There is no denying that one of the most popular and fun genres to market is horror. Scary movies have been a fundamental part of cinema since the beginning of film history (arguably since those first silent motion pictures where trains charged directly toward the camera, terrifying audiences). Some audiences love to get scared and leave the movie theater afraid of what might await them in the dark corners of their room. However, this can lead to many movies getting marketed as horror, even if they aren’t really that scary.
What makes something scary is very subjective. What is frightening for some may not affect others (the Zodiac Killer, for instance, infamously thought that The Exorcist was “the best satirical comedy that [he’d] ever seen”). Nevertheless, some movies are straight-up spine-chilling, such as The Conjuring and The Shining. These are movies where their main goal is to frighten the audience to their core – even if they cannot affect everyone, which is almost an impossible thing to accomplish.
Some movies may use some horror elements to enhance the narrative they are telling, but they are not objectively scary. This list is about movies that are marketed as horror, but that do not have the overall goal of scaring their audience. Some intense narratives may create intense feelings for the viewers, but the majority don’t leave the cinema scared of their own shadow.
Arachnophobia
Buena Vista Pictures
Of course, for those that suffer from arachnophobia, this is probably one of the scariest movies they can ever see. However, for the rest of the audience that doesn’t have this phobia, Arachnophobia is a much more fun and adventure-like story than a scary one. Also, another factor that helps this movie not be too intense is the comedy present in various scenes (especially when John Goodman is around).
Arachnophobia is rated PG-13, so if you want to watch a mildly creepy but ultimately fun movie with your teenager or pre-teen (who doesn’t have a deep fear of spiders), this is a good pick. This story is a great example of how different people are affected by different things, and that is one of the best parts of horror: they can make you feel deeply.
Cabin in the Woods
Lionsgate / Universal Pictures
To protect one of the biggest twists of the movie (that appears in the first few minutes), Cabin in the Woods was marketed as just another gory slasher movie. However, it becomes pretty clear that it has nothing ordinary about it. The changes between the lab that is in control of what’s happening and the group of young adults breaks a lot of the tension that could happen with the audience only knowing about the group in the middle of the woods.
That, combined with knowing the evil fictional corporation in the film has done this multiple times and that the event is overall very much controlled (until it isn’t), creates a fun and intriguing atmosphere, but not a scary one. Even the ending, with its cavalcade of monsters, is more of a comical blast than a terrifying ordeal for viewers.
Crimson Peak
Universal Pictures
Guillermo Del Toro’s gothic tale about ghosts is a great way of preparing for Halloween, but it is not scary. There are some bloody scenes, but they are few and far between. The main element of Crimson Peak is the setting and the mystery that it entails, rather than the ghosts that are present in the house. The film is less an outright horror flick and more of an atmospheric mood piece.
Another element that takes away a great deal of what would make a ghost story scary is that the ghosts cannot harm the protagonist. That being said, the production design present makes it an intricately beautiful tale (a staple in Del Toro’s filmography) about betrayal and love, which are always interesting to watch.
Silence of the Lambs
Orion Pictures
Silence of the Lambs is considered a horror movie and has been marketed as such — it’s in the horror section in The Criterion Collection and labeled a horror film online. Even though the movie is an intense psychological thriller and may be a bone-chilling experience, it doesn’t make the viewer scared per se. There is a difference between thriller and horror; the former creates suspense, the latter engenders terror. Like No Country For Old Men, another excellent thriller, Silence of the Lambs simply isn’t scary.
Of course, it is still one of the best detective thrillers ever made, with one of the most prolific villains in cinema history. The goal of the movie is not to make you scared that Hannibal is going to come for you when night falls (as, for example, happens in The Nightmare on Elm Street franchise), but to enjoy this irresistible cat and mouse chase and the challenges the young Clarice has to face to prove her worth.
Don’t Look Now
Paramount Pictures
The 1973 Italian masterpiece Don’t Look Now, directed by Nicolas Roeg, is to this day celebrated by horror cinephiles, proving that (somewhat paradoxically) a horror film doesn’t have to be scary; horror can be judged on artistic merits and how it uses the genre rather than how many jump scares it has.
The movie was so groundbreaking for various reasons, and one of them is how it works with dread, but not fear. The atmosphere, the amazing cinematography and innovative editing, the honest eroticism, and the heavy subjects it discusses makes the movie so unique. The film is based on the story by Daphne Du Maurier, who also wrote The Birds, another tale which masters the art of foreboding. Granted, the only scene that can be defined as intentionally scary is the very final shot, where the audience gets to see the main mystery of the movie resolved.
Mother!
Paramount Pictures Studios
Mother! may be one of the most mismarketed movies in the past decade, with one of the most misleading trailers. The movie was announced as another horror flick, but the sense of anxiety and experimental narrative are not for everyone. The story is an existential and philosophical take on religion and climate change that uses imagery to create discomfort in the audience.
Mother! is simply not a horror movie, or at least one that you are scared of, though there is a high chance you finish this story feeling unnerved and exhausted. The misleading marketing didn’t seem to work, with the film underperforming against more downright horror films released around the same time, such as IT and Happy Death Day.
Nope
Jordan Peele has become one of the most prominent names in recent horror movie history. He wrote and directed the Academy Award winner Get Out, with a screenplay that’s considered one of the best of the 21st century. Then, he released another scary tale, Us. So, when his third movie was announced, many of the director’s fans and even cinema fans in general were excited about watching a new terrifying story by Jordan. The teasers and trailer seemed to indicate a terrifying alien horror film.
Nope. This certainly wasn’t the case, as Nope was often a silly and fun look at fame society’s obsession with spectacles, in whatever form they may come. The narrative is entertaining and the characters compelling, but apart from one scene, the movie is not terrifying at all, resulting in a massive let-down to many Jordan Peele fans.
