If you’re in the mood for a horror movie, don’t go looking through the actual genre.
Thanks to a recent Reddit thread, it’s been discovered that there are tons of non-horror movies that are actually super scary.
Ready for this? Grab the popcorn and someone to hold onto because here are 10+ horror movies that are far scarier than actual ones.
*Charlie and the Chocolate Factory* (1971)
“Scared me to death when I was a kid. The colors didn’t trick five years old me enough to ignore the potential, premeditated child murder taking place in front of me.” – Redditor perfectlypeppered .
*Mommy Dearest* (1981)
“It’s about a narcissistic actress who adopts a child, shows love initially, then turns into a horrible, abusive monster when the child starts thinking for herself. If you’ve been in an abusive relationship, this movie hits harder than any horror flick.” – Redditor hashedram .
*A Beautiful Mind* (2001)
While most of the movie is super intellectual, the scene where he is trying to cut open his skin because he thinks he has a tracking device under it is more than anyone can handle.
It was truly terrifying.
*The Elephant Man* (1980)
“When the disfigured man is laying in bed and the carnival guy breaks in through the window and charges people to see his face haunts me. They way they dance around him laughing when he is dealing with so much mental anguish sticks with me.” – Redditor The_Bad_guy_NWO .
*Watership Down* (1978)
“The 1978 version. It’s not categorized as a horror but as a KIDS animation/adventure yet it has blood and gore in it. Scared the [expletive] out of me as a kid, couldn’t sleep for days. I still can’t watch it.” – Redditor bluestar8889 .
*The Spiderwick Chronicles* (2008)
“The Spiderwick Chronicles scared the [expletive] out of me when I was young. It’s a PG kids movie, but I swear in some of the scenes the tension and jump scares felt like they were for a horror movie.” – Redditor slothbarns7 .
*James and the Giant Peach* (1996)
Between toothy sharks trying to eat him, abusive family members, and watching his parents get eaten by animals, this movie is really not a fun time for children or adults.
But it is a good movie.
*The Conversation* (1974)
“All of the paranoia we have about the devices we carry in our pockets began to take root in the technology featured in this tense thriller. There’s a lot of cool filmmaking going on here, and one of the most upsetting seconds-long toilet scenes ever filmed. The monsters in this movie are us, and the tools we have created.” – Redditor Glade_Runner .
*Apocalypse Now* (1979)
“That film has left its mark on me and it’s honestly an ordeal any time I watch it (I keep coming back though). That film, to me, is the best representation of hell that I’ve ever seen. The whole thing plays out like a nightmare. And it’s a nightmare that ends without you waking up.” – Redditor DarknessBecomesYou .
*Heathers* (1988)
“Heathers is one of the few movies ever that I have finished and had my first thought be, ‘what the [expletive].’ I have never in my entire life been so unsettled by a movie. It was certainly farther from home for me than it seems to have been for you, but it is a deeply uncomfortable movie in a day and age when people legitimately do that kind of thing.” – Redditor Pulsar_the_Spacenerd .
*Threads* (1984)
“Nobody’s mentioned it yet, it will give you nightmares. It is relentlessly bleak. You’ve seen nothing like it, I promise. It’s the lead up to and long aftermath of a nuclear war presented as a factual documentary. It is not a date movie.” – Redditor Goldfishpaws .
*Knowing* (2009)
The entire concept of this movie is really too much to handle.
A series of numbers that accurately predict the time and death of people? That is really intense. The suspense of a father trying to figure out how to save his son is a lot.
*Interstellar* (2014)
Listen up, people. SPACE IS TERRIFYING.
Even beyond that, the way the world is working in this future is way too much to handle. It seems a little too believable and represents some very real fears about the direction of humanity.
*The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King* (2003)
Okay, as a whole, the movie isn’t exactly scary for adults.
But a lot of children watched these movies! And let’s be honest, it’s not hard to get traumatized by huge spiders and freaky creatures battling it out.
*Melancholia* (2011)
The entire concept of this film has to do with destruction, and the sad reality of human beings and their journeys through life.
It’s an excellent film though, so you should really give it a go if you are into that kind of concept.
*Requiem For A Dream* (2000)
“If you really want your kids to understand why drugs are bad, just show them this movie (well, don’t show this movie to kids, maybe on their teen years). A lot of frightening scenes, graphic moments and a sad ending.” – Redditor marmogawd .
*The Paperboy* (2012)
I will say one thing: the plastic scene in the motel where Zac Efron is yelling his head off.
I won’t spoil for those who haven’t seen it, but if that’s not enough to make you cringe, then I don’t know what is.
*The Labyrinth* (1986)
“Gave me nightmares when I first saw it as a teen. [Expletive] Hoggle makes me shudder. Jim Henson for the creep factor. I saw one of the puppets in real life at a museum. I’ll never be the same.” – Redditor flammable1313 .
*Bad Times at the El Royale* (2018)
The movie is super interesting and complex, but it is no joy ride.
It has cults, people spying on each other, and a lot of violence of every kind. The performances are super special to watch, but the movie is kind of terrifying.
*Jumanji* (1995)
The original movie with Robin Williams is fun, sure, but that doesn’t mean it’s not scary!
A child watching a bunch of animals coming toward them to trample over them? Not exactly what I call a fun time!
*9* (2009)
“The way that machine just sucked the soul through the dolls’ eyes and mouth were burned into me.” – Redditor ace000_
Again, this isn’t really a movie for children, even though it’s animated.
*All Dogs Go to Heaven* (1989)
“Saw the first 20-30 mins in the theatre when I was about 5… 30ish years later still havent watched it, and still can picture the scene that caused me to lose it.” – Redditor jotwatso .
I personally love this movie!
*Pinocchio* (1940)
The entirety of this movie is worth being scared over.
As a kid, we may not have noticed, but the movie talks about human trafficking! Then from the child side, we have to watch a whale eat him! Come on!
*Artificial Intelligence* (2001)
“I watched that pretty young and the whole thing was fairly traumatizing.” – Redditor Big_Simba
“I saw AI in the theaters when it came out. I thought it was going to be a nifty sci-fi flick about robots, flying cars, and [expletive]. I cried like a little [expletive] through 3/4 of that movie.” – Redditor JC351LP3Y.
*Who Framed Roger Rabbit* (1988)
This movie has the famous scene where a shoe is killed by acid, and the shoe has feelings and a face! And we have to watch the entire time!
Talk about traumatizing. That’s only a bit of what the movie did to us.
*The Brave Little Toaster* (1987)
“The seizure scene. The workshop dismantling people scene.
“The junkyard where cars are dying while singing a song about how worthless they and how dying is the best thing that can happen to them? Oh my god that song is horrifying to go back and listen to as an adult.” – Redditor Karilyn_Kare
*Mars Attacks* (1996)
“It came out around alien resurrection, I remember seeing it in the cinema and no big deal, then I watched Mars Attack (on Laser Disc) and I had nightmares about it, their guns turning people in skeletons gave me the creeps ! Also, Those horses on fire!” – Redditor i_m_tired .
*Nightcrawler* (2014)
This movie truly shows that some humans are willing to go a long way to make their dreams come true, no matter how bloody and dark it is along the way.
While the performances were amazing, the movie is deeply unsettling.
*The Witches* (1990)
Considering the fact that this is yet another Roald Dahl movie, it’s unsurprising to know that the movie is super creepy.
When the big reveal comes and we get to see what the witches truly look like? Talk about haunting.
*Coraline* (2009)
“They exploited childhood fears that are more at the surface for children but are still kinda there forever. Someone replacing your parents. A scary world where people seem nice at first. I had nightmares like this as a child. The button eyes though. Luckily they never made it into my subconscious.” – Redditor feckless_gobsheen.
*Whiplash* (2014)
“Ever see JK Simmons and think ‘Boy, he’s pretty intense. He might be really scary if he weren’t so funny’?
“Yeah. No one laughs during Whiplash .” – Redditor Stovepipe032
So while it’s not even a thriller, it still got to people!
