Express Yourself: Scary Movies

The Express Yourself Weekly Meme is hosted by Jackie @ Bouquet of Books and Dani @ Entertaining Interests.

The question for this week is: What's the scariest movie you've watched or book you've read that made you unable to sleep?

Movies don't typically scare me.  At least, not to the point I can't sleep.  Even as a kid, I don't recall having any horror movie induced insomnia or nightmares. My brain is stubbornly aware that what I'm watching isn't real.  The things that happen in real life tend to frighten me a lot more.

Still, while I haven't been rendered speechless, I have to admit I was a little leery of going into the basement immediately after watching The Blair Witch Project. In my defense, I watched it when I was home alone, and I was only 15 or 16 at the time (I can't remember which).  It was late at night, and the basement light was broken.  My family kept our stash of empty pop cans down there, so I had to debate the merits of going down there to put the empty cans where they belonged, or risking leaving a mess and facing my parents' ire.  In the end, I ventured into the basement, though I may or may not have been in and out of there in record time.

I have to laugh at myself now when I remember that.

There are also certain scenarios I find more horrifying than others.  The movie Alien didn't terrify me per se, but the scenario is one I definitely wouldn't want to be a part of.  Much as I love the idea of making contact with other species, I don't think I'd want to be stuck on the Nostromo with a xenomorph.  Nope. Count me out of that one.  Being stuck on a spaceship, where you're undeniably isolated, with something that slimy and ruthless sounds like a terrible way to spend your evening.  Unless you're watching the action from the comfort of your living room with a bowl of popcorn, of course!

What movies or books have frightened you most?