Do they make scary movies anymore?

[Dino]

Scary movies that have stayed with me over the years do so for a reason - they build tension, and leave a whole lot of stuff entirely to your own imagination. Over-reliance on special effects and herky-jerky first person camera action have diluted the genre.
There are more than these, but these are the ones that come to mind without a lot of thought.
Jaws
The Thing (Carpenter)
Alien
Night of the Living Dead (original)
Carrie (original)
The Shining (original)
The Exorcist
The Descent [more gory than the others...it's the tension between the "friends" that makes it memorable, not the action]
The Birds [This one is kind of hokey by today's standards, but the first time I saw it, my parents & sisters were out for the evening; I was home alone (I was about 12 at the time). When my family came home, I was huddled in a blanket in the family room, clutching Bessie (my stuffed dog I've had since birth). When the starlings flock on campus in the evenings, it's VERY unnerving to me still!]

Impressed that you refer to The Thing as "Carpenter" instead of "original." Most people think that one was the original.

 

[ImJustKCClone]

Impressed that you refer to The Thing as "Carpenter" instead of "original." Most people think that one was the original.

Nothing impressive there...I'm almost as old as the original with James Arness!

 

[mcblogerson]

My worst nightmare plays out in a scene of Brokeback Mountain and Deliverance.

 

[cyrocksmypants]

I just watched Cabin in the Woods. While I wouldn't call it a horror movie (although it's classified as that) and it didn't scare me whatsoever, I still rather enjoyed it. It was a good shot at the horror movie fans who get so angry if a horror movie doesn't end exactly how they expect it to. Loved the message of the movie.

 

[Cyclones_R_GR8]

Honestly, I'm starting to think I just have something wrong with me and can't get scared by movies. The only movies I remember making me scared are movies when it was a kid, and re watching those don't scare me these days. I've seen all of those mentioned so far, and while some were well made, none stayed with me after watching. The Descent terrified me, but because I'm claustrophobic. Once the caves opened up more and the monsters came out, I lost my fear.

I'm not afraid of torture or "gore porn" personally. Eli Roth type films or Saw. What I like is supernatural type movies. Ghosts and things that go bump in the dark. But again, they don't stay with me after it's ended. They're just enjoyable to watch because of the ambiance.

Maybe I'm just broken?

I just think a lot of it has to do with growing up. I enjoyed Insidious and the Conjuring but once they are over I am over it. Stuff that scared me when I was much younger isn't going to do it anymore.

One of the things that gets me is so many people feel the need for some comic relief in a horror movie to break the tension. I am just the opposite, I want tension to build and build until you get one little sound or movement and you jump like a little sissy.

 

[cyrocksmypants]

I just think a lot of it has to do with growing up. I enjoyed Insidious and the Conjuring but once they are over I am over it. Stuff that scared me when I was much younger isn't going to do it anymore.

One of the things that gets me is so many people feel the need for some comic relief in a horror movie to break the tension. I am just the opposite, I want tension to build and build until you get one little sound or movement and you jump like a little sissy.

Same here. I'd prefer overwhelming dread throughout an entire movie as opposed to false calm from comic relief.