Dive into the world of horror with our starter guide! We're breaking down essential subgenres and recommending must-see films for newcomers. From psychological thrillers to creature features, we've got you covered. Whether you're a horror novice or looking to expand your cinematic horizons, this guide will help you navigate the spine-chilling landscape of scary movies.
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00This video is brought to you by Paramount Scares.
00:05It's paramount, but scary.
00:07Well, I'm getting ready to watch a video.
00:10Really?
00:11What?
00:12Oh, just some scary movie.
00:13You like scary movies?
00:15Uh-huh.
00:16Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're breaking down the sub-genres of horror,
00:20recommending one film per category for newbies.
00:23I can feel him.
00:26Tag!
00:27You're it!
00:29Tag!
00:30You're it!
00:31Tag!
00:37Psychological Thriller, Rosemary's Baby
00:39What have you done to it?
00:42What have you done to its eyes?
00:44He has his father's eyes.
00:46For viewers who wish to keep the on-screen bloodshed to a minimum,
00:49this psychological thriller emphasizes the power of suggestion.
00:53Sometimes, the things you don't see are the most impactful.
00:56In this case, it's the child growing inside Rosemary Woodhouse,
01:00played by Mia Farrow in an emotionally arresting performance.
01:04You're gonna be perfectly all right, I swear to God.
01:06It was supposed to be Dr.'s hospice.
01:09Dr.'s hospice.
01:10You're gonna be perfectly all right, I give you my absolute word on it.
01:12And everything's clean and sterile.
01:15While pregnancy is stressful enough,
01:17potentially carrying the seed of evil invites some unsettling moral quandaries
01:22about nature versus nurture.
01:24The film puts us in the titular character's shoes,
01:26making us feel everything she's experiencing,
01:29namely, her paranoia and desperation.
01:32You can't go on suffering like this.
01:34I won't have an abortion.
01:36Nobody's telling you to have an abortion.
01:38Just go to see another doctor, that's all.
01:40Maybe the protagonist is growing lost in a labyrinth of her own madness.
01:44Perhaps someone else is pulling the strings,
01:47pushing her to the edge of sanity.
01:49Either way, the true terror comes from within,
01:52and it will eventually be unleashed.
01:54His power is stronger than stronger.
01:57His might shall last longer than longer.
01:59Death, Satan!
02:01No!
02:04It can't be!
02:06No!
02:08Look at his hands.
02:09His feet!
02:11Slasher, Friday the 13th.
02:14It must be my imagination.
02:22Modern slasher movies have become more and more tongue-in-cheek,
02:25assuming viewers are already familiar with all the classic tropes.
02:28If you're just getting into this subgenre though,
02:31it's best to start with something that helped shape the slasher's identity.
02:34Friday the 13th might not have been the first slasher movie,
02:37but it encompasses all of the elements we associate with this subgenre.
02:41A mysterious killer, a summer camp that never should have reopened,
02:45and a group of teens, one played by a young Kevin Bacon.
02:49Hurry back, okay?
02:51It's getting cold in here.
02:53While the film can be seen as fun escapism,
02:56there's a groundedness to the basic premise of a maniac hunting victims down with sharp objects.
03:01The franchise may have gotten more fantastical with each passing entry.
03:12Yet the original's simple charms capture the series at its purest,
03:17although pure might not be the right word.
03:35Body Horror, Invasion of the Body Snatchers
03:38Miles, you and I are scientific men.
03:41You can understand the wonder of what's happened.
03:44Body Horror often relishes in the most grotesque visuals imaginable.
03:48That said, newcomers might want to start with something a tad less intense.
03:521956's Invasion of the Body Snatchers won't shock you with its imagery.
03:57However, the skin-crawling notion of an alien stealing your body and identity
04:01still speaks to what this subgenre is all about.
04:09Are you crazy, you big idiot?
04:12Look! You fools, you're in danger!
04:16The main threat here goes beyond somebody losing their life.
04:20They risk losing control of who they are and what they do,
04:23which is arguably a fate worse than death.
04:26It's a reminder that body horror has always been a source of clever commentary.
04:30In 1956, this film's themes could be applied to communism and conformity.
04:35They were right.
04:36I should never have left you.
04:38Stop acting like a fool, Miles, and accept us.
04:43No.
04:46Never.
04:47Through a contemporary lens, both ends of the political spectrum
04:50can feel like they're living in a society of pod people,
04:53and you're the only one who hasn't been taken over.
04:56They're here already!
04:58You're next!
05:00You're next!
05:02Supernatural, The Ring
05:04You play it, and it's like somebody's nightmare.
05:08Then suddenly, this woman comes on,
05:11smiling at you, right?
05:14Seeing you through the screen.
05:17And as soon as it's over, your phone rings.
05:21Like many of the best supernatural horror movies,
05:24The Ring revolves around a search for answers.
05:27What's on this supposedly cursed videotape?
05:30Or more imperatively, what happens seven days after viewing the tape?
05:41The latter question adds a ticking clock to the equation,
05:44with Rachel Keller given one week to unravel the mystery.
05:47The Ring takes its time building tension and atmosphere,
05:50easing newcomers into the supernatural horror genre.
05:53The slow burn makes the payoff all the more pulse-pounding, however.
05:57This is a modern Pandora's box story that'll have you thinking twice
06:00before popping on another scary flick.
06:15You might tell yourself it's only a movie and you can turn it off at any time.
06:19This film's chilling ending suggests otherwise,
06:22turning the TV screen itself into a sinister entity.
06:25Even so, you'll be glad you pressed play in the end.
06:42In space, no one can hear you scream.
06:45But it's not like sci-fi thrillers set on Earth are less terrifying.
06:49The characters are rarely prepared when a planet-changing event occurs.
06:53The humans who are prepared for such a disaster usually have a few loose screws themselves.
06:58Such is the case with Howard Stambler,
07:00played by John Goodman in a performance that keeps you guessing
07:03along with Mary Elizabeth Winstead's Michelle.
07:24Locked in a bunker as society supposedly comes to an end,
07:27Michelle is torn between trusting the potentially unstable Howard
07:31or taking her chances outside.
07:33Even if humans are undergoing an otherworldly extinction,
07:37Howard still may pose a greater threat.
07:3910 Cloverfield Lane presents a disturbing argument
07:43that a stranger not far from your home may be more dangerous
07:46than the ones who live light years away.
07:53No.
08:04It has been so long.
08:13So very long.
08:15Let's lighten things up while still maintaining the darkness.
08:19If you're a younger viewer, comedy is an ideal gateway to horror.
08:23The Monster Squad isn't afraid to be silly,
08:25but the film doesn't turn its subject matter into a joke either.
08:28Dracula, The Mummy and other classic movie monsters are all present,
08:32being brought into modern-day suburbia.
08:39The premise offers plenty of comedic possibilities.
08:42While the cast of 80s kids do bring levity,
08:45the monsters themselves play it straight.
08:47This contributes to the horror and the comedy.
08:50The Wolfman is a legitimate threat,
08:52making it all the more hilarious when he's thwarted with a kick to the nards.
08:56It's an example of why the best comedies
08:58are the ones where the characters don't know they're in a comedy.
09:01As far as everyone here is concerned,
09:03they're just in a scary movie.
09:13Creature Feature, Crawl
09:18Crawl
09:23Aside from slashers,
09:25no sub-genre has given us more horror icons than the Creature Feature.
09:29Whereas some characters lean into the supernatural,
09:32a congregation of alligators is more than enough
09:34to strike dread into the characters and audience.
09:37Crawl doesn't stop with its scaly antagonists.
09:40In a plight to rescue her father and family dog,
09:42our young heroine must also navigate through a Category 5 hurricane.
09:47Help!
10:04While the stakes are high,
10:06the setting is claustrophobic,
10:08with much of the action confined to a flooding crawlspace.
10:11Of course, the characters are more likely to be eaten before drowning.
10:15Although the performances are strong,
10:17the gators are the stars here,
10:19and these bone-crushing reptiles have rarely appeared more intimidating on film.
10:38Whether you're a newcomer to Creature Features
10:40or the Man vs. Nature sub-genre,
10:42this is one way to get your toes wet.
10:44Just don't let them get bitten off.
11:01Many of us got our first taste of horror sitting around the campfire,
11:04listening to ghost stories.
11:06Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
11:08has been a campfire staple for generations.
11:11Tim Burton's take on the timeless tale preserves several key players,
11:14such as Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman.
11:17The script takes several twisted turns, though,
11:20never shying away from over-the-top violence.
11:29As bloody as Burton's Sleepy Hollow is,
11:31it's also a beautiful-looking film
11:33with haunting cinematography and Oscar-winning production design
11:36that relishes in everything gothic.
11:38The craftsmanship on display is sure to be an inspiration
11:41to all aspiring filmmakers,
11:43demonstrating how movies have the power
11:45to make our dreams and nightmares a reality.
12:03If this is your first dark fantasy movie,
12:05we'd recommend diving in headfirst.
12:07What movies got you into horror?
12:09Share your starter guide in the comments.
12:25This video is brought to you by Paramount Scares.
12:27It's paramount, but scary.
12:38Paramount Scares
12:41Paramount Scares
12:43Paramount Scares
12:45Paramount Scares