"Alien" was pretty damn scary when it first came out. I still remember that moron wandering around in the dark, dank recesses of the Nostromo trying to find the cat going "kitty, kitty, kitty". You just KNEW something was going to freaking eat him alive, and it did!
I am Legend did a great job or lulling you into a relaxed and mellow state of mind, before cranking up the tension. Watching it really late, all alone, helped as well... A good movie.
"C-Span..." Keep in mind that C-Span could be a lot scarier if they just let those cameras behind the closed doors as promised so we can see what is really going on.
Not sure about a favorite, but I will say that if I am channel surfing and come across An American Werewolf In London, The Exorcist or The Shining, I can't pass them up. I saw Jaws in the theater when it came out. A guy had a heart attack while watching and they had to stop the movie.
Jaws when I was a kid (especially when the head pops out of the sunken boat hull) ... then Nightmare On Elm Street as a teen ... now, anything by Michael Moore.
Scariest line in a "horror" movie ( actually an "action flic ) ... Aliens. After telling the sole survivor that the colonial marines were heavily armed, etc.... in a completely sure little girl voice. "It won't make any difference." Shiver down the spine every time.
Scariest...."The Dentist"
Dumbest...hard choice, but the original "The Hills Have Eyes". The only person with any sense is the Dog.
Thrillers have always scared me more than horror movies. Halloween, Texas Chainsaw, etc.. are all too predictable.
Rose Red still freaks me out a little bit. It's probably just the fact that you sit there for 6 hours on edge, so the thirty seconds of the movie that actually are scary end up being more effective.
My aunt lived with in driving distance of that farm. And if we didnt behave she always threatened to drop us off at the house. I just thought it was some creepy story that the relatives tell... and then I saw the movie. SCARED the shiate out of me.
I was 4 in 1972 when I saw The Legend of Boggy Creek- messed me up for life. I still get creeped-out if I'm in the woods at night.
I was 11 in 1979 when I saw Prophecy- I knew better but went anyway. I actually hid behind the seat in front of me during a few scenes.
Yeah, they seem lame now- but as a kid these were truly traumatic experiences that affected me forever. To this day, if the evil character in a movie is human- I can handle it. But if the scary perp is a creature- I have a primal fear reaction.