Personally I've been felt a lot more scared by creepypastas (or still images/photos of creepy places, entities or w/e) than horror movies for instance. Especially when it comes to images - some have such unnerving vibe to them that I find it fascinating (smile.jpg anyone?).
I was always skeptical (aka treated it as fantasy) of supernatural things these stories are about, but I think the mere fact of getting engaged into reading them and using your imagination (suspending the disbelief) was enough.
Most horror movies are meh, but one... Lights Out (2013) was a horror film that genuinely terrified me. It's only a few minutes long, but it's more frightening than the jumpscare-laden slasher movies of the era ever could be. It's phenomenally subtle in its setup, showing how the slightest thing "off" in the dark can portend unimaginable horror. Check it out: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lykiTPUbtgs
I hadn't seen smile.jpg before, but after googling, you are right, it is truly a haunting image. I wonder what makes it so creepy? what subconscious fear instinct makes that image so much more haunting than a normal picture of a dog?
I was always skeptical (aka treated it as fantasy) of supernatural things these stories are about, but I think the mere fact of getting engaged into reading them and using your imagination (suspending the disbelief) was enough.