Horror is an incredibly popular genre, which is strange considering people continue to watch films whose sole purpose is to scare them. Whether it's the shocking deaths, like Charlie's in Hereditary, or because they are based on true events like The Strangers, people tune in for the thrill that comes from watching a scary movie.

For some, it's the gore-filled scenes and the use of special effects that help make a scary movie too scary. For others, low-budget horror films like Terrifier and Lights Out can incite enough fear. Most can appreciate an impactful final scene like in The Blair Witch Project. Whether you like seeing your phobias played out on screen or you just enjoy a good scare, here are 20 of the scariest films that people have dubbed too scary to watch more than once.

Updated May 17, 2024: This article has been updated by Rachel Johnson with additional content to keep the discussion fresh and relevant with even more information and new entries.

Warning: Entries may include potential spoilers.

20 Sinister (2012)

For some, Sinister was considered a breakout role in horror for Ethan Hawke. The 2012 horror film placed Hawke as a true crime writer who moves his family into a new home where the previous owners were murdered, but he doesn't tell his family that part. He finds a box of Super 8 tapes in the attic that depict murders that date back to the 1960s, causing him to go on an investigative journey to discover the cause.

Sinister Contains a Demon That Preys on Children

He becomes obsessed with the tapes and with solving the murders, which brings him unknowingly face to face with a sinister force that uses children to murder their families. Thanks to the nature of children committing murders and the gruesome nature of the tapes, this film is often considered too scary to watch more than once, even though you would already know what happens.

19 Funny Games (2007)

An adaptation of the Austrian psychological horror flick, Funny Games is a deeply unsettling film that centers on a married couple and their son, who, while vacationing at a lake house, become targeted by two sadistic young men who proceed to taunt and torture the family in horrific ways. Original director Michael Haneke returned to write and direct the shot-for-shot remake, setting out to criticize the violence depicted in the media.

Audiences Are Unwilling Accomplices in Funny Games

Michael Pitt and Brady Corbet were downright petrifying as the demented criminals targeting the couple, who take great pride in inflicting perverse pain upon the family, leaving shocked audiences on the edge of their seats. Haneke has the violent strangers break the fourth wall frequently, making viewers feel as though they are in on their psychotic crusade and thus leaving them sick to their stomachs.

18 The Descent (2005)

The Descent is a 2005 horror film with an almost entirely female cast. The women go on a caving expedition a year after Sarah's husband and daughter are killed in a tragic accident. The semi-professional group is used to caving, but even they were unprepared for what they found in the depths.

Audiences Are Lost in the Depths of Darkness with The Descent

When the group gets stuck in a new cave without a map, they find that they're not the only ones down there. Between the creatures stalking them and the tension of some revealed secrets, The Descent is often called one of the scariest films of the 2000s.

17 The Strangers (2008)

The Strangers is famously based on true events, which increases its overall scare factor. The 2008 film takes place in an isolated summer vacation home where a young couple is stalked by three assailants in masks, simply "because they were home."

The Strangers Is an Unsettling Slow Burn

As the film progresses, the masked individuals become increasingly more violent and ultimately deadly. This progression of thrill and the limited dialogue by the stalkers makes The Strangers one of the most terrifying and downright ominous horror films ever made. You really only need to watch it once.

16 Goodnight Mommy (2014)

The dark and deeply violent Austrian horror film Goodnight Mommy tells the story of inseparable twin brothers who begin to grow suspicious of their mother and her true identity after she returns to their secluded home after undergoing facial surgery. The siblings decide to take matters into their own hands and subdue the woman, leading to a series of shocking revelations and events.

Tension & Terror Slowly Build in Goodnight Mommy

Goodnight Mommy is perhaps best described as a massively unsettling, slow burn psychological picture that is certain to make audiences squirm as the twins terrorize their vulnerable mother and amp up the warfare. It is an abstract horror film that is hard to watch more than once, if not for the unnerving performances of the young lead actors.

15 Hereditary (2018)

Hereditary uses the supernatural as its backing to create a scary movie that is extremely hard to watch more than once. It follows a family who has ties to a sinister presence that threatens to tear the family apart after the passing of a grandmother.

Hereditary Shows a Matriarch's Shocking Dark Side

They discover more about the grandmother's dark beliefs and connection to an ancient cult. However, the accidental death of their daughter, Charlie, sets the Grahams into a downward spiral of possession, family values, and extreme violence.

14 Hell House LLC (2015)

We guarantee that if you watch Hell House LLC more than once, the second time, you will probably be among friends, or all the lights will be on. This found footage gem from the 2010s tells the story of a group of friends who decide to get together and set up a haunted house for Halloween.

Hell House LLC Is a House of Horrific Horrors

However, they do it in a location that's actually haunted. Survivors suddenly have to deal with murderous clowns, a terrifying lady with white eyes, and a purely frenetic third act. Hell House LLC is pure nightmare fuel, which is made even better with the Director's Cut.

13 Shutter (2004)