WARNING: Due to the nature of the question being answered in this post, there are some SPOILERS AHEAD for the following movies. We've listed the titles first so you can decide if you'd like to read on or skip. Please proceed with caution!
We recently asked members of our BuzzFeed Community, "What horror movie genuinely scared you so bad, you left the theater? Or, if you were watching it at home, turned it off?" and you better believe people came through with all kinds of terrifying answers.
So, here are just a handful of the most popular responses shared:
1. The Strangers (2008)
"When the sack head man steps out and stares as Liv Tyler smokes I literally stood up, left the cinema, and have never tried to watch it again."
You can watch the trailer here:
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2. The Open House (2018)
"It's on Netflix. It isn't even that great of a film, but long story short: I live alone, and the idea that someone could be hiding in my house freaked me out so much that I had to shut the film off midway and put my house alarm on 'stay mode,' which I'd never done prior to seeing this film."
You can watch the trailer here:
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3. Arachnophobia (1990)
"I was under 10 when I saw it. My mom, my sister, and I went. It was my turn to choose. I chose that over The Jetsons Movie (which my sister wanted to watch), as I’ve always loved scary stuff — but on the flip side of that, I’ve always been paralyzingly terrified of spiders. I thought I could hang, but absolutely could not. We didn’t actually walk out, but I begged my mother to let us leave and sneak into the other movie. I ended up burying my face into my mother’s sleeve, and we stayed until the end."
You can watch the trailer here:
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4. Martyrs (2008)
"The French version. It took me multiple viewings to get through that film. From the weird creature haunting Lucie, to the tortured lady found in the house, to the horrific scenes of torture and mutilation of Anna — it was just too much. It was the skinning scene that finished me off, and I have never watched that movie again."
You can watch the trailer here:
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5. Terrifier (2017)
"I felt so scared and paranoid. The actor who played the clown was TOO GOOD. I felt like I was being watched through the film."
You can watch the trailer here:
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6. Pet Sematary (1989)
"The original one? Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope."
You can watch the trailer here:
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7. Hereditary (2018)
"Not me, but my best friend ubered home from the theater after THAT scene."
You can watch the trailer here:
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8. Smile (2022)
"Usually I'm not very disturbed by horror, but just the trailer for Smile got me — I couldn't finish the trailer. I don't know what it was, but there is no way under the sun I'd watch the full movie."
You can watch the trailer here:
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9. I Spit on Your Grave (1978)
"My friend unknowingly put it on for a movie night. Not only did the main character look like me, but my trauma matched up to the plot of the movie. It is technically about revenge, but that still didn't make me want to watch it. My friend turned it off and apologized. He knew I liked horror movies, but this one was NOT IT."
You can watch the trailer here:
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10. Lights Out (2016)
"It wasn’t even an especially scary movie, but when the mom dies by suicide to save her kids, I just started crying and couldn’t stop. I didn’t expect it at all, and it really got to me for some reason. This was five-plus years ago, and I haven’t watched a scary movie since."
You can watch the trailer here:
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11. The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)
"I sat first row because I ordered tickets late and couldn't book middle seats. The sounds were terrifying. I sat crouched in my seat the whole time, covering my ears."
You can watch the trailer here:
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12. The Grudge (2004)
"Not many horror films scare me, but this one ALWAYS gets me. The creepiness, jumpy moments, the sound, the lift scene, etc. All of it!"
You can watch the trailer here:
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13. The House That Jack Built (2018)
"I don't like violence against children or animals."
You can watch the trailer here:
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14. Malignant (2021)
"I thought I could do body horror (I’ve seen all the Saw films no problem), but the scene toward the end when she’s in the jail cell (if you know, you know) literally made me run out of the theater."
You can watch the trailer here:
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15. Saw III (2006)
"I have only ever walked out of one movie in my life, and it was this one. This is the point in the series that makes a huge jump away from the first two in terms of the intensity of the traps and gore, and I was not ready for it at the time, despite having enjoyed the other ones. I made it pretty far in, but my limits got pushed pretty quick, and when it got to the pig pit part, I really thought I was going to puke. I had to run out of there, and I didn't go back in. I have watched the movie since then, but that scene in particular will always make me a little nauseous, and I do still think it's one of the most offensively bad movies I have ever seen."
You can watch the trailer here:
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16. The St. Francisville Experiment (2000)
"In the heyday of found-footage movies, this one was 'The Blair Witch, but real.' Set in the most haunted plantation near New Orleans, it uses the real stories of the place."
You can watch the trailer here:
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17. The Sixth Sense (1999)
"I have a huge phobia of waking up and seeing dead people. I did not sleep for days after seeing this. I know, I know — it's weaksauce, but we all have our thing."
You can watch the trailer here:
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And finally:
18. Wolf Creek (2005)
"I love horror/thriller movies, and typically I can handle them quite well, to the point where I may rewatch them or have them playing in the background. This is the only movie I can think of that I started when I was 15, tried to rewatch several times after (I'm 30 now), and still can't get past the buildup. It's an Australian movie based on real events."
You can watch the trailer here:
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You've read theirs — now it's your turn! What horror movie genuinely scared you so bad, you left the theater? Or, if you were watching it at home, turned it off? Share your story in the comments below!
Note: Some responses were edited for length and/or clarity.
