Working Title's 4th Annual Scary Movies For People Who Hate Scary Movies

Let's get spooky with it

Each year, I begin this newsletter by reminding readers that it is a bit of a misnomer. It was honestly a misnomer when I wrote the first edition of the “Scary Movies for People Who Hate Scary Movies” list back in 2020. At the time, it FELT true. I was looking out for my fellow Film Cowards who hated the idea of getting scared, but even then I had really started upping my horror movie consumption. Looking back on that first list, there are signs that I was actually someone who was very into horror and just didn’t know it. I mean, I put both [REC] and HEREDITARY on that list. Those movies are terrifying! They are the OPPOSITE of what the name of list implies.

I do like the name though and I keep it because there was a point in time where it WAS true. I didn’t like scary movies but I loved Halloween and felt like I was missing an integral part of the month by not being able to hang. That’s not the case now, but I will never forget my roots.

This year, I’m making the long overdue decision to bring on Working Title’s second in command and my fellow Movie Slut™️ Steph Mill! Steph is the exact opposite of me when it comes to scary movies. She’s a literal scream queen, someone who I’ve asked for guidance when it comes to scary movies on several different occasions. It only makes sense that she joins me this year and beyond for doling out recommendations for this Halloween season.

If you’d like to take a look at any of the previous lists you can find them below! Each should give you plenty to choose from and you can combine them all to make a master scare list.

Vol 1

Vol 2

Vol 3


A small housekeeping note for this year’s list. I usually have the Scare Level noted beside the film and it’s usually on the looser side besides something that’s actually helpful. That’s something I have been meaning to tighten up and this year we’re finally doing so. We’ll be breaking our suggestions out into 3 tiers this year: Not Scary/Kinda Scary, Scary, and Very Scary. This is a much more efficient way to organize the movies you may want to watch and know what you’re getting yourself into.

These tiers are, of course, subjective and Steph literally warned me that “nothing scares me so it may be hard to be subjective lmao” so take it with a grain of salt but I believe we did a good job of approaching it from the average moviegoer’s POV.

Finally, as I always note on these lists, it’s worth adding Shudder to your Amazon Prime subscription. You can add it by getting AMC+ which gives you Shudder, AMC, and Sundance Now and it’s a truly good deal. You can also do a free 7 day trial if you want to give it a spin. It’s great, especially around this time of year.

Let’s get spooky with it.

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Tier 1: Not Scary / Kinda Scary

Movie: Hubie Halloween
Where To Watch: Netflix

As a 90s kid/early 2000s teenager, I will always have a soft spot for Adam Sandler. I fired this up with my then roommate when it came out during the pandemic and have watched it every year since. What started as an “ironic” watch has become a cherished tradition.

Sandler does do one of his “voices” in this role, but it really doesn’t bother me. The supporting cast is loaded with very funny people who are clearly having a good time. I laugh at June Squibb’s t-shirts every single time. - Saul

a national treasure

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Movie: Malignant
Where To Watch: MAX

This movie is my ultimate “hear me out”. It is silly, gross, balls to the wall, and not at all what you would expect if you go by the trailer, a brief synopsis, or hell, even the first 30 minutes. What starts as a cheesy haunted house police drama makes its way into the most batshit Argento/grindhouse/action concoction. Could maybe pass as scary if it wasn’t so damn goofy, but luckily it knows exactly what it is - CAMP. - Steph

For some reason, I was not rockin’ with this movie when it first came out. I’m not sure what it was, but I just couldn’t get on it’s wavelength. I think it was probably because I was expecting something other than what I got, which is never fair when it comes to leveling criticism of a movie unless it’s a cynical rug pull. I have watched this movie a couple of times since and have decided to stop being a dumb idiot because it actually rocks ass and is deeply funny and silly and gross. It really does just Go For It. - Saul

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Movie: Jennifer’s Body
Where To Watch: Peacock / Hulu / Disney+ / Amazon Prime

Misunderstood at its’ time of release, I, along with many others, took it for a trashy high school horror-comedy with all the tropes under the sun (starting with, but not limited to, the two main players being your average dorky girl + hot girl BFF duo). Took years to realize this is a really sharply written, confidently directed, and well acted film about toxic female friendships half-disguised by a trashy high school horror comedy. Turns out the whole ‘Megan Fox eating boys’ bit is just a bonus! Well deserved of its cult following now and I’m psyched it has finally found its target audience (it’s literally on the Criterion Channel). - Steph

Cannot recommend watching the Unrated/Director’s Cut of this movie enough. It is much better than the standard version and way funnier IMO. It’s also the one that has the classic “I’m killing boys” line. - Saul

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Movie: Saw
Where To Watch: MAX

We would probably file the following 853 chapters in the Saw franchise under the Scary section, as they continue to outdo themselves on the torture porn scale (at Working Title, we have decided Scary can equal Disgusting). However, the first Saw installment is an actually impressive showcase of low-budget abilities, if you’ve got an entertaining and layered story to back it up. Dude built an entire world thanks to a nasty bathroom with a couple hacksaws and some chains. Sure, this one is still grimy and gross, but as the most plot-driven Saw in the toolshed, we can confidently file her under the Not So Scary category. - Steph

Movie: Skinamarink
Where To Watch: Hulu

I’m putting this one under “not that scary” but I think you could put it under the “scary” tier and (depending on who you are) maybe even “very scary.” If you’re unfamiliar, it’s a very simple setup. Two kids wake up one night to find that their father is gone and all the doors and windows in their house have disappeared. They decide to watch TV while they wait.

There are stretches of this movie that are almost boring and there are parts of this movie that are some of the scarier moments of a horror movie I’ve seen in some time. The sum of it’s parts land it here. It is unlike anything I’ve ever seen and it’s worth watching for that alone. - Saul

I’ve never seen this, but I kinda feel like I have because every couple days I wake up to my cat screaming in the middle of the night and I look around in the dark for a few minutes without my glasses on. - Steph

Movie: The Faculty
Where To Watch: Paramount+ / Hulu / Amazon Prime

There’s not a person in the world who wasn’t sure for a moment that one of their teachers was an alien sent from outer space. This movie takes that premise and makes an entire movie out of it.

THE FACULTY is such a fun movie and one that I love firing up even if it’s not Halloween time. There are so many people in this film that would go on to be mega famous (including my beloved Josh Hartnett) and while it’s not the most original movie, it does what it does very well. There’s a great layer of Meta humor about Sci-Fi Horror a la scream over it that works very well. Give it a spin. - Saul

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Tier 2: Scary

Movie: Trick r’ Treat
Where To Watch: MAX

TRICK R’ TREAT is a movie I love to fire up every year early on in my horror movie marathon because it’s such a fun one and really gets me in the mood for the season. It’s a quick little 82 minute banger, featuring 4 stories that are different in plot, but all revolve around the dangers of breaking Halloween traditions, enforced by an absolutely amazing little freak named Sam.

All the stories (plus the prologue and epilogue) are super fun with some good scares and a nasty sense of humor. One of my favorites of the season - Saul

Movie: A Tale of Two Sisters
Where To Watch: Shudder / Amazon Prime

As I’ve further explored what horror cinema has to offer, I’ve really been drawn to the foreign films of the genre. Countries like Japan, Taiwan, and South Korean really know what they’re doing and A TALE OF TWO SISTERS is one of my favorites. It’s a film from 2003 that I only recently saw last year. The setup is simple: a girl returns home from a mental hospital to her family and strange and scary things start happening around her home.

This one is another masterclass in mood and pace, creating dread interspaced with a few great scares throughout. It’s a great movie to watch if you want to start upping your game in the horror genre - Saul

Movie: When Evil Lurks
Where To Watch: Hulu / Shudder

Saul and I were both shocked to discover this had been absent from the Bad Vibes newsletters, due to the offensively bad vibes it omits. There is always room for it on the spooky list, filed rightfully under Pretty Scary. This Spanish flick is unflinchingly dark, bleak, and gross. Proceed with caution, particularly if you have a kid (and a dog, fuck).  - Steph

Put this movie in the Bad Vibes Hall of Fame, brother. It is so incredibly bleak from start to finish. There is no hope, there is no redemption. The bad guys win and the journey to get their victory is filled with nothing but a bad time. You will not get a break watching this thing. This one is a tough hang, but if that’s your vibe, cannot recommend enough. - Saul

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Movie: The Substance
Where To Watch: in a theater / coming to VOD 10/29 (just in time!)

TW (for both the movie and this story): Needles. Sooooo many fucking needles. The literal only film thing I get to brag about re: living in Canada is attending the Toronto International Film Festival. I sat down for my screening of The Substance beside an older, wealthy couple, straight off their first class flight from London, England. They are TIFF donors ($$$), attend every year, and base their choices off what does well at Cannes. This won Best Screenplay. Tickets acquired. What could go wrong! I ask them if they know anything about it, and I hear it’s a little intense. The wife leans over and goes ‘as long as there’s no needles, I’ll be fine!’ Cut to: an hour into the movie, we are 30 injection scenes deep, and the poor woman is crying her eyes out. Another hour passes: 20 more injection scenes have gone by, and she has stopped crying and has in fact fainted. Her husband? Cackling. Nudging my arm to look at her. Huge grin on his face. Fanning her with a popcorn bag. Finally, as the credits roll - right when I think she’s about to boo Demi Moore to her face (she was in attendance, after all) - this woman leans over to me, mascara smudged all over her cheeks, and says ‘that was amazing’. And you know what? She was fucking right. That was amazing. - Steph

This is one of the grosser movies i’ve seen in some time (complimentary).

I think it’s impressive they made a movie where two very attractive women are naked or nearly naked the entire time and not once did I feel an ounce of horniness about it. More so stress of what was going to happen to them and how those beautiful bodies would ultimately be betrayed and boy are they betrayed until they are literally goop.

Your milage may vary on the message this movie is delivering. Is it satire? Does it miss the point entirely? For me, the answer is “who cares?” Have some fun at the movies. Blood! Butts! Shrimp! and ultimately, Women in STEM! - Saul

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Movie: Late Night With The Devil
Where To Watch: Shudder

One of my favorite surprises of 2023, LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL is so much more than just how it’s presented in the previews of an “interview with the devil.” It’s a meditation on how much we’ll give up for success and what corruption does to a person’s soul with some very good scares to boot, especially towards the back end of the film. I’ll always ride for David Dastmalchian and he gives an incredible performance in this one. This feels like the ideal movie for someone who wants to take the step up in their horror movie journey - Saul

Movie: Paranormal Activity
Where To Watch: MAX

Will always remember seeing this with a huge group of friends in high school (lol old) and silently thinking it was 100% real for at least a solid month. Huge lesson learned for those of us who like to sleep with one foot out from under the covers: simply don’t! - Steph

When this movie first came out I was actively in my “I don’t like scary movies” phase and so I was late to watching it. What a movie. It’s so hard to think that a house in suburban San Diego could be the scene of an amazing haunted house film and yet what this movie is able to pull off is simply incredible. Had to watch it in two sittings because I was so scared the first time. - Saul

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Movie: Smile
Where To Watch: Hulu / Amazon Prime

Horror is subjective. That is part of the beauty of it. But it’s always fun when we can collectively agree a film is corny as shit. Smile is corny as shit. And I think that’s fantastic. We live in a post-It Follows society and I also think that’s fantastic. You can get all uppity and complain to your echo chamber that any riff on It Follows isn’t worth your time, but doesn’t it suck not having any fun, when you could instead be watching silly movies like Smile in a packed theatre, falling for 25 jump scares in a row? Bring on the sequel, baby. - Steph

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Movie: Evil Dead (2013 Version)
Where To Watch: MAX

How can you fault a movie that provides a type of catharsis only achievable via 50,000 gallons of fake blood and a rain machine? - Steph

Man, this movie is MEAN, which is a bit of a trademark when it comes to director Fede Álvarez. If you’re familiar with the original EVIL DEAD films, you’ll know that they’re a fun mix of gore, horror, and humor that usually helps cut some of the more intense aspects of the film. There are no laughs to be had here, just demonic possessions and lots and lots of blood. - Saul

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Movie: The Others
Where To Watch: rent wherever you normally rent

This is what we call UNE CLASSIQUE. One of the best ghost stories, complete with a perfectly executed plot twist. Some may say they SaW iT cOMinG and to that I say, so what? Having watched this several times, fully knowing what’s coming, hasn’t made the thrill of the reveal any less impressive. A wonderfully cozy, spooky, warm haunted house tale for those cold autumn nights with all the lights out. No jokes here, just good vibes. - Steph

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Movie: My House Walk-Through
Where To Watch: right here on YouTube at this link

I stumbled upon this video this time last year when it appeared on another one of these type lists. I cannot believe it exists on YouTube for free to just watch. It is one of the scarier things I have ever seen. It’s only 12 minutes long and it is literally a guy just giving a walk-though of his house. This house though, I have to assume, is located in hell. It is seemingly never ending. There are times when you can’t see 3 feet in front of the camera. The subtitles and even the rooms keep repeating and make you feel like you are going insane. It’s suffocating. He keeps mentioning his grandmother and you know she’s going to show up and she does, along with his grandfather. I hate every second of this video and yet I am strangely drawn to it. - Saul

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Tier 3: Very Scary

Movie: The Wailing
Where To Watch: Netflix

A cool thing that happened when I watched this movie was the part when I fully gave up on trying to follow it. I let it take me for a ride and the ride was treacherous. Made me feel just as confused as the villagers. They do be wailing a lot. Pure agony. - Steph

In my eyes, this is probably the scariest movie in this tier and I guess by default on this list? A slow burn detective story to start that builds to one of the scariest last third acts I can recall, this movie is a barn burner. It’s a little on the long side but don’t let that stop you. Take the ride - Saul

Movie: The Thing
Where To Watch: Peacock / Amazon / Shudder

Some of the best practical effects in the game. Not a single moment wasted. Incredible cinematography, expertly restrained score, Kurt Russel looking hot as hell, and of course, this ⬇️ - Steph

It’s all very film-bro of me, but THE THING is one of my favorite movies of all-time, hands down. It’s probably in my Top 10 if we’re being completely honest with each other. I love it from start to finish. It starts fast and just goes from there. Some of the most striking creature design ever put on film and some truly harrowing moments surrounded by creeping paranoia that never goes away even after the credits roll. Deeply haunting and darkly funny in places, its a true masterpiece of cinema. Cannot recommend enough. - Saul

Movie: The Witch
Where To Watch: Amazon Prime

I’ll never forget going to see this in theatres completely blind (somewhat pissed off that it didn’t have subtitles) and coming out, creeped out as ever, thinking ‘I love da movies’. 

Soooo impressive, particularly for a directorial debut for Eggers (at this point though, king of making BANGERS). From the hand built home and historically accurate costumes, to the bad boy goat, to the downright dread you feel the moment you realize this family is beyond a doubt absolutely fucked. Gets better with each rewatch as I continue to pretend I understand what they’re saying. - Steph

I have revisited this movie a few times over the last few years and what strikes me every time is how oppressive it is. It’s a movie that suffocates you with dread and anxiety. From the moment the baby disappears you just know that this family is doomed and doomed they certainly are. Some really beautiful, frightening images in this and one of he rare movies that scares me more the more I watch it.

Take some time to live deliciously. - Saul

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Movie: The First Omen
Where To Watch: Hulu

I’m a passive fan of The Omen, never particularly dying for a new installment, so I went into this with a fairly open mind. Biggest surprise of 2024, tbh! Genuinely blown away by the audacity this has, continually having to check myself that a major film studio let a lot of this shit slide. Gruesome in ways I never expected, and manages to feel like a classic and pretty contemporary at the same time? We are so back. Fans of Possession will lose their shit. - Steph

I saw this on a Monday afternoon in a huge ass theater where I was the only patron and brother that was a scary time at the movies.

I am with Steph in saying that this movie has an absolute unrivaled amount of audacity. There is a scene in this movie that has stuck with me like no other scene from any other movie this year has and I’ve seen a lot of cool stuff this year! I could not believe what I was seeing and I cannot believe what a major studio horror film (especially considering this is technically a DISNEY PRODUCTION) got away with! Movies are so back! - Saul

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We hope you enjoy some or all of these movies this Halloween season and get the appropriate amount of scared over the next few weeks.

You can follow Steph on Letterboxd here

You can follow Saul on Letterboxd here.