween (1978), Child’s Play (1988), and A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) are all considered classic horror films that keep the watcher on the edge of their seats in suspension and fear.
Scream was directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson. A high school student was murdered in the small town of Woodsboro. Another student, Sidney Prescott, becomes the next target of the killer known as Ghostface. As more people get killed, Sidney and her friends attempt to unmask the killer. The movie is scary due to its realistic portrayal and frequent jump scares. The killer in the movie, being human, makes the movie scarier due to the illusion of the chance of it happening in real life.
Annabelle, directed by John R. Leonetti, Gary Dauberman, and David F. Sandberg. The movie is set in the late 1960’s where a young couple, Jon and Mia Form, are expecting a new baby. Mia loves to collect vintage dolls. Jon gifts Annabelle to add to Mia’s collection. Soon after the doll is placed in the house, the family is attacked by cultists. During the attack, the cultists are killed, transferring a demonic force into Annabelle. The movie is scary due to the multiple jump scares and the suspenseful music.
Halloween, featuring Michael Myers, stalks a quiet high school girl named Laurie Strode. Michael Myers is a masked killer who escaped a mental institute 15 years after killing his sister on Halloween. The movie has fewer jump scares, but when they do happen, there is quite a buildup and eerie music.
Child’s Play is a 1988 movie. It’s a classic mix of horror and dark humor that gives us one of the world‘s most iconic horror villains, Chucky. The story follows young Andy, who receives a doll for his birthday, only to discover that it is possessed by a serial killer. The scare level for this movie is about moderate. It’s more creepy than it is terrifying and has more dark humor and a campy feel to it.
A Nightmare on Elm Street is one of the most creative and terrifying horror movies of the 1980s. The movie is the original Freddy Krueger movie. He’s a burned, claw-handed killer who attacks teenagers in their dreams. If someone dies in a dream, they die in real life. The movie follows Nancy Thompson, who realizes she has to stay awake to survive and find a way to stop Freddy. It’s suspenseful, creative, and full of disturbing dream sequences. It’s very psychological and surreal, which makes it unsettling.
Yet the real question is, which one is the scariest movie? Now it really depends on what’s being looked for in a scary movie, whether it’s looking for a classic slasher or a psychological scare, or if it’s just for the jump scares. Scream is a really good movie to watch if someone wants to watch a scary movie for the realism and the jump scares. Annabelle is a good choice if someone wants to watch a creepy, supernatural film. Halloween is a classic slasher that’s scary for its tension and simplicity. Child’s Play is a mix of horror and dark humor. A Nightmare on Elm Street is very psychological and surreal.
If someone is looking for a scary movie to watch that is considered a scary movie, but isn’t the scariest it can get, a person should watch Child’s Play. It has a creepy idea, but it’s more fun and campy in feel than truly frightening. The runner-up for second least scariest would have to be Scream. It’s still scary, but it has a more slasher-style tension with moments of humor and some mystery behind the characters. Right in the middle between the scariest of the movies and the not-so-scary movies would be Halloween. It’s slow and has suspenseful fear because Michael Myers is quiet, unstoppable and could be anywhere, however, that doesn´t make him terrifying in the movie. In second place for the second scariest movie would have to be A Nightmare on Elm Street. It’s scary because it’s psychological, where Freddie can attack someone in their dreams, which makes it terrifying. It’s ranked high for the sheer nightmare fuel of it all. And coming in first place for the scariest movie would have to be Annabelle. It has tons of jumps, scares, creepy atmosphere, and demonic imagery. It’s intense, especially if someone hates dolls and supernatural horror.
