Do you feel intimidated by horror movies? Do even the trailers scare you in broad daylight? Do you feel left out when youâre the only person who wonât watch a scary movie? Donât worry, you arenât the only one!
The horror genre has been scaring people for decades. Some with the traditional jumpscare, while others tackle deeper topics and spooky ideologies; the ultimate goal of many horror movies is to keep audiences engaged.
Through the use of thrilling cinematography, supportive music, and imaginative characters portrayed on screen, there’s a reason why this is a popular genre year-round.
As someone who isn’t the biggest fan of the super graphic horror myself, I have curated my top recommendations to help you make an informed decision as to what movies you can tolerate as a beginner and what you can work towards in terms of fear factor.
- ‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark’
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Released in 2019, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is a movie adaptation of the banned collection of short stories of the same name released in 1981. Combining the short stories into one plotline, this story follows a group of teenagers in small-town Pennsylvania as they are haunted by the storybook characters.
What makes this movie scary is how closely the monsters were adapted from the source material. The original book was banned in part for disturbing content and visceral drawings created by illustrator Stephen Gammell.
These drawings were the primary references used to create the monsters portrayed on screen. The creative team used special effects and makeup to create the monsters and highlighted the special traits of the actors behind them.
While this use of effects is very interesting, it shows how the monsters are obviously fake and makes the story seem much more fictional and less frightening. Also, there are barely any depictions of gore or violence in this movie, making it fairly tolerable to watch.Â
If you are interested in watching scary movies but are looking for something tolerable, this is the movie to start with. With good characters, a strong storyline, and obvious adherence to the source material, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is a really fun movie to watch during the spooky season.
- ‘Trick r’ Treat’
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Released in 2007, Trick âr Treat is a modern horror classic embraced by viewers for its mischief and twisted fun. The movie draws on the original traditions and legends about Halloween and how they must be respected and upheld. Even the primary antagonist, Sam, is named after the original Halloween celebration, Samhain.
This movie is made up of four mini-plots that overlap and intersect with one another â all of which make reference to a legend or piece of history relating to Halloween, Samhain, and All Hallowâs Eve. The orange colouring emphasizes a strong Halloween aesthetic; almost every character is wearing a Halloween costume, and the entirety of the movie unfolds on Halloween night.Â
While this movie is very entertaining and is perfectly suited to the Halloween season, it won’t be an immense scare for the target late-teen audience. However, viewers should be advised that there are a lot of on-screen deaths with several depictions of gore, including blood, broken bones, violence towards children, and the use of weapons.Â
Trick âr Treat is a great movie to watch as you get into Halloween movies. With an entertaining set of stories and interesting characters, this movie is iconic for the Halloween season and is great to watch with friends.Â
- ‘Scream’
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Directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson, Scream is a masterpiece of a movie. Created out of Cravenâs frustrations with the horror genre in the late ’80s and ’90s, this movie intelligently mocks classic horror tropes by humorously submitting to them.
Scream is often credited for saving the horror genre through its ability to satisfy the needs of a classic horror movie, acknowledging how clichĂ© they are, all while completely reinventing the classic tropes.Â
What makes this movie scary is what makes it equally as compelling. You are left on the edge of your seat, trying to figure out who the killer is alongside the other characters.
Typically, in horror movies, we are fed small bits of information about the antagonist throughout the story which helps us piece together what their motives are and determines the meaning of the movie. The characters target each other to create the idea that the killer is amongst them and that nobody is safe. This places a clever âwhodunnitâ spin on the story and further entertains the audience by involving them in the mystery, creating feelings of unease, mistrust, and betrayal.
This movie does contain depictions of violence and gore, such as weapons, blood, guts, and electrocution. While these forms of on-screen violence are typical to horror movies, Wes Craven brilliantly pays homage to previous horror classics making it a great intro movie to horror.
- ‘Halloween’
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Widely regarded as one of the most iconic horror movies of all time, John Carpenterâs Halloween is a classic during the spooky season.
Released in 1978, this movie was made by a group of young filmmakers on an extremely small budget. Through innovative cinematography that utilizes light and shadow to create strong images, this movie provides an interesting lens that examines the horror genreâs development.
The story of this movie revolves around Michael Myers, the main antagonist and a horror legend. After spending fifteen years in lockup, Myers returns to his hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois, to wreak havoc on the teenagers who live there.
This movieâs use of lighting and sound to set up its jump scares are what make it enjoyably scary. Michael Myers is often described as âthe shapeâ because he is rarely exposed in full light. He stalks his victims by remaining in the shadows, with only parts of him being illuminated at any one time. By hiding Myers and directing the viewersâ attention elsewhere, it’s always surprising when Myers makes his attacks.
The soundtrack of this movie creates tension and suspense, making the experience much more dynamic and exciting for the viewer.
The fact that this movie was released so long ago and with such a small budget can actually work to a tame viewer’s benefit. Watching the film with a modern lens makes its special effects not seem as intense. While there isnât a ton of gore shown on screen, this movie does show depictions of stabbings, blood, and stranglings.
Halloween is a must-watch for any movie fan. With a strong villain, great scares, and epic cinematography, this movie has inspired several other scary classics while maintaining its originality and spirit.
- ‘The Ring’
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Adapted from the Japanese movie Ringu (1998), The Ring (2002) was created with the intention of pushing the horror genre past slasher movies, exploring new forms of terror.
This story revolves around a videotape that supposedly kills the viewers a week after watching it. When the tape is accidentally viewed by a young boy, his mother and father work tirelessly to eliminate the curse before the week is over.
Though this is mostly a psychological thriller, this movie does have depictions of blood, violence toward children, and electrocution.Â
The green colourization of this movie is iconic, inducing a sense of sinister sickness. This also creates the illusion that the characters donât have shadows, which causes psychological stress for the viewers.
The foreshadowing and symbolism throughout the movie serve as a clever metaphor for technophobia, which is the fear of technology and its impact on our lives.Â
The Ring is an excellent movie that has the ability to terrify and fascinate its viewers. While there arenât many jump scares, this movie has a sense of terror that stems from the emotional and psychological reactions of the characters. This makes it the scariest movie on this roster.
The horror movie industry relies on its ability to entertain us while evoking our worst fears. This playful use of irony makes the genre unique and makes the experience of seeing a horror movie very memorable.
However, the experience of watching a horror movie shouldnât be overwhelmingly negative. The movies on this list are excellent examples of horror movies that create feelings of fear without totally traumatizing the viewer. These movies are perfect for those who get nervous watching scary movies but still want the experience in a social or holiday-related setting.
Best of luck, and donât forget to have fun!