Omg yes. And it was worse for me because I grew up just blocks from the beach and used to body surf La Jolla Shores regularly as a teen. That movie terrifies me to this day!! Aaaaack! And the music!!!

Da Dum.
Da Dum.
Da Dum Da Dum Da Dum . . . .

PEACH

Definitely the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre. That movie is really hard to watch alone at night.

I also find The Day After and Mulholland Drive pretty frightning as well.

When I was a kid I had nightmares from 3 movies in particular...
"Aliens"
"The Believers" and
"The Beast Within"

...not now though

For me it definitely has to a lot to do with being young, and the time and place where you see the movie.

Jaws scared me while I was watching it, and my mom reminds me that I had numerous nightmares after I saw it... but I don't remember them.

The film that stands out as scaring the living crap out of me was Let's Scare Jessica to Death. I watched this on television in about 1977. My family and I were staying at a resort, out in the middle of nowhere, serious woods. When that flick was over I was just freaked out! No way could I get to sleep that night.

Blair Witch Project
The Ring
The Exorcist

and when I was young I saw When A Stranger Calls Back, and that freaked the hell out of me.

Oh and Candyman was hella creepy, I'm surprised its not been mentioned yet... Or am I the only one that found it scary.

edit: I just thought of another movie that scared me more than any other.... I was 12 or so when I saw it. Village of the Damned. For some reason when the kids did that thing with their eyes, I was so scared I couldn't move... just totally paralized with fear. I've since watched it again and found it to be pretty unscary.

something about"Pet Sematary "that freaks me out...

When I was very young, I saw something on TV. I can't remember very much specific... just something was hiding in a shadow then it slowly revealed itself.

But I do remember being terrified to the point of not being able to move. Scared stiff, as you will. Ever since then, about every 5 years (or so) I would have a dream where something was after me... but I can't move... can't run away. My legs can't take me to safety.

I can feel it getting closer... and closer... as the terror inside me builds and builds. I know it's a dream but I'm trying to force myself to wake up. Finally... I SNAP out of it.... relieved.... (((shiver)))

Anyway, more recently, The Exorcist, Jaws and Alien can scare the crap out of me.

the only film that left a lasting impression of horror/dread on me (in my adult movie watching life) was Halloween. I had difficulty sleeping afterward, as i kept envisioning Michael Myers emerging from the darkness all around me.

Definitely "The Grudge"

Battlefield Earth
Crossroads

When I was a kid, it was the original Night of the Living Dead. I've been waiting for the zombie takeover to commence but hasn't happened yet. Strangely, the zombie horror films are the only ones I watch nowadays.

CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST because it is very realistic
AMMETVILLE HORROR becuase it scared the shit out of me at the end when it says based on a true story
TEXAS CHAINSAW one of the greatest horror films hands down

You should expand your tastes to include watching films that don't feature zombies. There's a lot of good stuff out there!

Growing up I thought Exorcist was the scariest movie ever.

Sadly....I don't really get scared my movies anymore. Guess I'm just getting older, or jaded from seeing so many horror films. However, these gave me the frights when I was young, though don't pack the punch they once did.

The Excorcist
Amnityville Horror
Nightmare on Elm Street
The Hitcher
Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Poltergeist (esp considering its a PG film!)

Salem's Lot for me. I was scared to go near the window at night when I was a kid.

Hmmmmm . . . quite a few of you seem to be including The Ring in your lists.

I've never seen it and (blush) never heard of it. Which is not new (I'm a reader, primarily heh) (I never saw Titanic, if that's any clue).

This might be a good Halloween-week film for me to rent. That one and — The House On The Left because it got the most votes in my Haunted House poll and I'm due for a good Haunted House flick.

This is a fun thread OP. It's groovy to see what pushes everyone's buttons and I'm glad I'm not the only one with lasting trauma from, gulp, JAWS. I do agree however that so much depends on where you were and how old you were when you saw the film.

I almost threw up in the theatre while watching JAWS — the leg. Floating down. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaack! With bits of . . . well, enough!

PEACH

You guys are going to laugh but I the Sixth Sense really disturbed/scared me. I guess I am more susceptible to movies of that nature. Not really gory but hits a little closer to home.

Ju-On was pretty creepy too. Some parts of The Passion are pretty disturbing too. The more realistic the scarier for me.

Exorcist - Terrifying to most religious folks. Great ending. 10/10

The Exorcist here as well. I was 14 when it came out and in it's day it scared the bejeezus out of most of us. The older we get the harder it is to scare us at the movies. The last movie that scared me was The Blair Witch Project.

I agree with most of these. I would like to add:
Exorcist III
Event Horizon

I don't believe that you laughed.

This may sound hokey, but for me, it was...

Since no one's mentioned it, I'll say Lost Highway.

I've only seen it once a while ago, but from what I remember, it creates the kind of fear that grabs hold of something deep inside of you and won't let go.