Horror movie-watching is like a sport during this time of year. Halloween is a holiday where we can indulge in the movies that keep us up at night, the ones that give us sweaty palms. Much like any film genre, there are many different kinds of horror, and we all gravitate towards some more than others. For those who cannot handle the aspect of horror that has body parts flying and blood spraying, there is something for you, too.
For years, different kinds of horror films have been released, from the paranormal to the monster movie. Horror tends to lean into shocking visuals that are meant to unnerve us. However, the gory ones are definitely not everyone's cup of bloody tea. For this spooky season, let us take you on a haunted hayride through the best horror movies that will make your skin crawl without all the gore from The Conjuring franchise to old-school classics like Nosferatu.
20 The Conjuring
The Conjuring is a modern horror film that came out in 2013. Starring Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as real life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorainne Warren, The Conjuring is a fictional depiction of the supposedly true story of the haunting of the Perron family. When this film came out, people were flocking to theaters to see what would soon be deemed one of the best horror films in modern times. If you want to take it even further, the entire Conjuring universe strays away from the gory aspects of horror and focuses more on the paranormal.
19 Insidious
Patrick Wilson is modern horror royalty at this point. The first Insidious movie came out in 2010 and was filled with haunting imagery and heart-stopping jump scares that had audiences jolting in their seats. The film follows a family that has moved into a house when their son mysteriously falls into an unexplainable coma. The film stars Wilson, Rose Byrne, Ty Simpkins, and Lin Shaye. Like The Conjuring universe, the entire Insidious franchise is safe if you do not like gore.
18 Coraline
Halloween is not just for adults. There should be creepy films for the entire family, and for a film to be appropriate for the younger horror fans, heavy gore is usually avoided. One of the best family-friendly Halloween films you can watch is Coraline. This 2009 stop-motion film is one of the most stunning horror films you can watch. The film follows a young girl named Coraline who comes across a secret door in her family's new home. She falls into a parallel universe, one that is almost a mirror to hers but with a twist.
17 Paranormal Activity
There are all kinds of found footage films out there. The Paranormal Activity franchise does not rely on shocking gore to scare its audience. Instead, Paranormal Activity broke out in 2007 and presented itself as it a "true" story, a REAL found footage film. Paranormal Activity follows Katie and Micah when they move into a new home. In the process of documenting what should be an exciting new chapter in their life, a malignant presence comes to the forefront and turns their dreams into their worst nightmare. The entire Paranormal Activity franchise is also safe for those not too keen on blood and guts flying.
16 The Blair Witch Project
Speaking of found footage, The Blair Witch Project is credited with being one of the first found-footage films to really hit mainstream media and successfully fool audiences into believing that it was, in fact, a true story with its creative and unique marketing techniques. The Blair Witch Project sort of launched found footage as a formidable horror subgenre. The movie came out in 1999 and follows a group of film students who investigate a legendary murderer in a small town referred to as the Blair Witch. In their documentation of the investigation, they fall victim to the horrifying truth that they uncover.
15 The Babadook
As elevated as it is, The Babadook is a masterful display of odd and grim horror. Quiet and eerie throughout, The Babadook focuses on a woman named Amelia, who is having a tough time navigating the aftermath of her husband's death while also continuing to raise her son. Her son becomes fearful of a monster, and she is quick to realize that she's battling more than just grief. This film is creepy, to say the least, and forces you to really pay attention to every last detail to get the full effect.
14 It Follows
On the surface, It Follows comes across like a plain old teenage horror flick with a sort of ridiculous premise. However, it is much more than that. It Follows is about a young teenager who finally sleeps with her new boyfriend. However, once she does, she is weighed in on the reality of what she has just done. Her boyfriend tells her that there is something that is now following her with the intention to kill her and then everyone else in line after her.
It can appear as pretty much anyone, but she will know, and she is meant to run from it forever or pass it to someone else by sleeping with them. The film is a graphic representation of the dangers of spreading STIs, and it is an incredible watch. It Follows is not particularly gory. However, there is some shocking and graphic imagery that is intended to make your skin crawl.
13 Nosferatu
The classic of all classics! Black and white silent films may not be everyone's thing. But, how can you really know the horror film genre without exploring Nosferatu at least once? Taking it over 100 years back, the 1922 film Nosferatu birthed the vampire genre in the horror space. This film is a sort of film adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel Dracula from 1897. The film is regarded as one of the most influential films in horror history and will satisfy the horror craving with little to no gore.
12 Get Out
Jordan Peele's Get Out is not completely without gore. However, it is most definitely NOT gory. Get Out is the kind of film that reinvigorated the horror/thriller genre during a time when people needed a change of pace. Get Out follows Chris and Rose, as they travel to Rose's family home to get Chris acquainted with the family.
However, once he arrives, he observes the dark secrets of the family, and they threaten his presence there in the most terrifying way. With one film, Peele became a master of creative and unique horror concepts as well as seamless integration of social commentary and the nightmare that exists in the world we live in beyond the screen.
11 The Sixth Sense
The Sixth Sense is the perfect film to cuddle up on the couch and watch with a bowl of popcorn and your favorite drink. This 1999 movie is one of the most nostalgic horror films that includes one of the most shocking plot twists to be released at the time. Haley Joel Osment and Bruce Willis take front and center for this one. In the film, child psychologist Dr. Malcolm Crowe takes it upon himself to discover what is causing the young Cole Sear's ability to see dead people.
10 Sinister
Momentum Pictures
Although there is a ton of death in Sinister, brutal and horrific, there is not that much actual gore in the film. Sinister, starring Ethan Hawke, is a pure horror movie that will have you on the edge of your seat while also covering your eyes in fear.
The film follows a true-crime writer who has been on the hunt for his next big hit, going so far as to move his family into a home where a murder had taken place. He finds a series of old tapes in the attic that reveal the gruesome murders of families. He soon realizes that he is unintentionally summoning the spirit that destroyed those families, unleashing it onto his own.
9 The Ring
The Ring has always been regarded as one of the scariest films out there. However, that is not due to the over-the-top shock value. It is the creepy escalation of the film's plot that drives it home. The Ring first came out in 2002 and follows the urban legend of a haunted videotape that summons a threatening (and terrifying) spirit. The film has had some sequels in the universe but nothing compares to the 2002 film.
8 Bram Stoker's Dracula
Bram Stoker's Dracula is a 1992 horror romance film that stars Gary Oldman as Count Dracula, Winona Ryder as Mina Harker, Keanu Reeves as Jonathan Harker, and Anthony Hopkins as Abraham Van Helsing. In this story, lawyer Jonathan Harker is sent to Dracula's castle to discuss a deal about the land. Dracula is a man who is sentenced to an immortal life where he is forced to feed on blood. When Dracula sees Jonathan's wife, the doppelganger of his dead lover, things change.
7 Psycho
Alfred Hitchcock is one of those names that will always hold a special place in the world of film. There is something special in the 1960 horror thriller Psycho that has held up notoriety to this day. Psycho follows Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) as she ends up crashing for a night at Bates Motel when she runs into the ever-so-kind Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins). Psycho is a horror classic and a must-watch for this time of year.
6 The Orphanage
2007's The Orphanage is a haunting horror thriller that, like many films that avoid the overuse of gory scenes, leans heavily on the spiritual aspect of the plot. This dark film follows a woman who had grown up in an orphanage. With her happy and fond memories from her childhood blooming, she convinces her husband to buy the place and turn it into a hospital for kids. When her adopted son goes missing, she confides in the spirits to grieve and possibly help her find out what had happened to her son. Where this film lacks in gore, i makes up for in how creepy it is.
5 The Others
In 2001, Madam AMC herself, Nicole Kidman starred in a horror thriller called The Others. If you are interested in seeing Kidman's genius in a horror film, and you want to avoid gore, today is your lucky day. The Others follows a mother named Grace who moves to a new home with her children Anne and Nicholas. When a disease breaks out that makes the sun's rays harmful, her daughter starts to claim that she is seeing spirits, and eventually, Grace starts believing that something paranormal might be going on.
4 Rosemary's Baby
Rosemary's Baby is a film that came out in 1968 and is also regarded as a horror classic. This disturbing horror film is structured to unnerve and horrify all at the same time. In the film, Rosemary (Mary Farrow) and her husband Guy (John Cassavetes) move into a New York City apartment when Rosemary becomes pregnant. She begins to fall apart as she grows more and more alone and frantic as her pregnancy progresses.
With weird neighbors down the hall and strange occurrences in her pregnancy, Rosemary is faced with the horrific truth when the child comes out. Did she birth to the spawn of Satan? That may just be up for interpretation.
3 The Wicker Man
If you have yet to see the British folk horror film The Wicker Man, consider this your sign. The Wicker Man is a 1973 horror film that stars Christopher Lee, Edward Woodward, and Ingrid Pitt. In this interesting film, audiences follow the investigation of a missing young boy led by Sergeant Howie (Woodward). He is led to an island where he begins to question and judge their strange practices and odd lifestyle. However, in order to get answers for the missing boy, he has to go in deeper.
2 The Birds
We have one more entry for the one and only Alfred Hitchcock. The Birds is not conventionally gory with flesh being torn apart and blood flying on the walls. However, never underestimate Hitchcock's ability to make a film disturbing nonetheless. The Birds is pretty self-explanatory in the sense that it is a horror movie about birds. What started out as a gesture of love turned out to be the start of a series of bird attacks.
1 Poltergeist
Poltergeist follows the formula of a classic haunting. Horror films these days try to reinvent the idea of a house being ridden with ghosts. However, 1982's Poltergeist keeps it simple and scary. Strange and unexplainable things begin to happen in the home and eventually, the family contacts the spirits through their TV. However, what started out as friendly communication turns evil as their youngest goes missing without a trace.
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