10 Most Anxiety-Inducing Horror Movies EVER

Released in 2009 and championed by none less than Jaws director Steven Spielberg himself, Paranormal Activity took the rough found footage blueprint provided by earlier hits such as The Blair Witch Project and refined the approach to an unbearably effective anxiety delivery system.

The only movie to make a perfectly still, unmoving room seem terrifying, Paranormal Activity's success comes down to what is in essence a stripped down remix of The Descent's approach.

Starting slow and small scale, the film forces viewers to watch an almost unmoving, boring empty room where The Blair Witch Project provided constant motion, noise, and distraction. It's set in the supposed safe haven of suburbia, so where the earlier found footage hit had viewers yelling "just don't go into the woods, idiot!" this time the horror came from an idyllic bastion of safety and comfort.

Finally, once the scares actually did start, they transition (serious spoilers here) from being external forces acting on our characters to internal possession. This switch which renders the entire film scarier as Paranormal Activity has now taken your bedroom, your home, your domestic bliss, and even your spouse, and turned them all into potentially terrifying sources of unshakeable anxiety.