10 Horror Movies That Are So Scary, People Can’t Even Finish Watching Them

A list of the top 10 scariest movies on Netflix was released by the streaming service, showing that many of their viewers aren’t ready for the numerous scares offered up on demand. It’s interesting to note the movies deemed “too scary” to finish are kind of all over the place in terms of the genre.

There are moody explorations of what it means to be a woman, run-of-the-mill ghost stories, and body horror that will make you shudder every time you look in the mirror. So it’s hard to say what freaked out audiences so much it made them switch back to binge-watching The Office for the 20th time.   

Paul Tassi of Forbes managed to get viewing data from Netflix that showed viewers turning off around the 70% mark. The streaming service claims this is how they can tell the audience is too scared to finish the movie, as opposed to just turning it off because they were bored. Netflix believes that if someone sits through most of a horror movie, the only reason they’re not finishing it is because it’s too much for their delicate sensibilities. That theory seems underdeveloped at best, but it’s worth diving into to see what scenes are really affecting viewers.

1. The Conjuring

Out of all the films on the Netflix list, The Conjuring is the closest match for a classically classified horror movie. Despite being considered popcorn fare, The Conjuring is a masterclass in horror by James Wan. The director uses lengthy shots, forced perspective, and good, old-fashioned jump scares to freak the audience out. The scene that probably had the audience giving a collective “nope” combined all three of those techniques. 

The scene in question features two of the youngest members of the Perron family freaking out at something watching them in their room, except the audience can’t see what it is. The camera even cuts to the places where the creature is meant to be and we’re shown nothing. That is, until Wan finally reveals a witch on top of a bureau, which is creepy enough, but then he does a big ’70s super-zoom into the witch’s face before she goes HAM on the girls. 

Actors: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Joey King, Lili Taylor, Ron Livingston, + more
Initial Release: 2013
Directed by: James Wan

Also Ranked

#3 on The Best Intelligent Horror Movies
#31 on The Best Horror Films of All Time
#6 on The Best Scary Movies Based on True Stories
#86 on The Best Movies Based on True Stories