Many people say they do not like horror, and what they usually mean is that they do not like being disgusted. The genre is much wider than that. At its best, it is about atmosphere, ideas and craft: a slow build, a very good idea, a house that feels wrong.
If you have avoided the genre, here are six films that will not send you running from the room. Some are nearly gentle. All of them are very good.
The Others
2001 · 7.6 TMDBThe OthersGrace is a woman who lives in an old house kept dark because her two children, Anne and Nicholas, have a rare sensitivity to light. When the family begins to suspect the house is haunted, Grace fights to protect her children at any cost in the face of strange events and disturbing visions.A house, a widow, two children who cannot go into the light, and one of the best twists in modern horror. The Others (2001), directed by Alejandro Amenábar and starring Nicole Kidman, is almost entirely atmosphere. There is very little blood, and a great deal of dread.
Coraline
2009 · 7.9 TMDBCoralineWandering her rambling old house in her boring new town, 11-year-old Coraline discovers a hidden door to a strangely idealized version of her life. In order to stay in the fantasy, she must make a frighteningly real sacrifice.Henry Selick's stop-motion film from 2009 is technically for children, and it is properly unsettling for adults too. A girl finds a door in her new home, and the world behind it is a little too good to be true. It is a gorgeous introduction to the idea that horror can be beautiful.
Get Out
2017 · 7.6 TMDBGet OutChris and his girlfriend Rose go upstate to visit her parents for the weekend. At first, Chris reads the family's overly accommodating behavior as nervous attempts to deal with their daughter's interracial relationship, but as the weekend progresses, a series of increasingly disturbing discoveries lead him to a truth that he never could have imagined.Jordan Peele's 2017 debut is a thriller, a satire and a horror film all at once. It won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, and it is the ideal film for anyone who thinks the genre has nothing to say. It builds a feeling of wrongness so patiently that the fear has time to become an idea.
A Quiet Place
2018 · 7.4 TMDBA Quiet PlaceA family is forced to live in silence while hiding from creatures that hunt by sound.John Krasinski's 2018 film about a family that must live in silence. It is tense rather than gory, and it is wonderfully simple: the entire film is a set of rules, and the fear comes from waiting for someone to break them. It is a good film to watch with other people.
Let the Right One In
2008 · 7.5 TMDBLet the Right One InWhen Oskar, a sensitive, bullied 12-year-old boy, meets his new neighbor, the mysterious and moody Eli, they strike up a friendship. Initially reserved with each other, Oskar and Eli slowly form a close bond, but it soon becomes apparent that she is no ordinary young girl.A Swedish vampire story about two lonely children, directed by Tomas Alfredson in 2008. It is cold, quiet and unexpectedly tender. If you think horror cannot be a love story, start here.
Shaun of the Dead
2004 · 7.5 TMDBShaun of the DeadShaun lives a supremely uneventful life, which revolves around his girlfriend, his mother, and, above all, his local pub. This gentle routine is threatened when the dead return to life and make strenuous attempts to snack on ordinary Londoners.And if you want to laugh first and shiver second, Edgar Wright's 2004 zombie comedy is the perfect bridge. It is a real horror film and a real comedy, and it teaches you how the genre works by making fun of it, lovingly.
A few tips
- Watch in daylight, or early evening. Fear is easier to enjoy when the night is a long way off.
- Watch with someone. Horror is a social genre. It is better with a sofa, a blanket and a second person to look at when it gets too much.
- Pause when you need to. There is no prize for finishing in one sitting.
If one of these works for you, browse the best horror films of all time and keep going. And if you find a favourite, add it to a list, so the next person who says they do not like horror has something to start with.