8 Horror Films for the Uninitiated
Find your next spooky weekend watch from someone who used to hate horror films
I was never a horror fan as a kid. I was afraid of everything! The first Halloween movie I watched was Halloweentown. The scariest movie I saw was the scene in Sam Raimi’s Spiderman (2002) when the Green Goblin is impaled with his own glider. Traumatic! I had only seen cartoon violence until that point. I think it was the first time I made the distinction between cartoon and real-life violence.
When you’re a kid, all you do is watch cartoons (and The Wiggles) so violence isn’t really tangible. It doesn’t matter how many times the Looney Tunes get hit on the head with anvils or how many times the Powerpuff Girls beat Mojo Jojo to a pulp. It’s just not real. When I watched Willem Dafoe beat Toby Maguire within an inch of his life, only to be impaled by his own invention about 5 minutes later, it was probably the first time my brain really truly connected violence and mortality in media.
The first horror movie I watched was probably Jennifer’s Body (2009) or Black Swan (2010). I guess my mentality there was if it’s going to be scary it should at least be a little bit gay.
Then, during my master’s program in 2020, when everything was still closed and there was nothing to do, I decided to do something: try to scare myself. I did it on a whim, the boredom flipped a switch in my brain.
I remembered my mom always talking about the time she went to see The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) in the theatre when she was a teenager. So, I decided to watch it for myself. It wasn’t so bad! In fact, it was kind of exhilarating. I knew the characters were going to die, but I didn’t know how and when. But the final girl was the most interesting part of it. Watching her figure out how she was going to escape, negotiating with psycho-killers, fighting them back, jumping through a second story window!!! Amazing. I watched another movie and another and another until it was basically a marathon.
I do it every year now and I log the movies on Letterboxd and Instagram. I learned a lot from those movies too. There’s the sociological element to them; The Take does a great video walking through what social thrillers look like across the decades. There’s also a moral element to them. You’re rooting for the characters to survive, stand up, fight back and as corny as it sounds, you’re rooting for yourself, too.
I’ve made a list of eight films for people who might want to get into horror films but don’t know where to start. That doesn’t necessarily mean that the films are less scary than other horror movies, just that they’re good and accessible1 for new initiates. I HATE spoilers, so there aren’t any below. Beware! Have fun!
The Evil Dead (1981)
Speaking of Sam Raimi, The Evil Dead franchise is what landed him on the map. This was a great watch for my first Horrorthon because it covers all the bases. A haunted house, something being alive that really isn’t supposed to be, and something else that just won’t die. A great popcorn flick.
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Okay so I actually watched this one in undergrad. It’s more than a horror film; it’s a well-made mystery masterpiece. Of course, a ‘90’s thriller about a gender dysphoric serial killer isn’t going to age well in some respects, but it doesn’t take away from the stellar performances, great score, and impeccable editing. There’s also this The Office reference.
Prey (2022)
I simultaneously have no words and will never shut up about this movie. Amber Midthunder…the woman that you are!!!! I didn’t know it was a prequel to Predator (1987) (which is on my list for this year) but that honestly doesn’t even matter. Before there was Buffy, there was Naru. Put some respect on her name!!!!!
Till Death (2021)
Megan Fox. That really could be the whole recommendation! But if you need any more convincing, here’s my Letterboxd review.
Scream (1996)
It’s a horror movie about horror movies! Which makes it sound like it’s for the seasoned professional, but it’s actually perfect for the newly initiated. Watch it and then watch Mike’s Mic’s recap of it. He calls it his “most logical entrance into the horror realm because it’s about someone threatening a group of teenagers.” And “Scooby-doo for adults.”
The Exorcist (1973)
Linda Blair ate down in her role as Regan McNeil, innocent girl turned possessed monster. I was surprised when I watched this one because the demon is the comic relief! You’ll be scared out of your pants and then the demon, in the middle of terrorizing two priests will just say something outrageous. If you want to be scared but also laugh, The Exorcist is the way to go!
Dont Breathe (2016)
It’s intense. It’s twisted. It really encapsulates everything that went right with 2010s horror films! Like I said in my review
The Thing (1982)
This one was such a pleasant surprise for me. It’s John Carpenter’s remake of Christian Nyby’s The Thing from Another World (1951) and it’s so so so good! It’s action/adventure with a lot of suspense throughout the entire film. You won’t realize the need to unclench until the credits are rolling. Another great popcorn flick.
Carpenter gets a lot of love for Halloween (1978), but he was cooking after that too! I’d never heard of this film until I randomly watched it. If there’s one horror film you watch this year, it should be this one. Don’t let this become a sleeper hit!
What I mean by accessibility here is that these movies are easy to understand. There are no sequels on this list or movies with concepts that are too complex for a fun, quiet movie night in. I recently watched Videodrome by David Cronenberg, and I definitely wouldn’t include that on this list because it’s quite abstract. The same goes for movies like Raw or St. Maude or Titane. The Love Witch is a great, distinctive film, but it focuses so much on aesthetic and less on the spooky elements, so I wouldn’t necessarily call it accessible/classic horror either. The movies here are fun popcorn flicks, easy to watch with friends or alone, and a good introduction into the horror genre. I use the word “accessibility” a lot so I just wanted to clarify what it meant in this context lol xx
I actually can’t believe The Thing was a critical bomb upon release. One of the worst cases of “They just didn’t get it” I’ve ever seen for what is easily the greatest monster movie ever made.