40 Not-So-Scary Horror Movies for Beginners

It’s no secret that horror movies are not for everyone. Many find horror movies to be too much to handle, especially if they scare easily. And that’s okay! Everyone is different, after all. However, whether it’s through some morbid curiosity or the fear of missing out, some movie-goers with a strictly non-horror watchlist may wish to give the genre and some scary movies a try. But diving straight into the deep end is unwise, as that can turn them off horror for good. Luckily, some mild horror movies are perfect for anyone who wants to start first in the shallow end.

Even those who are most opposed to scary movies may find themselves suffering from a bit of FOMO as film lovers the world over embrace all the scares horror cinema has to offer. For the cautiously intrigued, this list of horror movies that aren’t too scary presents some relatively light, though acclaimed suggestions which are great beginner horror movies to enable new fans to ease into all the thrills the genre has to offer.

40

‘Child’s Play’ (1988)

Directed by Tom Holland

While modern horror movies featuring terrifying dolls such as 2014’s Annabelle are often regarded as downright horrifying, Child’s Play is much more bearable for those who are easily scared. For one, it’s riddled with 80s cheese, and the character of Chucky (Brad Dourif) isn’t as frightening anymore. Although, he was considered much scarier when the film was newer.

Chucky is a living, foul-mouthed doll who happens to be an evil killer. While this is a terrifying premise, seeing a child’s doll swearing its little head off is funny to watch, turning it into one of the least scary horror movies. The practical effects also make it very unconvincing in the 21st century, which helps with any potential nightmares.

Child’s Play

Release Date

November 9, 1988

Runtime

87 Minutes

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39

‘Ready or Not’ (2019)

Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett

In 2019’s Ready or Not, Samara Weaving stars as Grace Le Domas, a seemingly unassuming young bride about to marry into a wealthy and secretive family. When they play a game for the sake of family tradition, Grace learns of the family’s deal with the devil to keep their wealth, and she’s soon being hunted by each member as part of the twisted ritual.

Ready or Not is a darkly comedic horror film that mocks extreme wealth and the habits of out-of-touch people. While there are crossbows, guns, and some uncomfortable scenes showing the injuries and deaths over the course of the evening, the entire film offers a mostly entertaining and often funny viewing experience that will have viewers rooting for its badass protagonist.

Ready or Not

Release Date

August 21, 2019

Runtime

95 minutes

38

‘Midsommar’ (2019)

Directed by Ari Aster

Midsommar tells the story of a group of college students who travel to Sweden to research the reclusive Harga cult so that they can write a thesis on them. Despite being critically acclaimed, the movie is more creepy than scary.

The main reason it’s not terrifying is that most of the horror film happens in broad daylight, not in the characteristic darkness of other movies in the genre. Another reason it’s less frightening is that nothing overtly supernatural happens in the movie. The film may be about a cult, but no demons, ghosts, or cryptids exist. There are a few body horror scenes and psychedelic scares, but there is a complete and total lack of jump scares, making it tolerable for even the most easily startled.

Midsommar

Release Date

July 3, 2019

Runtime

147 minutes

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37

‘Crimson Peak’ (2015)

Directed by Guillermo del Toro

Crimson Peak comes from master film director Guillermo del Toro, and features the likes of Tom Hiddleston, and Mia Wasikowska. Wasikowska plays a young American girl who falls in love with a British entrepreneur named Sir Thomas Sharpe, who Hiddleston plays. They marry, and Sharpe brings his new wife to his home, a haunted manor known as Crimson Peak.

This movie centers around ghosts, and while the spirits encountered in the movie are decently frightening, they don’t appear as often as one would expect for a horror film. There are a few jump scares here and there, but it’s not the constant bombardment of terror that can be found in many more intense horror films, making this an easier option for newcomers to the genre.

Crimson Peak

Release Date

October 13, 2015

Runtime

119 minutes

36

‘The Blair Witch Project’ (1999)

Directed by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez

The Blair Witch Project is considered by many to be one of the scariest movies of all time… or at least, it was. At the time of its release, this found-footage film petrified an entire generation with fear. This was due to a brilliant marketing campaign in which the three main actors played themselves, which was supplemented by the fact that the production company told the public that they had gone missing.

This, of course, wasn’t true, and all three actors are still alive and well. Thanks to the internet, the mystery associated with this iconic found footage movie has disappeared, making it far, far less frightening than it used to be. The titular witch is never seen in the movie, not even once, leading some to believe the witch was never real, to begin with. The terror comes from the supernatural events that happen while the cameras aren’t on. It’s more of psychological horror if anything.

35

‘Dracula’ (1931)

Directed by Tod Browning

One of the first horror movies ever made, Dracula is loosely based on the Bram Stoker novel of the same name. Many know the vampire Dracula as a classic horror character, and it was in this movie that he made his first appearance on screen. While the movie may have been incredibly scary for the time, its creepiness doesn’t hold up nearly a century later.

Despite being low on the scare scale, it’s still a classic movie for the ages and sets many standards for the genre, which is why Dracula is an essential watch for any horror newbie looking to dip their toes in.

Dracula

Release Date

February 12, 1931

Runtime

74 Minutes

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34

‘Annihilation’ (2018)

Directed by Alex Garland

Annihilation is another movie that’s more creepy than scary. Starring Natalie Portman as the protagonist, Lena, it follows a group of biologists and former soldiers investigating a mysterious area known as The Shimmer in search of a missing expedition team.

Based on a sci-fi novel of the same name, much of the horror in the film comes from the mutated wildlife that can be found in The Shimmer. There are a few jump scares, but it’s nothing incredibly terrifying. There are also some psychological horror elements, but for the most part, it serves as a sci-fi movie with a complex and intriguing plot.

Annihilation

Release Date

February 23, 2018

Runtime

115 Minutes

33

‘Hush’ (2016)

Directed by Mike Flanagan

Hush is a criminally-underrated slasher masterpiece, plain and simple. This is because it breaks so many conventional horror movie boundaries. For one, much of the movie is silent. This is because it’s told from the perspective of a deaf-mute writer, who can’t hear most of the things happening around her, and can’t speak or scream. The film being silent makes it a nice break from the loud, scream-filled, intense approaches of other horror films, which is why it’s not quite as scary as others.

Another unconventional but brilliant choice is that the killer who traps the writer in her home is not some paranormal entity or malevolent slasher. He’s just a man. Sure he wears a creepy mask, but he wears it for all of five minutes. For the rest of the movie, his face is completely exposed, which makes him much less threatening. The writer doesn’t make many bad decisions, which is more than can be said for many cheesy horror flicks. She cannot call for help, and she tries (unsuccessfully) to run, but it becomes apparent that she is running out of options, so her only choice is to fight back.

32

‘Army of Darkness’ (1992)

Directed by Sam Raimi

Evil Dead (1981) may have started as a horror franchise, but as the films went on, they gradually became more and more ridiculous. Army of Darkness is a perfect example of this. The third film in the Evil Dead franchise functions as a sort of action/comedy/horror hybrid. It is technically a horror film with a few mildly scary parts, but they are easily overshadowed.

While it may scare its viewers, it also has its fair share of comedy and cheesy 90s action, complete with one-liners and outrageous dialogue, ultimately making the scary parts easier to get through.

31

‘The Witch’ (2015)

Directed by Robert Eggers

The Witch comes from the now-popular A24 Studios, the same production company behind Midsommar, and features a lot of similarities, despite the two films having different directors. The Witch takes place in 17th-Century New England after a family of settlers is exiled from their village and is forced to establish a new home in the region. Unfortunately for them, the nearby forest is home to a witch.

When their baby disappears under mysterious circumstances, the family begins to tear itself apart in the wake of the supernatural events that begin to occur. The film is an easy watch for horror newbies as there is a grand total of one jump scare throughout the entire film, and it focuses more on creeping the audience out rather than scaring the pants off of them. What’s more, the witch herself is seldom seen.

The Witch

Release Date

February 19, 2016

Runtime

92minutes