6 movies to watch this spooky season if you don't like horror

Full disclosure: I was originally planning to make my first “Art & Horror” blog post something about art. Buuuut, I got busy wrapping up some work on a cool project and making art and kept putting it off. Now, Spooky Season is in full swing and a horror post feels much more appropriate, don’t you think? Anyway, I’ve had this list in mind for a while, and now seems like a pretty a good time to share it.

So, maybe you’re not the biggest fan of horror in general, but the Halloween vibe has got to you. Or perhaps you love horror, but feel like watching something different, a little less intense.

Each of the movies on this list fit the spooky season vibe, without featuring endless jump scares, buckets of blood or gross-out body horror.

I’ve tried to come up with a range of thoughtful and nuanced movies to suit different tastes and tolerances, rather than listing comedies or movies aimed at a younger audience. I’ll do my best to give you an idea of what to expect, while avoiding spoilers. So take a look through, share and leave a comment if you liked these movies or found the list useful!

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1 - Only Lovers Left Alive

RECOMMENDED for folks who enjoy:

• Contemplative arthouse cinema

• Explorations of love and life

• Music

• Chill vibes and slow burn storytelling

• Romantic vampires, rather than scary vampires

May not be suitable FOR THOSE WHO:

• Have a particularly strong dislike of vampires

• Are extremely sensitive to themes of depression and characters contemplating suicide

Summary:

Romance/Supernatural

Let’s start with a movie that seems to have been placed in the horror category purely and simply because it features vampires.

Only Lovers Left Alive is in fact a romantic drama, a relaxed contemplation of love, life and ennui. It’s overall vibe is relaxed, a little dark and surprisingly funny. You barely catch a glimpse of the characters’ supernatural powers, and the only actual murder occurs off-screen. Having said that, in my opinion it makes great viewing for fans of arthouse horror looking for a low-stress, supernaturally themed movie that’s definitely for grownups.

2 - Bones and All

RECOMMENDED for folks who enjoy:

• Arthouse cinema

• Romantic dramas and/or nostalgic road-trip movies

• Slow burn tension and suspense

• Rich background world building

May not be suitable FOR THOSE WHO:

• Are very sensitive to brief scenes that include bloody visuals and/or violence

• Dislike themes of cannibalism

Summary:

Romance/Horror

A young adult discovers they have an unusual and intensely taboo appetite. They embark on a journey to find connection and discover more about their past.

This movie is beautifully made, tender and contemplative, with a slow-burn background tension that’s always present. The violence and gore is pretty intense, but it occurs rarely and is usually over with quickly.

3 - Black Phone

RECOMMENDED for folks who:

• Watch dark crime thrillers (e.g. True Detective)

• Are open to the addition of supernatural elements to otherwise realistic settings

• Enjoy moody vibes or retro settings

May not be suitable FOR THOSE WHO:

• Are sensitive to stories where children are in peril

• Are especially sensitive to themes of abuse / captivity

Summary:

Horror/Mystery

This is one of the darker, more harrowing entries on this list. But, importantly, I think it’s no more harrowing than many crime thrillers you see today, along the lines of True Detective.

The monsters of this story are the real world kind. The key difference here, is an additional supernatural layer where you may not be expecting it. Anyone who can handle brutal crime shows, can almost certainly handle this movie. It’s brilliantly acted, tense, and shot in a style that feels like a dark echo of it’s late 70’s setting.

4 - The Menu

RECOMMENDED for folks who enjoy:

• Dark Humour

• Social Commentary

• Gourmet food and fine dining

• Poking fun at gourmet food and fine dining

• Mysteries and being kept guessing

May not be suitable FOR THOSE WHO:

• Dislike murder themes in movies

• Are extremely sensitive to brief but sudden displays of violence or blood

• Are sensitive to themes and/or depictions of suicide

Summary:

Horror/Dark Comedy

This darkly amusing movie, about an elite restaurant experience, crosses over into the realm of horror for many people. But, whatever you’re expecting this film to be, it probably isn’t. It’ll keep you guessing, and most likely make you really hungry. Seriously, the extremely aesthetic shots of food preparation are an absolute delight.

5 - A Quiet Place

RECOMMENDED for folks who:

• Are up for a bit of a scare

• Liked The Last of Us

• Enjoy stories that focus on characters and family

• Would like more diverse representation in movies, particularly for deaf characters

• Think I’m trying to trick them with the other movies on this list because of the lack of actual monsters

May not be suitable FOR THOSE WHO:

• Absolutely do not like to be scared

• Dislike stories where children or pregnant women are in peril or fatally injured

• Have had a recent bereavement

Summary:

Horror/Sci-fi

While many of the entries to this list illustrate the surprising breadth of the horror genre, and some I genuinely feel are miscategorised, A Quiet Place is definitely a horror movie about monsters. Even if it’s thoughtful, modern take has you fooled at first.

For story reasons, it’s imperative that the characters remain silent, which creates a tonne of suspense. Thankfully though, jump-scares are refreshingly rare and always well considered.

And honestly, this is just a fantastic, well made movie. If you’re a fan of horror and for some reason haven’t seen this yet - go and watch it, with or without your horror-shy pals.

6 - Monsters

RECOMMENDED for folks who enjoy:

• Near-future / grounded sci-fi

• Travel / backpacking

• Slow burn storytelling

• Arthouse movies

• A focus on characters

May not be suitable FOR THOSE WHO:

• Prefer watching action-packed movies

• Have a fear of cephalopods

Summary:

Sci-fi / Horror

Set in a near future where biological matter from a crashed space probe has introduced strange new species to Earth. This one’s thoughtful and honestly pretty relaxed for the most part, focussing on character development and an almost travel documentary style of filming. It also has an excellent soundtrack by Jon Hopkins.

While the movie does feature actual creatures, they're nothing like the monsters in the previous entry on this list. The whole vibe is more akin to a road-trip or backpacking adventure through uncertain territory than an actual horror, but there are definitely tense and scary moments the first time you watch it.

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And that’s it, friends. There’s not long till Halloween now, so hopefully this little list will see you through.

If you try any of these movies, I’d like to know what you think of them so leave a comment and please share with your friends. Maybe we’ll even convince them to give horror movies a try.

And before you go, if you’ve landed here while looking for things to watch this spooky season, you may not know that I’m a professional artist and video game developer with a love of spooky vibes. You can check out my work in my shop or my portfolio. If you like what you see, pop over to my instagram and give me a follow!