A list of must-watch horror movies for people who scare easy
As October is slowly coming to a close, people like me are cramming to get as many Halloween movies as they can into the last week. Unfortunately, not everyone can enjoy Halloween movies as easily as others. Some get queasy at the sight of blood, some can’t stand jump scares, and others just don’t like being scared. While I am the complete opposite, I understand where these people are coming from. Horror movies can be an acquired taste, just like romantic comedies are for me.
However, not all horror/Halloween movies are terrifying. There are some that are fun and spooky without being overtly scary and gory. Enjoy this list of exciting, not frightening, movies to indulge in on Halloween.
Note: Every film has a “fright factor” and “gore score”; the higher the score, the scarier/bloodier the film is.
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Fright Factor: 1/10
Gore Score: 0/10
Overall Review: Not scary or bloody at all! Cute, family-friendly claymation fun
Everyone’s favorite British claymation duo, Wallace and Gromit, go on their most exciting adventure yet: tracking down a were-rabbit! Wallace and his dog Gromit run a pest control company called “Anti-Pesto.” The duo goes around town and peacefully captures and re-releases rabbits that have been eating the citizens’ customers. Wallace has a crush on one of their clients, the kind and beautiful Lady Tottington, and unfortunately, so does Lord Victor Quartermaine, a crass and rude man who constantly bullies Wallace.
After one of Wallace’s new inventions goes horribly wrong, the town is tormented by a large and ravenous rabbit that devours everyone’s crops. The town dubs the strange creature a “were-rabbit.” Wallace and Gromit promise to capture the were-rabbit and safely contain it but Victor wishes to kill it. After Gromit makes a shocking discovery, he must face the were-rabbit on his own and stop it before it ruins the town’s annual vegetable competition.
Available for rent on Amazon Prime, YouTube or Google Play!
Jennifer’s Body
Fright Factor: 4/10
Gore Score: 7/10
Overall Review: Not too scary but quite a bit of blood; the comedy undermines a lot of the scarier bits
Jennifer is perfect. Her hair, her skin, her body: it’s all perfection. Her best friend, Needy, is plain in comparison, but that doesn’t get in the way of the girls’ friendship. When an indie rock band performs at a local bar, Jennifer drags Needy along to see the show. However, not long after the performance starts, a fire breaks out and burns down the bar, killing several people inside. Jennifer then leaves with the band, even though Needy begs her not to.
The next day, Jennifer acts perfectly fine. But as time goes on, Jennifer’s looks deteriorate. She’s tired and irritable and, for once, has bags under her eyes. The only remedy for her fatigue? Seducing and feasting on hapless boys. Needy notices Jennifer’s strange behavior and tries to uncover the truth about what happened to her best friend.
Available on Starz or for rent on Amazon Prime, YouTube, iTunes, or Google Play!
Addams Family Values
Fright Factor: 0/10
Gore Score: 0/10
Overall Review: Creepy, kooky and spooky but not scary or bloody!
Note: This is a sequel to the 1991 film, “The Addams Family,” but it’s not hard to follow if you haven’t seen the first one.
Fester has finally been reunited with his ghoulishly endearing family, and Morticia has just given birth to a mustachioed baby named Pubert. Life is good for the Addams family. That is until Wednesday and Pugsley decide they don’t want another sibling. The two older Addams kids hatch all kinds of devious plots in the hopes of getting rid of the baby. Gomez and Morticia eventually get overwhelmed with the constant chaos and decide to hire a nanny. Enter Debbie: a peculiar and beautiful woman who is not deterred by the Addams’ ooky way of life.
Debbie seems like the perfect fit but when she seduces Fester, Wednesday becomes suspicious. Her suspicion is well-founded; Debbie is not a nanny but a murdering gold digger who marries rich men and kills them for their money. In order to keep her cover, Debbie convinces Gomez and Morticia to send Wednesday and Pugsley to the most nightmarish place imaginable: summer camp.
Available on Amazon Prime or for rent on YouTube, iTunes or Google Play!
Tremors
Fright Factor: 2/10
Gore Score: 3/10
Overall review: Not particularly scary, and the only blood shown is monster blood
Val and Earl are tired of their mundane lives in Perfection, Nevada. They decide to leave their tiny hometown and escape to a nearby city. But on their way out of town, they find the dead body of a man high in an electrical tower. The two friends retrieve the body and try to figure out why the man was in the tower and why he died. Meanwhile, Rhonda, a graduate student, is conducting seismology tests in the area, and the results show strange movements underground.
More bodies start piling up. Val and Earl team up with Rhonda, and together they come to the realization that there are giant, worm-like monsters burrowing underground and killing people. With the help of some spunky townspeople, the three companions fight the creatures and attempt to destroy them.
Available on Cinemax or for rent on YouTube, iTunes or Google Play!
Young Frankenstein
Fright Factor: 0/10
Gore Score: 0/10
Overall review: It’s a Mel Brooks “Frankenstein” spoof; the only frightening thing about it is all the corny jokes
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein is not his grandfather. He is nothing like Victor Frankenstein, the madman who brought a body created from cadaver parts back from the dead. However, when he inherits his family’s estate in Transylvania, he is sucked into his grandfather’s dark legacy. When he arrives at the estate, he meets Igor, a hunchbacked servant, and Inga, a beautiful lab assistant. Frederick is uncomfortable in this foreign estate but tries to enjoy his time there and explores the property. He stumbles upon his grandfather’s hidden laboratory and becomes obsessed with his unconventional science, convinced it is impossible to bring a body back from the dead.
With the help of Igor and Inga, Frederick successfully brings a dead body back to life. However, just like his grandfather, the creature Frederick has created is not what he expected, and he must find a way to subdue the violent nature of his creation.
Available on Starz!
Death Becomes Her
Fright Factor: 1/10
Gore Score: 3/10
Overall Review: Nothing especially scary or gory, all of the “violence” is very campy and fantastical
Helen and Madeline were friends once. Until Madeline stole Helen’s fiancee, Ernest, causing Helen to spiral into depression. Fourteen years later, Madeline and Ernest are unhappily married. Madeline is a fading starlet, and Ernest is a bored mortician. Madeline and Ernest attend a party for Helen’s new book and when they run into Helen, they see that she is gorgeous and full of youth. Madeline obsesses over her looks and is desperate to retain her beauty. She visits a mysterious woman who specializes in rejuvenation. The woman gives Madeline a magical potion that will keep her young and beautiful forever. Madeline drinks the potion.
Meanwhile, Ernest and Helen have reconciled and Helen tries to convince Ernest to kill Madeline. When she returns home, Madeline and Ernest have an argument. It ends with Madeline falling down the stairs. Even though the fall should’ve killed her, Madeline comes to realize the potion has unsettling side effects…and she might not be the only one who drank it.
Available on HBO Max or for rent on YouTube, iTunes or Google Play!
The Final Girls
Fright Factor: 2/10
Gore Score: 4/10
Overall Review: If slashers don’t frighten you, this will be a breeze. Even if they do, this movie isn’t as scary/gory as they usually are.
Max is mourning the death of her mother. In an effort to cheer her up, her friends take her to a showing of “Camp Bloodbath,” an old slasher flick her mother starred in. Shortly after the movie begins, the theater accidentally catches on fire. Max cuts a hole in the movie screen, and she and her friends escape. Even though they seemingly stepped through safely, Max and her friends wake up in the woods. They are shocked when a van approaches them, and they see that two characters from the movie are inside. After a while, they realize they are somehow inside the movie.
They eventually accept a ride in the van and decide to go along with the plot. Max is overwhelmed when she is faced with her dead mother’s character in the van. The friends believe they’re safe from being killed off because they are not actually characters within the film. However, that theory is quickly shut down. The friends conclude they must survive until the end of the movie if they want to get back to reality safely. In the meantime, Max tries to connect with her mother’s character in an attempt to get closure on her mother’s sudden death.
Available on Showtime or for rent on YouTube, iTunes or Google Play!
The Craft
Fright Factor: 4/10
Gore Score: 3/10
Overall Score: There are a few unsettling scenes involving magic but very little gore/blood
Sarah is the new girl at a Catholic school in Los Angeles. She is an outcast, and it’s difficult for her to make friends. That is until she meets Nancy, Rochelle and Bonnie. Sarah soon discovers the girls are a lot like her. They all have strange, magical capabilities. They’re witches. The four friends relish in their newfound powerful coven and use their magic to better their lives.
However, the magic has drastic side effects. All of the girls are faced with the consequences of their spells, except for Nancy. Nancy becomes increasingly power-hungry and grows reckless with her powers. Sarah attempts to control Nancy but her efforts backfire.
Available for rent on Amazon Prime, YouTube, iTunes, or Google Play!
The Witches (2020)
Fright Factor: 2/10
Gore Score: 2/10
Overall Review: It’s a fun remake of the 1990 original; much like “Death Becomes Her,” it’s a very fantastical film
A young orphan goes to live with his grandmother in Alabama. She gradually cheers him up and even gets him a pet mouse. After the boy stumbles into a strange woman at the supermarket, the grandmother confesses that witches are real and target children. She tells him that they never stop once they have their eye on a child. The boy and his grandmother decide to lay low at a hotel nearby. However, unbeknownst to them, witches are gathering at the same hotel.
The Grand High Witch has a plan. She has created a potion that will turn children into mice. It is up to the boy, his grandmother and his two new friends to stop the witches before the children of the world are reduced to rodents.
Available on HBO Max!
Ready or Not
Fright Factor: 3/10
Gore Score: 8/10
Overall Review: Yes, there is a lot of blood and violence, but it’s mostly used as a comedic device rather than to scare
Grace is about to marry Alex, the love of her life, and get the family she’s always wanted. She is intimidated by Alex’s insanely rich family but is assured by Alex and his mother that she belongs. Shortly after the wedding, the family gathers for an age-old tradition. Grace is given a stack of cards inside a fancy metal box. Each card has a game on it (chess, Old Maid, etc.), and whatever card Grace draws, that’s the game the family must play.
The mood is light…until Grace draws the Hide and Seek card. Grace laughs it off and joyously agrees to play, even though the card has cast a grim shadow on everyone’s faces. Grace thinks it’s all fun and games. But then she witnesses a horrific act and realizes the cost of being found is much higher than simply losing the game.
Available on HBO Max or for rent on Amazon Prime, YouTube and Google Play!