donutsweeper

I’ve been thinking about the nature of fear lately. Which medium do you find more effective at creating a sense of dread? Is it the visual horror in movies and games, where you see a specific monster or character design? Or is it horror literature, where your mind is forced to imagine the terror based only on words? Personally, as someone who works with physical forms, I find that a well-designed character can haunt you for a long time. But I'd love to hear your thoughts on where 'true' fear lives for you."

I don’t mean like in Hereditary, which I love. I mean like “oh shit, something is really wrong here.” For example:

In the Nighthouse- when they find that weird doll in the other house

The Autopsy of Jane Doe - When they realize her body seems recently deceased but her eyes suggest she’s been dead for days

The Ritual- When they realize the deer in the tree is still bleeding meaning the thing that killed it is close by

Also The Ritual- when they go upstairs in the house and find that creepy as fuck statue thing

Event Horizon - When they realize the original crew wasn’t saying Save Us From Hell but they were saying Save Yourselves From Hell

I think I’m looking for something supernatural but it doesn’t necessarily have to be. What I really want is a movie that has a very specific “point” where the characters realize they’re dealing with something very disturbing that they weren’t prepared for if that makes sense.

EDIT: First, thank you to everyone for all these awesome recommendations! I want to clarify something though, I think I didn’t make my post super clear so my apologies for that. I am looking for something that has ONE clear turning point, I used those examples because that’s when the characters realize “I’m not dealing with something normal here.” Speak No Evil is a good example of it being a specific moment that isn’t supernatural when the kid opens his mouth and you see his tongue was cut out it really SHOULD make the dad realize oh shit something really sinister is happening here, but he’s an idiot so it’s really more for the audience lol.

I’m sorry if this still isn’t making sense, and while all the recommendations are great, a lot of them have multiple points, or are just pure dread (which I still love).

I love the idea of something happening that’s creepy or weird, but the last thing the characters expect is something supernatural or supremely evil. It doesn’t necessarily happen in the middle of the movie either, it’s just the “turning point” for how the characters will act the rest of the movie.

Another example is The Orphan, when she takes off her ribbons. Adversely, The Orphan: First (American) Kill when Julia Stiles reveals she’s also a big baddie which is an absolutely brilliant twist, but not really what I’m looking for.

Again, I love all these recommendations because I love all things horror, so please keep em coming even if you’re not sure. Sorry to ramble!

Is Samson's reversal permanent or will the effect wear off?

I'd like to see what happened to the pregnant woman from the farm. She really did just disappear into the night.

Just watched Bone Lake (2025) now that’s on Netflix (U.S.) and couldn’t find an official discussion even though I thought it was in theaters and I missed it. Thought it was a bit clunky at times but I love campy slasher flicks and thought the third act delivered on that front. Also really enjoy a movie where characters you think are hopeless canon fodder suddenly lock in and fight back surprisingly well. Some great gore and practical effects on display too. Overall I thought it was a solid 3.5/5 campy horror movie to watch late night on a Saturday after a few small beers. Would love to hear thoughts from anyone else who saw it when it first came out and anyone who is just now seeing it on streaming.