20 Scariest Films Of All Time

By Sam Heard /

6. The Haunting (1963)

A film which the some of the previously mentioned films €“ in particular The Conjuring €“ owe so much to, The Haunting is one of the archetypal haunted house films and, as we have seen before on this list, a scary film which sails in uncharted waters is generally all the more frightening as a result. The Haunting follows anthropologist Dr Markway (Richard Johnson) as he tries to get to the bottom of paranormal activity supposedly blighting a New England home. Like all the haunted dwellings in the genre, the house has a few skeletons in its closet (pardon the pun) €“ the spouse of its first tenant supposedly died immediately after entering the accursed abode and ever since it has been a hub of evil. With the help of two clairvoyants €“ Theo and her partner the more introverted Nell €“ Dr Markway must unearth the house€™s hidden secrets. Director Robert Wise should be an example to modern horror directors as to why throwing bags of cash at cruddy CGI ghouls and daemons isn€™t the secret to making an audience€™s palms sweaty with dread. We never see a ghost but Wise€™s mastery over the power of suggestion make this one of the most terrifying movies on all time €“ indeed Martin Scorsese recognised it as such, putting it at the top of his list of the 11-scariest films ever.