Non-horror movies scarier than most horror movies?
 

I've heard a few people say that they don't like horror movies because they're not scary. And for the most part, I can agree. At the very least, 75% of my horror collection consists of films that didn't scare me, per se, but amused me, intrigued me, or at the very least kept my brain stuff entertained. But I don't think it's necessary to delve into this genre in order to scare yourself. And here are some movies which aren't widely considered horror that scared me.
Blue Velvet - Dennis Hopper stole the show in this one. With his drug-induced sadism and barely repressed mommy issues, this guy is more likely to show up in my nightmares than Freddy Krueger.
Shutter Island - Crazy people be scary. But the idea of going crazy, or being mentally ill for a long time without knowing it, is ultimately more unsettling.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes - I went into this expecting some awesome popcorn entertainment, and what I ended up getting was an awesome emotional experience. It is a deeply disturbing tale when you think about it, a chronicle of mankind's unraveling that may be closer to the truth than we know.
As a child, I was terrified of Gnorga from A Troll in Central Park. It was one of the first movies I actually sat down to watch, and to me the thought of being turned to stone was about the worst thing imaginable.
Also, I find Bane from The Dark Knight Rises to be one of the most intimidating characters in the history of cinema. If I had been in Batman's position as I heard that voice say "Not as serious as yours," I would have most likely defecated all over the inside of my bat armor. Pretty much every line he uttered sent chills through my body when I saw this in the theater. Even the ones I couldn't understand.

Only thing I can think of are movies like Brokedown Palace and Return to Paradise... I'm pretty sure I'll be framed and arrested in a foreign country one day.

Threads

Plague Dogs

Fucked me up way more than any horror stuff..

I'm with Despare on this one. I casn't remember the name, but I saw some film about a guy busted in Turkey and thrown in prison there and it scared the shit out of me.

Midnight Express (1978)

"Is it safe?"

Great movie. That one scared me too.


I'm not sure "scared" is the right word, but maybe it is: Bad Lieutenant.

Also, Threads (which I saw recently) and a The Morning After (when I was a kid).

(Edit)
The Day After.. not The Morning After

Isn't that Marathon Man? (or Gremlins 2 :-)

Oh yeah, you're right -- Marathon Man! I guess add that to the list of non-horror films that scared me. But yeah, Midnight Express, that film is messed up too.

Both Marathon Man and Midnight Express are seriously disturbing.

Requiem for a Dream is one of mine. The sequence at the end is just like having a nightmare that you can't wake up from. Should be shown to kids as part of an anti-drug curriculum.

No Country For Old Men. Anton Chigurh was a hell of a lot scarier than most horror film antagonists. Most horror movie villains are too cartoonish or implausible to be scary, but Anton.. It's scary to think about crossing paths with a guy like that.

Not a movie, but Twin Peaks. On the few occasions that Twin Peaks wanted to be scary, it had no trouble doing so. There are moments of dread in which show that surpass that of most horror films. Bob is terrifying. One of my all time favorite TV shows.