Top 10 Movies Guaranteed To Give You Nightmares

July 10, 2017 6:02 AM ‐ Movies

This article is more than seven years old and was last updated in April 2019.

Nightmares Bed
A study of 2,000 Brits has revealed the ten scary movies which people say have given them nightmares after watching them before heading to bed. It also emerged some have been left so scared by a movie before bed, they have resorted to sleeping with the light on.

Sally Hotchin, Brand Manager from Slumberdown, which commissioned the research, said "often, what you see, hear or do before going to bed can affect what you end up dreaming about and affect your quality of sleep. But this is bad news if you watch something which is a little on the scary or even gruesome side before you turn in for bed."

"Try getting stuck into a good book before bed to help you sleep, as not only will this help you get a better night's sleep, but studies have shown that overall memory improves if you learn right before falling asleep."

It doesn’t help either that scary movies are favourite staples during sleepovers. Teenagers and young adults love having fun dressed up in their Kigurumi.co animal onesies to start off their sleepover activities and then gravitate to watching horror flicks later into the night. 

Over a quarter of those polled admitted that they ended up sleeping with the light on because they can't face the dark after a scary viewing session and almost half have even resorted to watching a kids' TV show or something light-hearted to calm them down before finally switching off for the night.

10. 'The Ring'

The Ring

'The Ring' is a 2002 psychological horror, a remake of the 1998 Japanese horror film 'Ringu,' which was based on the novel of the same name, written by Koji Suzuki.

9. 'The Blair Witch Project'

The Blair Witch Project

When 'The Blair Witch Project' was released in 1999 it was a first of it's kind, and gave birth to the "found footage" genre of movies. It was so unique and different that people thought it was real.

8. 'Saw'

Saw

The 'Saw' franchise exposes movie goers to some of the most gruesome and disturbing images ever seen on the big screen.

7. 'A Nightmare On Elm Street'

A Nightmare On Elm Street

"One, two, Fredy's coming for you." Freddy Krueger is literally the stuff of nightmares, the former child killer was burnt alive and now returns to murder teens in their sleep.

6. 'The Silence Of The Lambs'

The Silence Of The Lambs

Anthony Hopkins' creepy performance in this 1991 movie is enough to give anyone nightmares.

5. 'Poltergeist'

Poltergeist

The original 1982 'Poltergeist', written by Steven Spielberg still ranks highly in the least of movies most likely to give you a restless night.

4. 'The Shining'

The Shining

Stanley Kubrick's chilling 1980 movie set in the Overlook Hotel and based on the novel by Stephen King.

3. 'Paranormal Activity'

Paranormal Activity

Found footage style supernatural film series 'Paranormal Activity' ranks high in the top ten thanks for its realism.

2. 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'

Texas Chainsaw Massacre

'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' came in second, perhaps because of the fact it's based on a true story making it all the more terrifying.

1. 'The Exorcist'

The Exorcist

It also emerged 1973 horror 'The Exorcist' is the film most likely to leave you having nightmares.

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