Working Title's 2nd Annual Scary Movies For People Who Hate Scary Movies
Let's talk about a spooky good time
If you are a reader of this newsletter or if you know me offline in any capacity, you know that I’m the first person to cop to the label of being a Big Baby Boy™️ when it comes to watching horror movies. I’ve mentioned it in previous editions of Working Title and it comes up in discussion when I’m talking about movies online or with friends. I self-label as a scaredy cat quickly and often.
However, I was taking stock of the movies I’ve watched over the last few years and I think I actually might not be a Certified Baby. I’ve watched a lot of scary movies! Not only watched but actively enjoyed some of them! Don’t get me wrong, I’m still the jumpiest person in the theater/on the couch and I definitely do the thing where I watch the movie through the little opening of the back of my hat while the rest of it covers my face.
During this time of year, I find myself particularly emboldened not only to watch scary movies, but to seek them out — to push the limits of what I’m able to watch and enjoy or, in some cases, endure. I think it’s cool as hell that we have an entire month that’s dedicated to just watching scary stuff. Halloween is really fun and I think everybody should try and watch something that they normally wouldn’t during this time.
Last year, I wrote the first edition of this idea and some people reached out to ask me to do it again, which is really, really kind. I’m always very humbled when I get tangible reminders that people do read this thing.
I’m stoked to do this again. If last year was Horror 101, then consider this Horror 201: accessible, but we’re kicking it up a notch. I want to make sure I stay true to the title of this newsletter and include some stuff for folks that genuinely hate scary movies, but I also want to list some stuff that genuinely scared or upset me because I think it’s good for us to step outside our comfort zones. Like last year, I’ll indicate the level of scare with each movie.
A couple of notes before we begin:
1. The scare level indicated for each title is, unfortunately, pretty subjective. I might think something is not scary at all that you find really scary. Maybe you’re someone who loves scary movies and I list something as really scary and you scoff because you think it’s for kids. All of that is totally fair. I’ll be as honest as I can about each title here and you can text me to yell at me after you watch it if you think I mislead you one way or another.
2. As mentioned in last year’s newsletter, some of these titles are going to be available exclusively on a service called Shudder. You can add it to your Amazon Prime account for an additional $6 a month or it’s its own standalone streaming app that you can add to a Smart TV or AppleTV or whatever you have. Like most streaming services, you can try it free for a week, so if you want to knock out some of these movies during Halloween weekend for free, you can do that. I find the service worth the $6 a month. They’re constantly updating it with original movies, shows, and cool documentaries.
3. There are so many good horror movies out there and I couldn’t possibly list them all in one edition of this newsletter. If you were hoping to see a particular movie listed here or you’re shocked that something wasn’t included, I promise no malicious intent, just a desire for a little brevity. I hope to write this newsletter for some time, so maybe that movie you’re looking for will find its way into future editions.
4. Finally, it’s not on this list because it’s still in theaters but I can’t recommend BARBARIAN enough. Go check that movie out.
Now, let’s wait till dark, and turn off those lights.
Movie: Over The Garden Wall
Where To Watch: Hulu
Is It Scary: No
I’m kind of cheating because this is how I started off the last year’s list, but I’m just really passionate about this series and think it deserves some love. The animation is incredible, the writing is really good, and while it’s not scary, it’s definitely not just for kids. There are some really good moments (I especially love the episodes “Hard Times at the Huskin’ Bee” and “The Ringing of the Bell”), some genuinely spooky imagery, and a talented voice cast. It’s 10 episodes but each episode is roughly 10 minutes long so it’s a quick watch.
The series was created by Patrick McHale who was a long-time creative director for the show Adventure Time and is a co-writer of the upcoming Guillermo del Toro adaptation of PINNOCHIO. He’s also doing a film adaptation of the Redwall books that I’m really looking forward to. The guy knows how to do good animation, is what I’m saying.
Movie: In Search of Darkness Part II/Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror
Where To Watch: Shudder
Is It Scary: No
Even when I was scared of horror movies, I always wanted to be brave enough to watch them. By watching documentaries ABOUT horror movies, I felt like I had found a loophole that allowed me to (sort of) take part. An appetizer if not the main course. If that’s you, just know that you are seen. As mentioned above, Shudder has a ton of great docs about a myriad of different horror movies (including some really good ones on the making of the FRIDAY THE 13TH and ALIEN series) and these are two of my favorites.
I recommended IN SEARCH OF DARKNESS PT 1 last year. It’s a deep dive (4 hours) into the history, iconography, and legacy of the horror movies of the 1980s and part II is, you guessed it, more of that. There are lots of interviews with the actors, directors, and producers that made these movies, as well as interviews with the nerds (complimentary) that are obsessed with this stuff. There are also some really good segments that dive into deeper themes like the sexuality, gore, and exploitation that were present in these films.
WOODLANDS DARK AND DAYS BEWITCHED is another thorough, deep dive (pushing 4 hours) into a specific sub-genre of horror: folk horror. It helps define what is and isn’t folk horror and traces its roots to modern horror cinema. This film not only examines American folk horror but global folk horror, ranging from The UK to Japan and everywhere in between.
Both of these are longer documentaries that should probably be broken up into several watches instead of one long marathon, but I found both endlessly entertaining.
Movie: 101 Scariest Movie Moments
Where To Watch: Shudder
Is It Scary: Not really
Back in 2004, when I was about 13/14 years old, the television network BRAVO did this really awesome miniseries called the 100 Scariest Movie Moments of All Time. It aired over 5 nights in late October, with the Top 10 moments airing on Halloween night itself. It had a whole bunch of cool people (comedians, actors, horror directors, The Coors Light “And Twiiiiiins” girls) reflecting on the scariest movies in movie history. It was a cheat code that helped me become knowledgeable about horror movies without having to actually watch them and it was also just really well done. Bravo only aired it that one time and never put out a DVD collection, which drove me nuts. As far as I know, it’s still not streaming anywhere but you can find it on YouTube or other random websites.
Shudder apparently liked this miniseries as much as I did, because they’ve undertaken the task of not only re-creating the countdown but adding an additional scary movie moment. The Shudder series sticks to the original formula, counting down the moments, showing clips from said moments, and intermixing interviews with cultural stalwarts and horror fans (They excluded the Coors Light Twins. Big miss, IMO).
If you’re looking for the SparkNotes version, a primer, when it comes to horror, this is a fun way to get into it if you don’t feel like watching a full movie.
Movie: Tucker & Dale vs. Evil
Where To Watch: Amazon Prime
Is It Scary: There’s like one scary part at the beginning, but it’s mostly just funny as hell
Horror-comedy is a genre that most of the time just does not work. There is a fine line between terror and laughter and a good horror movie can walk that line without forcing the comedy aspect. When I’m really scared watching a movie, I’m usually cowering in a chair and laughing in anticipation of some scary shit happening. I don’t know what it is, but laughter just seems like the appropriate emotion until the scary thing happens and I can scream or whatever and then move on to the next scary thing that happens.
TUCKER & DALE VS. EVIL does not face that problem. It is incredibly funny, thanks almost entirely to the performances of Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine as the titular Tucker and Dale. These guys have purchased a cabin in the woods and, due to hilarious, tragic, and gruesome (this movie is BLOODY) misunderstandings, appear to be deranged murderers wreaking havoc among a group of college friends on a spring break trip. If you want a funny movie with a dollop of horror on top, I cannot recommend this movie enough. It’s a movie that makes me laugh out loud multiple times and has just enough horror flavor to keep it interesting.
Movie: US
Where To Watch: Hulu
Is It Scary: I think yes, but only moderately so. It’s bloody.
I am fully on board with whatever Jordan Peele wants to do. I saw NOPE twice in theaters this summer and it will undoubtedly make my “year-end favorites” list come December. He’s a master image maker and while some of the big swings he takes don’t necessarily connect, he’s one of the filmmakers at least trying to do interesting things.
In the lead-up to NOPE, I really wanted to revisit his other films, especially US. GET OUT came out of the gate red hot while US was received a little more cooly on its release, which I think was in part to the hype surrounding it due to GET OUT’s success and hype.
I think a couple of years’ time has been good for US. Without the pressure put on it by GET OUT, this movie is a really enjoyable watch and features a lot of what makes all 3 of Peele’s films great. Some truly amazing images and some very scary moments (those first moments in the funhouse and the first guy on the beach come to mind). It also has, for my money, the funniest moment in any Peele movie. If you saw GET OUT but didn’t see this one or it’s been a second since you gave it a spin, I suggest you remedy that this month.
Movie: It Comes At Night
Where To Watch: Paramount+ and maybe Amazon Prime and Hulu, although those might require add-ons.
Is It Scary: I see on the internet people say it’s “not that scary” but for my money, it’s definitely scary
A lot of the most effective horror is in the simplest of setups. One of the oldest horror stories in history is “The last man on earth sits alone in his house. All of a sudden, there’s a knock at the door.” That’s what’s going on in IT COMES AT NIGHT. There’s an incredibly deadly disease going around. It’s killed most of the population and the people that are left are isolated, afraid, and paranoid as hell. Paul (Joel Edgerton) and his family are some of those people. One day, the family encounters another family and eventually decides that they will invite this family into their house and work together. Things go well. Then, very suddenly, they stop going well.
This movie makes its hay on tension and what you don’t see. Its ending is something else. It turns out the worst things aren’t what’s out there. It’s the things you’ve decided to let in or that, just maybe, were already there the whole time that get you. This one’s a nerve shredder.
Movie: Train To Busan
Where To Watch: Amazon Prime, Peacock. You can also watch it for free (with ads) on YouTube.
Is It Scary: Yes, with the caveat that I find zombies really scary. It’s also a very fun action movie, but yeah. It’s scary.
It’s always a good idea to take a look outside of America when it comes to horror movies because more often than not, other countries are doing some really, really scary shit.
TRAIN TO BUSAN is from 2016 and definitely had some buzz around it upon its release, but I was late to the party and only watched it during the first round of pandemic lockdown around Halloween of 2020. This thing is a beast. This movie has another really simple, but effective setup: What if there was a zombie outbreak on the train you were on? Two of my worst fears combined: a zombie outbreak and confined spaces.
This movie is whip-fast and held my attention for every second of its two-hour run times. I held my breath for 75% of this movie and I imagine you will too. This is a really, really fun one.
Movie: Event Horizon
Where To Watch: Paramount + or rent wherever you rent
Is It Scary: Hell yeah.
If there’s one thing that's just as scary to me as zombies, it’s space. No oxygen. No warmth. No sound. Infinite nothing. The fact that you could just be floating forever is inherently terrifying. You don’t really need to add much to the universe to make it terrifying but EVENT HORIZON goes ahead and adds it on anyway.
Set in the year 2047, EVENT HORIZON follows the crew of the ship Lewis & Clark as they are sent to investigate a distress call from the ship Event Horizon, which has suddenly reappeared after going missing 7 years prior. They find what appears to be an empty ship, but soon discover (after watching the video logs) that something extremely fucked up is going on aboard this ghost ship.
This movie is pretty terrifying. It’s gone some of the better horror imagery around and it feels personal. It’s only 96 minutes long and was originally supposed to be 130 minutes, which sounds grueling considering how intense the 96 minutes end up being. An awesome performance by Lawerence Fishbourne in this one and it’s gained status as a cult movie for a reason. If you’re feeling brave, give it a whirl.
Movie: Devil
Where To Watch: Peacock. Rent wherever you rent movies.
Is It Scary: Decently scary but manageable
There was a time when the name M. Night Shyamalan was synonymous with good horror and while that might not be the case as much anymore, I’m still a fan. For all its memes, I really enjoyed last year’s OLD and still love most of his old movies, particularly SIGNS and THE VILLAGE.
DEVIL was a fun little movie that came out in 2010 that you might have forgotten about or missed entirely. While this movie wasn’t directed by Shyamalan, it is based on a story he created and, following the throughline of this edition, the simplicity of the setup is what makes it effective. 5 strangers become trapped in an elevator. One of them is The Devil and he’s going to start killing people. That’s it. That’s the movie. It’s part supernatural horror and part police procedural and I enjoy both immensely. It’s also 80 minutes long, so if you’re short on time but want a little juice, this fits the bill nicely.
Movie: The Descent
Where To Watch: Stream on Amazon Prime or Paramount+
Is It Scary: This is one of the scariest movies I have ever seen.
God, dude. This movie is so fucking scary. I don’t really want to leave it up to debate, so if you’re not looking for a big scare, maybe skip this one. The first time I watched this movie, I was so scared my stomach hurt lol. I did not sleep well for almost a month. I was living in a city that had a major subway system at the time and this movie got in my head so bad that I was scared to even go down the stairs to USE THE SUBWAY. I went broke using Lyft.
You might have seen this movie’s pretty famous cover or the image of the girl emerging from the lake covered in blood. Those are nothing to what awaits you in this movie. THE DESCENT feels so real. Friends that are exploring a cave that collapses on them, trapping them in said cave that happens to be home to something that’s not human. Just 6 normal people in the most fucked up situations imaginable. That could happen to you and me.
Amazing use of pacing and natural light. If you like to get scared, you’ll be hard-pressed to find something better than this one. Even though I’ve seen this movie a couple of times now and know what happens, I still can’t fully watch it without covering my eyes. Put your big boy pants on.
Movie: Drag Me To Hell
Where To Watch: Peacock. Hulu
Is It Scary: Pretty scary but very fun.
One thing I have learned about myself in my movie-watching career is that, when it comes to movies, I am a little misanthropic. I like a movie with a mean streak. In the words of Seinfield, no hugging, no learning. Sometimes bad shit happens to people. The end. That’s all you get, sorry. (Away from movies, I am not that way at all, but it’s sometimes cathartic to get to see something like that in the contained experience of a film).
DRAG ME TO HELL scratches that misanthropic itch quite nicely for me. A loan officer denies a loan extension to a sickly older woman. That turns out to be a bad decision, as she places a curse on said loan officer who will now be tormented by a demon for 3 days before being dragged to hell. Directed by Sam Raimi this movie brings the horror and slapstick/grotesque comedy of his EVIL DEAD movies into the 21st century. It’s very scary at times, but there’s a layer of silliness to the whole thing that cuts it quite nicely and makes for a very enjoyable movie. The ending is the definition of no hugging, no learning, and is so abrupt and counterintuitive to what you expect might happen that it is both terrifying and deeply funny. Turn off your apathy for a little bit and laugh at someone’s misfortune.
Movie: Funny Games (1997)
Where To Watch: HBO MAX
Is It Scary: Scary. Also pretty upsetting. I mean this kindly: don’t watch this movie if you have a weak constitution or are easily upset or are a kind person.
FUNNY GAMES takes my misanthropic movie tendencies and stretches them to their limit and sometimes to their breaking point. This is a home invasion movie that goes to completely horrific places.
The setup is not that different from other home invasion movies like THE STRANGERS or KNOCK, KNOCK. A family is on vacation and a couple of bad guys decide that they’re going to torture and torment them. What makes FUNNY GAMES so stomach-churning is the fact that the bad guys break the fourth wall and make you part of the funny games, so to speak. You are involved in this. You are complicit and there’s not shit you can do about it. Not a great feeling! It’s also 111 minutes long, which is way too long, but it’s part of what makes it work. This movie overstays its welcome and it knows it.
This movie also contains a moment near the end that is so frustrating, and so unfair that I am getting worked up just thinking about it. I’ve seen this movie a few times. I know it’s going to happen. It still infuriates me without fail.
I put my thoughts on who should watch this movie up top, but if you feel you’re in the headspace and want to challenge yourself, I encourage you to do so.
Movie: Speak No Evil
Where To Watch: Shudder
Is It Scary: It puts the screws to you. Do not watch this movie if you have a soft soul and especially if you have kids. It is very upsetting.
I heard about this movie coming out of Sundance and the buzz it created. This is the gauntlet of that misanthropy we’ve been discussing in the last few movies. I cannot in good conscience recommend it to you, but I can tell you what I think of it and you can decide for yourself.
A Danish family is on vacation and meets a Dutch family who, weeks later, invites them to their home to reconnect. Things are uncomfortable from the start and only get worse from there. You slowly start to piece together what’s happening and you figure it out in tandem with the Danish father. Once you figure it out, you think to yourself “surely, that’s not what’s going on here.” before SPEAK NO EVIL confirms that that is indeed what is going on here. It’s terrifying and it does not stop for or have any mercy for you.
At times this movie is darkly funny in the squirm-inducing and cringe way seeing people having to interact with unpleasant people can be. It is misanthropic to the point of nihilism, which while impractical in real life, can be deeply funny on screen, which it achieves several times here. Also, I felt that if I didn't laugh, I was probably going to cry.
The first 2/3rds of this movie are a masterclass of tension and realization blossoming into outright horror. I don’t know if they stuck the landing, but I also don’t know if that matters. I watched this movie on Monday. It ruined the weekend I had just had and somehow, the one that starts today. But damn if I won’t remember it. This one is for the real sickos. If you watch it, text me so we can talk about it, and then maybe we can also repent before The Lord together.
This was a bit of a longer one, so I appreciate everyone who read this whole list. Last year, I wrote the list right before Halloween weekend so it was a little shorter. This year, I’m intentionally putting out the list at the start of the month with more movies so you can watch them throughout the month instead of just one weekend!
As always, if you enjoyed the writing here at Working Title, please consider subscribing if you haven’t already and sharing this post or the newsletter as a whole on social media. Word-of-mouth is really the only way I grow this thing, so if you like what you read don’t be shy!
I decided this year to expand on my limited horror movie experience and made a “31 days of Halloween” watch list. I consulted last year’s horror movie list and now I have more to add to it, so thanks for doing the lord’s work.