When you talk about scary films, everyone differs on what they find to be terrifying. Yet scientifically speaking, there are ways one can determine what the scariest movies in history are. The usual way to do it is to go off of the law of averages. What does the “average person” find to be scary? We then track down the films that did that well or better than others. Of course, this can be a lot of things. For example, some movies make you uncomfortable due to blood and gore. Yet there are others that contain very graphic content so disturbing you could not watch the movie another time.
The classic jump scare is common in scary movies, but sometimes this can be expected. This is why finding ways to do that without anyone expecting it is good. Using religious beliefs is a common trope in scary movies too, but you can also create a scary situation out of anything. This is why a horror movie could take place just as much at a camp as a religious building or graveyard. Entirely new, creative worlds can also be created that would not connect to real life. Those can also be terrifying. Regardless of what it is, the scariest movies all hit us in different ways. Let’s go over the scariest, according to science.
The Ring
- Director: Gore Verbinski
- Writer: Ehren Kruger
- Released: October 18, 2002
The marketing for this film was pretty compelling, stating: “You cannot die until you see The Ring.” Of course, this did not work very well with the sequel, but still. The Ring was pretty interesting and quite revolutionary. It was a remake of Hideo Nakata’s “Ring” film. Of course, that was a Japanese version that did not really make its way into the United States. Therefore, Ehren Kruger and company felt it could be redone for the English-speaking world.
Originally based on Koji Suzuki’s 1991 novel of the same name, the movie follows a journalist that decides to investigate a cursed videotape. It happens to be killing every viewer who sees it within seven days of viewing it. No one seems to know why which is why the movie adds a mystery within its horror. If you like a suspenseful take within your horror adventure, The Ring does that beautifully. It also might make you want to destroy the ’90s videotapes you might still have around your home.