10 Scariest Movies You Can Watch FOR FREE On YouTube Right Now
7. Ju-On: The Grudge
Though The Grudge franchise is best known worldwide for its array of mediocre-to-terrible American movies, the original Japanese series is effortlessly superior, especially its first theatrically released entry, 2002 J-horror classic Ju-On.
While the series actually has two prior straight-to-video installments, the 2002 film is a tectonic improvement over them, upping both the production values and cast caliber to deliver a far more convincing haunted house yarn.
What's refreshing about Ju-On is that it's never trying too hard to be a Scary Movie, mining a more deep-seated sense of fear by eschewing theatrical parlour tricks in favour of more grounded, everyday jolts.
If light on story, it's heavy on quiet suspense throughout, leading to an absolute bone-chiller of a finale. Two decades of inferior rehashes may threaten to dull its power, but Ju-On is still a high-flying king of the subgenre.