Don't worry, this video won't give you nightmares! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the best scary movies that aren’t too scary.
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00:00 "Alright, who wants some?"
00:05 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the best scary movies that
00:10 aren't too scary.
00:11 "No, please don't kill me Mr. Ghostface.
00:14 I want to be in the sequel."
00:17 Number 10.
00:18 A Quiet Place
00:25 Even if you're not a horror fan, you have to appreciate the phenomenal acting, directing,
00:29 and sound design of this movie.
00:31 The two young stars are especially brilliant, a testament both to their talent and to John
00:36 Krasinski's skill as a director.
00:38 You might find yourself gripping your armrest while you watch, but that's because most of
00:42 the film is more tense than scary, as the characters live in a constant fear of the
00:47 slightest noise.
00:48 This tension is punctuated by scenes of brief but intense action when the aliens finally
00:53 rear their ugly heads.
00:55 "I can still feel the weight in my arms.
01:00 Small, but so heavy."
01:04 Those moments are scary, but A Quiet Place is mostly free of jump scares and gore, making
01:09 it an easier watch than many alien horror films.
01:29 Number 9.
01:40 Gremlins
01:41 The 1980s produced plenty of terrifying, gory, and violent horror movies, but this isn't
01:46 one of them.
01:47 Gremlins is a horror comedy, with an emphasis on the comedy.
01:50 While it does get bloody at times, the cartoonish nature of both the violence and the gremlins
01:54 themselves make it pretty easy to bear.
02:09 The creatures do terrorize an entire town and kill several people, but they're not really
02:14 evil.
02:15 They're more like agents of chaos, and their antics are funny rather than scary.
02:20 It's actually a little sad when they get killed, because despite the havoc they wreak, they're
02:24 extremely fun to watch.
02:37 Number 8.
02:38 The Cabin in the Woods
02:39 You might expect a homage to the horror genre to be pretty traumatizing to watch.
02:43 After all, this movie is packed with everything horror haters can't stand - blood, gore, terrifying
02:49 monsters, and jump scares.
02:51 But somehow, The Cabin in the Woods manages to be scary and super fun to watch at the
02:55 same time.
02:56 That might be because the movie frequently cuts back to the underground technicians who
03:00 are monitoring the action in the cabin.
03:02 Their meta-commentary breaks up the tension, and provides some comic relief.
03:12 The violence is also so over the top that it's not actually scary, just absurd.
03:18 If you can stomach the carnage, you'll find that this modern classic is a highly entertaining
03:23 watch.
03:24 Number 7.
03:25 Poltergeist
03:26 To be fair, if you watched this as a kid, it probably did traumatize you.
03:45 But for adults, the scares are a little too tame to be truly terrifying.
03:49 That might be surprising, considering that it was directed by horror veteran Toby Hooper,
03:53 who brought us movies like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
03:57 There are some gross-out moments, and a few genuinely unnerving scenes, but most of Poltergeist
04:10 is spooky and atmospheric rather than scary.
04:21 That's probably thanks to the influence of writer Steven Spielberg, who reportedly spent
04:25 a lot of time on set and had a hand in the film's direction.
04:29 The result is an engrossing family drama with creepy horror elements that even fans with
04:33 a low tolerance for terror can enjoy.
04:36 Number 6.
04:37 The Others
04:38 Speaking of spooky and atmospheric, this gothic ghost story feels like it came from
04:52 another era.
04:54 Grace Stewart lives with her two children and three servants in a creepy old country
04:58 mansion that must be kept dark due to their kid's allergy to sunlight.
05:02 Soon, the family begins hearing strange voices, and the children claim to be visited by another
05:20 family that only they can see.
05:22 Grace starts to suspect that the servants aren't what they seem.
05:25 We won't spoil the big reveal, but if you are easily unnerved, you might want to watch
05:30 this one with the lights on.
05:44 Number 5.
05:45 Frankenstein
05:46 The horror genre really began to hit its stride on the big screen in the 1930s, and Universal
05:59 Pictures staked its claim as the studio known for monster movies.
06:03 In 1931, Boris Karloff's turn as Frankenstein's monster thrilled audiences, with one critic
06:09 even calling it "a new peak in horror."
06:23 The film drew many comparisons to Dracula, which was released earlier the same year and
06:28 has also left a major mark on cinema history.
06:30 Neither of these movies is very scary by modern standards, but they are classics for a reason,
06:35 and every cinephile and horror buff should watch them at some point.
06:46 Number 4.
06:47 The MPA Rating
06:59 The extreme violence and gore of this groundbreaking film was shocking to audiences in the late
07:04 '60s.
07:05 The MPA rating didn't exist yet, and many families who took their young kids to see
07:08 the movie were stunned by the carnage on screen.
07:20 Director George Romero used real animal meat and organs for the flesh-eating scenes, and
07:25 if you're easily grossed out, you might still find them hard to watch.
07:41 Fortunately we only see the blood and guts for a few moments, and the fact that it's
07:45 in black and white makes it considerably easier to tolerate.
07:48 Number 3.
07:50 The Sixth Sense
07:53 Not many horror movies get an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture, but this is one
07:58 of them.
07:59 M. Night Shyamalan is at the top of his game in this chilling, slow-burn thriller.
08:03 With few jump scares and next-to-no violence, the film still manages to keep audiences on
08:07 the edge of their seats thanks in part to masterful cinematography and a near-perfect
08:13 musical score.
08:14 Young Hailey Joel Osment's performance also deserves serious acclaim.
08:26 In the hands of a less talented actor, some of the most pivotal scenes just wouldn't have
08:30 worked as well as they did.
08:31 The Sixth Sense is a great stepping stone into the horror genre, for those who prefer
08:36 to stay away from the harder stuff.
08:47 Number 2.
08:48 Scream
08:49 By the mid-90s, the slasher genre had gotten pretty stale, but this film deserves credit
09:04 for reviving it.
09:05 Like The Cabin in the Woods, Scream is a horror movie for people who love horror movies, filled
09:10 with homages and references to the classics.
09:13 Fair warning that it is somewhat violent, though it's nothing compared to really hardcore
09:17 gore-fests like the Saw franchise, or even the more recent Scream sequels.
09:33 The opening scene has become one of the most iconic in horror history, and it's also arguably
09:38 the toughest scene to watch.
09:39 If you can get through it, you can definitely handle the rest of the movie.
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10:10 Number 1.
10:11 Evil Dead Franchise
10:25 This horror-comedy series becomes less horror and more comedy the further it progresses.
10:30 It starts in modern times with a group of college students trapped in a cabin where
10:34 they're possessed and attacked by demons.
10:36 By the third film, protagonist Ash is fighting deadites in medieval times.
10:41 The amount of blood and gore on display is impressively over the top, to the point that
10:45 it's absurd rather than frightening.
10:53 There are still plenty of scares, but the physical comedy, cheesy one-liners, and crazy
10:58 action sequences make this franchise a wild adventure that anyone can enjoy.
11:13 What's your favourite not-so-scary movie?
11:16 Let us know in the comments.
11:36 [music]
11:46 [BLANK_AUDIO]