Not everyone likes being scared poop-less by horror films so, in the spirit of things (see what I did there lol) I’ve compiled a list of not-too-scary, scary films.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
A newly married couple get taken in by a very strange ‘family’ when their car breaks down. Bed hopping, singing, dancing and general mayhem ensue!
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Atmospheric, with some gruesomely realistic transformation scenes but also very tongue-in-cheek and funny in places.
Some jump scares, blood and gore and the most realistic werewolf transformation ever!
Gremlins (1984)
Cute, adorable and deadly if you feed him after midnight
Ghostbusters (1984/2016)
These films are a massive amount of fun! A group of guys or girls dealing with ghost and slime in New York city.
Slime!
Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
A singing, carnivorous plant with a taste for humans.
The Lost Boys (1987)
Cool, funny and creepy; an 80’s classic.
Beetlejuice (1988)
Fantasy horror at it’s craziest. If you happen to find you and your partner are dead, then you might need the help of a little goth girl and one crazy (and very un-PC) Beetlejuice.
The Witches (1990)
A young boy discovers Witches are very real and very organised but can he save us all?
The Addams Family (1991)
The Adams Family Values (1993)
Even though every member of this family has a line or a scene that will make you grin. I’d watch it solely for Wednesday Addams!
Braindead (1992)
Zombie babies anyone? I think this film still holds the award for most amount of fake blood used in a film. It’s gory yes, but every seen is played for laughs and it’s too ridiculous to be scary. Directed by Peter Jackson before he found Hobits.
Ridiculous gore galore!
Hocus Pocus (1993)
If witches and fantasy films are your thing you will love this.
Casper (1995)
Yes, this is a kids film with lots of CGI but it’s also a family drama and unexpectedly romantic.
Scream Franchise (1996 – 2011)
I’ve always thought of the Scream films as enjoyable who-dunnits, as they are a satire on the horror genre. However, there are some shocking moments where people get stabbed…a lot.
There will be blood.
Sleepy Hollow (1999)
In the days before Johnny Depp played rather annoying characters he was perfectly cast as geeky investigator Ichabod Crane in this film based on a real folk tale.
Ginger Snaps (2000)
Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed (2004) !Scarier!
These cult films get progressively darker but the first is the least creepy and has the most wry humour. How would you help your sister if she were slowly turning into a teenage werewolf? Nothing like Teenwolf I assure you.
Some parts are kinda gross.
Ghost Ship (2002)
Kinda creepy with some unexpected twists but a lot of expected one’s as well to be honest.
A scene of blood and gore near the end.
Dog Soldiers (2002)
A lycanthropic psychological thriller, set in a cabin in the woods.
Creepy with blood gore but so awesome!
The Haunted Mansion (2003)
A realtor and his family are mysteriously summoned to a mansion, where they learn the true meaning of pulling together as a family.
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
A zom-rom-com, obviously.
Gore, glorious gore!
The Corpse Bride (2005)
A grave misunderstanding! Really lovely film.
My Dead Girlfriend (2006)
So if you ran over your other half with your car you’d naturally turn to the occult to bring them back right?
Silly blood and gore.
Jennifer’s Body (2009)
So your beautiful best friend has an insidious appetite for men, literally.
Fright Night (2011)
I loved the original film from 1985 and had a huge crush on the vampire neighbour. It looks quite dated now so I’ve included this remake in the list instead. This feels more like a sexy psycho thriller than a horror film, somehow.
Dark Shadows (2012)
More of a character driven fantasy than a horror. Slow start but stick with it.
Warm Bodies (2013)
Just because he’s a zombie doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel sympathy or love even?
Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013)
Tongue-in-cheek but pretty epic.
Cool blood and gore.
Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (2015)
There are a lot of zomb-rom-coms out there and this is one of the better ones. Think, Superbad with relatable characters but the shared goal is to kill and escape the undead, rather than bring beer.
Fun blood and gore.
Zombieland: Double Tap (2019)
Four strangers who have move to middle America to battle against evolved zombies and find other survivors, create a wonky makeshift family.
Lots of splattering silliness.
Freaky
When a teenage girl swaps bodies with a wanted psycho killer, only one of them is happy.
Silly slasher flick.
To watch the night before Halloween
The Crow
People make the mistake of thinking this is a horror film but it’s actually a beautiful tragic love story. A heartbroken man returns from the grave (the night before Halloween) to avenge his fiancĆ©s murder. A poignant, violent, noir-fantasy with some dark humour.
Before we share the popcorn, which ones are your favourites on this list? I’ve seen them all so just ask if you want a more detailed scare-factor description.
š»Chrissieš»
Vamp It Up Manchester 
I love this list. I’m one of those people that get scarred easily so this list is perfect for me!
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Me too! Thereās definitely some atmospheric ones and a few jumpy moments but itās not the full on horror of proper horror films, these are more balanced with humour and a fun story. Whatās your fave?
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I also hate true horror movies (most of them I feel like I’m just watching people suffer for most of the movie..) but love an adventure or fantastical story with dark and/or supernatural elements. The Crow is one of my favorites, although knowing that he actually died during the filming made me distractingly sad for a long time. I’d also add Underworld for it’s gorgeous vision of a vampire society (I’ll even admit to enjoying some of the sequels) and Sleepy Hollow as well.
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That is how I felt when watching The Crow the first few times (I’d just be in floods of tears) but it also helped me realise that we we shouldn’t take things and people for granted because they could be gone in an instant so to really appreciate them. I thought about including Underworld but thought it not creepy enough. Yup, Sleepy Hollow is already in there. Thanks for commenting ^_^
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How did I miss Sleepy Hollow, OMG? I was reading this in the middle of the night while feeding the baby so that’s my excuse I guess! I get your point about Underworld, not really creepy, it more makes you want to be a vampire than fear a vampire.
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This is why I don’t mind what time I post because I know there are lots of people awake at night for various reasons. Yes, hahaa! It’s too cool.
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Exactly, it’s too cool lol
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So many good titles in this list! š š š
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Thanks hon. I tried to space them out across the years but not leave stuff out. Any you can think of adding?
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Reblogged this on Vamp It Up Manchester.
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I’ve only seen about half of these. Time to catch up!
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Which ones? Some are cult classics and some are just dead obvious?
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I’ve seen Gremlins, Ghostbusters, Beetlejuice and Hocus Pocus. Top of my list to watch is definitely Casper š
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You’ve definitely seen the most fun ones! Casper is such a sweet film ^_^
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Excellent picks here! I am too much of a scaredy cat these days to watch proper horror films, I don’t mind gorey ones, its the ghost/spooky/poltergeist movies that really scare me!
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Yes exactly! Bring on a silly gorefest with zombies and limbs flying everywhere (or crawling off on their own accord) but as you say, anything remotely psychological is off bounds
v–v
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