Spooky movie suggestions?

February 08, 2010


We're having major snowstorms in my neck of the woods, and I love it! I don't think it's snowed this much since I was in elementary school. Some of my favorite memories of being a kid include snow; I'd go out sledding with my friends, make snowmen and snow angels and have oodles of snowball fights. But my favorite part of snow days was coming inside! My mom would have hot chocolate, toasty pajamas right out of the dryer and my blankets and pillows all ready, waiting for me to get cozy on the couch to watch a movie.

I might still go sledding, but all this snow has me in cozy mode. Despite a laundry list of things to do as tall as me (a petite 5' but still..) all I want to do is make some hot chocolate, snuggle with my blankets (and cat) and watch a movie. And no movies make me quite as snug-as-a-bug-in-a-rug as spooky ones!

I just watched The Uninvited this weekend for the first time, and I loved it (and highly recommend it!) Now I'm in the mood for more films of that genre, but I can't think of any. I flipped through my dvds looking for anything remotely resembling a ghostly-spooky-haunted kind of movie, but all I can come up with are thrillers and mysteries about murderers or psychopaths. It's just not what I have in mind...

Any suggestions for spooky flicks are greatly welcome!!

30 comments:

Sarah Mann said...

Hmm..how about The Ghost and Mrs Muir? That might not be as creepy though :/
I really like spooky movies too, I just haven't seen as many because I'm a scaredy cat. :)
We're supposed to get a storm of epic proportions on Wednesday, so HOPEFULLY I can stay home and watch movies all day!

Sarah Mann said...

oh I actually glanced up at my dvd shelf after typing that *facepalm*
Brainstorm is pretty creepy. It was Natalie's last movie and the whole concept is so weird and creepy and a little unsettling. You might want to check that out!
(you don't have to publish this. lol)

Terence Towles Canote said...

I would suggest The Black Cat with Karloff and Lugosi, Val Lewton's Bedlam and Ghost Ship, and the Hammer classics The Mummy and Brides of Dracula.

NoirGirl said...

What a lovely tradition!

How about The Canterville Ghost? It's almost more of a comedy but Charles Laughton scares me to death every time!

Or Rebecca? Highly spooky with creepy Mrs. Danvers and never knowing exactly what happened to Rebecca!

Cat People is really spooky, even though it's often considered more of a horror film.

I had a great revelation and recommended The Ghost & Mrs. Muir, but I see Sarah already beat me to it while I was typing! SHEESH!

I may be back with more if I come up with some others. Those are off the top of my head. :)

Elizabeth said...

I LOVE The Uninvited. Another good one along those lines I think is The Spiral Staircase.

Meredith said...

The Uninvited has been on my list for ages and I don't know why I haven't watched it. Sad times.

I recommend The Innocents and The Night of the Hunter if you haven't seen them. The latter isn't a traditional spook story or anything but it sends shivers down my spine.

Andi B. Goode said...

'Carnival of Souls' is definitely an incredibly spooky film.
'Nightmare Castle' is probably scarily bad (but good) as opposed to plain spooky.
I can't think of many off the top of my head - I'm not a big fan of that kind of film as they spook me too much! Haha.
-Andi x

* R e N a * said...

If you liked the Uninvited, you should watch The ghost and Mrs Muir...I wasn't crazy about those films but they're just fine...
The Innocents with Deborah Kerr would be a good choice too!

lucky you, I wish we had some snow from time to time :(

Maggie said...

Cat People and M!!!

Oh and I just wanted to point out that I am a foot and 1 inch taller than you. blugh I hate being a giant!

Artman2112 said...

more of a sci fi bent but the original invasion of the body snatchers is one creepy freakin flick!!! and i still say the original Frankenstein has maintained its ability to chill.

i agree with Mercurie, Bedlam is a majorly unsettling film as is the Body Snatcher. Karloff is absolutely insidious in them both!

also if one is looking for chills you cant discount the old Twilight Zone TV show either! i mean what's creeper than a little girls' doll saying "My name is Talking Tina and you'd better be nice to me!"

*shudder*

Kendra said...

M is amazingly creepy, and Nosferatu...Peeping Tom is super creepy as well, but more in a psychopath way than a spooky way

Artman2112 said...

damn, i came back to add Nosferatu and kendra beat me to it, lol!
i agrew with the other 2 mentioned as well.
i tell ya other film that creeped me out when i was a kid was Burnt Offerings. i have no idea how it would hold up now but it sure made me put my head under the covers when i was little, lol.

KC said...

I Walked With a Zombie has that same mysterious/romantic vibe--except it's more exotic. Man, now I really want to see it again :-)

Mary said...

I have always thought that "The House of Wax" with Vincint Price was really creepy! I watched that a a young girl and was up all night. I love "The Univited" too, and just wrote about it on my blog. The ghost images in that movie are what creeps my out. The one at the end looks too real!

Matthew Coniam said...

Two very spooky British movies I'm sure you'd adore if you haven't already seen them (though I'll bet you have): Night of the Demon (1957, Dana Andrews, fantastic performance by Niall MacGinniss, much better than the title suggests) and Dead of Night (1945).

Unknown said...

My suggestion is Vampyr from 1932--it's one of the best films I've ever seen, sppoky or otherwise. I reviewed it a long time back on RFBanjo

Enjoy the snow!

Jacqueline T. Lynch said...

"The Spiral Staircase", "Dragonwyck".

NoirGirl said...

Ooh I thought of another! Portrait of Jennie. It's romantic, but still quite spooky.

Ed Howard said...

Definitely anything by Val Lewton is perfect: Cat People or even better the ultimate winter movie Curse of the People, which actually isn't particularly spooky but is still great.

I always highly recommend Paul Landres rather obscure 50s vampire thriller Return of Dracula, which is really moody and creepy and sinister.

Also perfect for chilly winter days: The Thing From Another World, with its creeping menace and sense of dread.

Thomas Pluck said...

The Uninvited was going to be my first recommendation! I like these classics:

The Haunting
Cat People
The Beast With Five Fingers
Night of the Demon
Diabolique
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
Vampyr
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
The Birds

I'll also second The Night of the Hunter and Rebecca.

Tinky said...

I recommend Dead of Night--a nice mixture of ghosts and creepiness (with a little humor tucked into one section to keep you from being totally tense).

Unknown said...

Thank you everyone for the suggestions!!!

monty said...

Hey am I too late to make a suggestion? I would recommend 1932's This Old Dark House with Boris Karloff, Melvyn Douglas, and Gloria Stuart.

Sarah Mann said...

OOH Portrait of Jennie for the win!! I forgot about that one.

Artman2112 said...

i'll second Monty's suggestion and add that we mustnt forget Ernest Thesiger is in that too!!

slight correction it's actually: The Old Dark House...just in case anyone tries to do a search or something ;)

Stephanie said...

Another vote for "The Innocents" here. I've seen it several times & Netflixed it recently. I only get to watch movies before bed and I was too creeped out not to watch on a bright, sunny afternoon.

Anonymous said...

The Most Dangerous Game with Fay Wray and Joel McCrea
& The one film I just can not watch alone is The Shining its so Eerie, but perhaps thats just me, some people don't find it very spooky.

Nosferatu, 1922 as well!

GoddessJJL said...

The haunting is good (original version NOT the remake) as is the bad seed, Rope or M. The silent Phantom of the Opera or Wind is good. If you want scarey acting I would suggest Show Girls. now THAT is terrifying!

GoddessJJL said...

Forgot Fall of the house of Usher and the portrait of Dorian Gray. and Sweeney Todd with Angela Landsbury. Creepy fun.

Paul D Brazill said...

The Haunting.