Horror films are among the most popular kinds of cinematic experience. They allow audiences to face their darkest fears in a safe way, and have become essential ways of dealing with the horrors of reality. However, by their nature, horror films can be deeply confronting experiences, and can run the risk of turning away new audiences if they do not begin with the correct ones. Thankfully, there are horror-themed films out there that are perfect for easing new audiences in to a daunting genre.
✕ Remove Ads
They can be light on scares or heavy on atmosphere, but either way, they serve as essential introductions for an audience member to the genre. Watching horror films that may be a little more conventional for seasoned veterans can be beneficial for newbies before they're ready to face the likes of Freddy Krueger, Pennywise, or Hannibal Lecter. If it weren't for safer horror films, more people wouldn't have experienced more hardcore films for the first time, and the genre wouldn't have persisted as it has for the last century.
10 'The House With a Clock in Its Walls' (2018) Directed by Eli Roth ✕ Remove Ads
Young orphan Lewis (Owen Vaccaro) is sent to live with his uncle Jonathan (Jack Black) and neighbor Florence (Cate Blanchett) in a strange old house surrounded by jack-o-lanterns and filled with clocks. While settling in, Lewis discovers Jonathan is a warlock, and becomes his new protégé. But hidden within the house is a large, sinister clock, and this family of misfits must find it before it counts down to zero, or else dark magic will be unleashed upon the world.
At the center of The House With a Clock in It's Walls' dark atmosphere and juvenile humor is a story of finding family, self-acceptance, and facing the fear of letting go of the ones you love. Lewis's character arc is relatable to any kid going through a tough time, and the scary experiences he goes through actually help him deal with his pain. While director Eli Roth is primarily known for hardcore horror like Hostel and Thanksgiving, this film is a considerably lighter kind of spooky fun.
✕ Remove Ads The House With a Clock in its Walls PGFantasyComedy
The House With a Clock in Its Walls is a fantasy film based on the novel and revolves around young Lewis, a boy sent to live with his eccentric uncle following the untimely death of his parents. Shortly into his stay, Lewis learns that his uncle, Jonathan, and his neighbor, Florence, are magic users who are trying to solve the mystery of a magical clock stuck in the home's walls. Lewis, despite being told not to dabble in magic unsupervised, accidentally reanimates the dead of the town, setting off a magic battle for the ages.
Release Date September 21, 2018 Director Eli Roth Cast Cate Blanchett , Jack Black , Owen Vaccaro , Renee Elise Goldsberry , Kyle MacLachlan Runtime 105 minutes Writers Eric Kripke
Rent on Amazon
9 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory' (1971) Directed by Mel Stuart
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory may not be a horror film in the conventional sense, but if one looks closely enough, the plot of the film has the archetypal setup of a slasher movie. The audience is introduced to a group of young people, all having their own distinct characteristics, who are invited to spend a day in a mysterious location. At the mercy of a man who is of questionable sanity, they are slowly picked apart one by one until the protagonist with the most moral standing is rewarded with success and survival.
✕ Remove Ads
While the children are forced into whimsically grotesque situations, the audience is never shown them surviving their experiences, making their fate somewhat ambiguous. The infamous tunnel scene is known as one of the scariest moments to be seen in a children's film, with Willy Wonka's (Gene Wilder) madness growing while scenes of violence and terror play out in front of the terrified onlookers. It's not technically a horror film, but it works if somebody is looking to understand the setup of a slasher without having to watch a real one.
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory GFamilyMusicalFantasy
A poor but hopeful boy seeks one of the five coveted golden tickets that will send him on a tour of Willy Wonka's mysterious chocolate factory.
Release Date June 30, 1971 Director Mel Stuart Cast Jack Albertson , gene wilder , Peter Ostrum , Denise Nickerson , Julie Dawn Cole Runtime 100 minutes Writers Roald Dahl Studio Expand
Rent on Amazon
8 'Gremlins' (1984) Directed by Joe Dante ✕ Remove Ads
Billy Peltzer (Zach Galligan) is a young man who's just gotten an unusual new Christmas present - an adorable little Mogwai named Gizmo (Howie Mandel). But with a Mogwai, there are three rules to keep in mind. If you expose one to sunlight, they'll die, if they get wet, they multiply, and if they are fed after midnight, they transform into mischievous little devils called gremlins. Over time, as one might predict, all three of these rules get broken, and the town of Kingston Falls becomes overrun with an army of little terrors determined to make a not-so-jolly Christmas.
Described by fans of director Joe Dante as a cross between It's a Wonderful Life meets The Birds, Gremlins is a horror comedy that's thankfully light on blood and gore. While the titular monsters are grotesque and genuinely threatening, they are also zany characters who enjoy causing trouble and engaging in cartoon-ish antics. With a decidedly low body count, a happy ending, and funny antics, it's a perfect film if you're in the mood for just the right amount of creepy suspense.
✕ Remove Ads Gremlins PGComedyFantasyHorror
A young man inadvertently breaks three important rules concerning his new pet and unleashes a horde of malevolently mischievous monsters on a small town.
Release Date June 7, 1984 Director Joe Dante Cast Phoebe Cates , Corey Feldman , Zach Galligan , Hoyt Axton , Polly Holliday , Howie Mandel Runtime 106 minutes Writers Chris Columbus Budget $11 million Studio(s) Warner Bros. , Amblin Entertainment Distributor(s) Warner Bros. Pictures Expand
Watch on Max
7 'The Witches' (1990) Directed by Nicolas Roeg
After losing his parents in a car accident, Luke (Jason Fisher) is sent to live with his Grandmother (Mai Zatterling), who tells him tales about real witches and their plots to kill children. Spending a holiday by the sea, they discover their new hotel is infested with witches, all plotting an evil scheme under the command of the Grand High Witch (Anjelica Huston). Now it's a race against time to stop them - which isn't easy, considering Luke has been turned into a mouse.
✕ Remove Ads
The Witches is based on the book of the same name by Willy Wonka author Roald Dahl. Willy Wonka's status as a horror film can be contested, but there is no doubt that The Witches is a truly dark children's tale. Dahl's penchant for the gruesome side of growing up is on full display, with most adult figures in the story either being unhelpful, snooty, or downright murderous. It acknowledges that the world can be a terrifying and dangerous place for kids, but also shows how they have the power to fight back.
The Witches PG
A young boy stumbles onto a witch convention and must stop them, even after he has been turned into a mouse.
Release Date February 16, 1990 Director Nicolas Roeg Cast Angelica Huston Runtime 91 Main Genre Fantasy
Rent on Amazon
6 'Ghostbusters' (1984) Directed by Ivan Reitman ✕ Remove Ads
One of the defining comedies of the 1980s, Ghostbusters combines hilarious comedy with a unique atmosphere. It all begins when three New York paranormal researchers are fired from their positions at Columbia University. Disgraced in the academic world, they decide to start their own ghost extermination service out of an old firehouse. After they gain a new member and national notoriety, they happen upon a cosmic event that could destroy the world as they know it.
Horror and comedy operate on a similar wavelength, both relying on tension and delivering either a scare, a punchline, or both. Few films understand this more than Ghostbusters. Stars like Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Rick Moranis are at the top of their game, providing some of the funniest moments in cinema history. The ghosts and monsters look like something out of a Scooby-Doo cartoon, yet that does nothing to detract from their menace. As a mixture of a horror film, a classic comedy, and a superhero origin story, Ghostbusters is a horror that makes you feel good.
✕ Remove Ads Ghostbusters (1984) PGActionComedyFantasy
Three parapsychologists forced out of their university funding set up shop as a unique ghost removal service in New York City, attracting frightened yet skeptical customers.
Release Date June 8, 1984 Director Ivan Reitman Cast Bill Murray , Dan Aykroyd , Sigourney Weaver , Harold Ramis , Ernie Hudson , Rick Moranis Runtime 105 minutes Writers Dan Aykroyd , Harold Ramis , Rick Moranis
Watch on Starz
5 'Beetlejuice' (1988) Directed by Tim Burton
Adam (Alec Baldwin) and Barbra Maitland (Geena Davis) are the happiest couple alive - which makes it a shame when they die in a car accident. At first, content to haunt their home, they are disturbed when a new family moves in and changes the architecture and style for their own garish tastes. To get their home back, they decide to call on the afterlife's leading bio-exorcist Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton), to scare them away. But the ghost with the most has his own plans, and his unpredictable nature may be too powerful to control.
✕ Remove Ads
While Ghostbusters is a horror comedy from a down-to-earth, human point of view, Beetlejuice takes a haunted house movie and tells it from the ghosts' point of view. The title character is one of the most accessible horror creations ever made, having Freddy Krueger's power set, Daffy Duck's energy, and Pepe Le Pew's sense of personal boundaries. Top that off with great performances, hilarious comedy, and an afterlife more akin to the DMV than hell, and you've got the film that kickstarted the rest of Tim Burton's career.
Beetlejuice PGComedyFantasy
The spirits of a deceased couple are harassed by an unbearable family that has moved into their home, and hire a malicious spirit to drive them out.
Release Date March 30, 1988 Director Tim Burton Cast Catherine O'Hara , Michael Keaton , Geena Davis , Alec Baldwin , Winona Ryder , Jeffrey Jones Runtime 92 minutes Writers Michael McDowell , Larry Wilson , Warren Skaaren Studio Story By Michael McDowell , Larry Wilson Budget $15 million Studio(s) The Geffen Film Company Distributor(s) Warner Bros. Expand
Watch on Max
4 'Coraline' (2009) Directed by Henry Selick ✕ Remove Ads
From the acclaimed director of The Nightmare Before Christmas, Coraline is a film that will enchant and terrify the whole family. Coraline Jones (Dakota Fanning) and her parents have moved into an old Victorian house. While exploring her mysterious new home, she discovers a small door that leads to a world where everything's more colorful, everyone's friendlier, and everyone has black sewing buttons instead of eyes. Feeling neglected back home, Coraline adores this world and wants to stay there forever - and her Other Mother (Teri Hatcher) is happy to let her do so, provided she makes one small sacrifice.
Coraline takes the archetype of a young girl going on an adventure in another world and twists it on his head, with a decidedly supernatural metaphor for stranger danger, grooming, and child abuse. The Other World is a dreamland of color and sound that becomes a living nightmare when the truth is discovered. While the film does have a happy ending, dark questions about what happened in that house will linger for long after the film is finished.
✕ Remove Ads Coraline PGFamilyAnimationThrillerFantasyDrama Release Date February 5, 2009 Director Henry Selick Cast Dakota Fanning , Teri Hatcher , Jennifer Saunders , Dawn French , Keith David , John Hodgman Runtime 100 minutes Writers Henry Selick , Neil Gaiman Studio Story By Neil Gaiman Budget $60 million Studio(s) Focus Features Distributor(s) Focus Features Expand
Watch on Netflix
3 'Army of Darkness' (1992) Directed by Sam Raimi
It may not be the most acclaimed entry in the Evil Dead series, but it may be the most accessible for non-horror fans. Immediately after the end of Evil Dead 2, Ash (Bruce Campbell) is pulled through a time vortex and sent back to the medieval era. With a chainsaw hand, cocky attitude, and limited smarts, Ash nonetheless proves himself to be the only person capable of saving the kingdom from an army of the undead. But will his machismo be enough to get the job done, or will Ash's incompetence doom us all?
✕ Remove Ads
Whereas the other Evil Dead films are infamous for outlandish gore and genuinely scary moments, Army of Darkness fashions itself more as a fantasy action piece with elements of Three Stooges-esque slapstick comedy. Horror elements are present throughout, with undead armies, monstrous books, and deadites hungry for blood and souls, but they're done with a considerably lighter approach than the rest of the franchise.
Army of Darkness RHorrorComedyActionFantasy
A time-warped hero must retrieve the Necronomicon and battle an army of the undead to return home. Facing off against legions of evil, the chainsaw-armed Ash Williams leads medieval forces into battle, blending horror and slapstick comedy in this cult classic.
Release Date February 19, 1993 Director Sam Raimi Cast Bruce Campbell , ian abercrombie , Embeth Davidtz , Marcus Gilbert , Richard Grove Runtime 81 minutes Writers Sam Raimi , Ivan Raimi Budget $11 million Studio(s) Renaissance Pictures , Dino De Laurentiis Corporation Distributor(s) Universal Pictures Expand
Watch on Amazon
2 'Frankenstein' (1931) Directed by James Whale ✕ Remove Ads
If Dracula was the film that began the golden age of classic monster movies, then Frankenstein is the film that kicked it into overdrive. Dr. Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) has committed a horrifying act of science - he has created a new creature out of dead body parts. But this creature (Boris Karloff) is physically and mentally misshapen, and his attempts to interact with those around him are met with hate and violence.
With its mixture of terror and tragedy, Frankenstein has become one of cinema's most beloved horror films, with the titular creature becoming the face of the Universal Monsters. While not entirely faithful to the original Mary Shelley novel, this film made the character and his tropes into a pop culture phenomenon. Everything that people love about classic horror is present - a supernatural set-up, a gothic castle surrounded by lighting, questions about man's role in the universe, and a monster that both scares audiences and breaks their hearts.
✕ Remove Ads Frankenstein (1931) PassedSci-FiDramaHorror
Dr Henry Frankenstein is obsessed with assembling a living being from parts of several exhumed corpses.
Release Date November 21, 1931 Director James Whale Cast Colin Clive , Mae Clarke , Boris Karloff , John Boles , Edward Van Sloan , Frederick Kerr , Dwight Frye , Lionel Belmore Runtime 70 Minutes Writers John L. Balderston , Mary Shelley , Peggy Webling , Garrett Fort , Francis Edward Faragoh , Richard Schayer
Rent on Amazon
1 'Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark' (2019) Directed by André Øvredal
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark has been lauded by critics as a perfect introduction to horror, with genuine scares, a creepy atmosphere and a collection of stories with just the right amount of chills. Over the course of the Halloween season in 1968 Pennsylvania, a group of teenagers do what a standard group of teens does in this kind of tale - break into a supposedly haunted house. This house seems to be empty, but they find a book of scary stories written by a girl said to have killed herself.
✕ Remove Ads
As the film progresses, these teens find those stories coming to life - and they become the targets of the horror written within. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is the cinematic equivalent of telling creepy stories around the fire, with an engaging mystery to tie it all together. The designs of the monsters are magnificent, the atmosphere is perfect for a Halloween viewing, and the characters are surprisingly engaging and don't conform to the shallow stereotypes seen in other horror films.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark PG-13 HorrorAdventureMystery
On Halloween 1968, Stella and her two friends meet a mysterious drifter, Ramón, and uncover a sinister notebook of stories.
Release Date August 9, 2019 Director André Øvredal Cast Zoe Margaret Colletti , Michael Garza , Gabriel Rush , Dean Norris , Gil Bellows , Lorraine Toussaint Runtime 108 minutes Writers Dan Hageman , Kevin Hageman , Guillermo del Toro , Marcus Dunstan , Patrick Melton , Alvin Schwartz
Watch on Netflix
Next: What's a Horror Movie and What's a Halloween Movie? It's Not as Simple as You Think