From spoofs to exploitation. Slashers to hauntings. Vampires to clowns. Horror is a broad spectrum with a scale of intensity.
Whether you can’t handle the thought of sitting through a scary flick, or you think you can handle the most jarring content with ease, it can be a challenge to figure out what to watch.
Here’s a list of a few movies ranging from least to most intense, to help you decide what to throw on when you get some free time or add something you’ve never heard of to your watchlist.
‘Monster House’ (2006)
The term “gateway horror” refers to any form of horror-related media that is easily accessible to a younger audience. Scooby-Doo, Nightmare Before Christmas, Invader Zim, Gremlins. Everyone at some point has been introduced to the genre from an adolescent angle. The great thing about gateway horror is that it can still be enjoyable to adults.
Monster House is a prime example of something meant for a younger audience that can easily be valued by an older crowd. Three kids believe their neighbor’s house is actually a living and malicious entity. When no one believes them, they plan to stop this threat before Halloween, when trick or treaters will unknowingly walk right up to this danger.
This animated movie runs wild with the urban legend that many neighborhoods have when it comes to the creepy house on the corner. While the animation is slightly dated by today’s standards, this movie’s affection for the holiday holds strong. It’s fun, has some (not too intense) scares, and reveals a surprising amount of emotion as the narrative plays out. If you’re not looking to have your heart racing and would prefer a fun childlike perspective on Halloween, this might be perfect.
‘Killer Klowns from Outer Space’ (1988)
Now this movie might end up on the extreme end of the scale for those with coulrophobia. But if you don’t have an irrational fear of clowns, you’ll probably have a great time with this cheesy and imaginative romp. The plot of this movie is given away immediately within the title. You guessed it. This is about killer clowns. From outer space.
The puppeteering and makeup give these colorful aliens an incredibly unsettling appearance to back up their playfully sadistic tendencies. And while violence and horror are present, they exist within the boundaries of a borderline comedy. There’s plenty of comedic relief from both the protagonists and antagonists as well as the absurdity of the concept alone.
If this joyride of a movie played with this prompt seriously, instead of leaning hard into the campiness and fun, it’d probably be considered a bit more intense. But the self-awareness and the creativity that’s repeatedly flexed and flaunted makes this a perfect choice for anyone wanting to laugh at something outrageously horrifying, while enjoying something a bit more dark.
‘Halloween’ (1978)
There isn’t a single thing that can be said about Halloween that hasn’t been discussed since its release in 1978. This indie slasher has spawned a series that consists of a collective 13 movies and has spanned over 40 years. Solidifying Michael Myers as a permanent pop culture icon and producing one of the most recognizable scores of all time.
The simplistic concept and approach somehow create an atmosphere that seeps from the screen and reminds you why this should be watched during fall every single year. “Halloween” is able to bottle the sinister undertone of, well, Halloween. Leaves in the wind, long stretches of night, and a man in a mask making the distance between him and his fixation shorter and shorter. And while this is slower and less gratuitous than what modern audiences are used to, it ranks higher on the intensity scale for its tone.
A straightforward story about a babysitter who’s stalked by an escaped mental patient who targets her friends one by one. The elements of home invasion and serial killing might be a little too realistic for some viewers. This film is instrumental in progressing the slasher sub-genre and is an essential watch, not just for fall, but for cinema in general.
‘Suspiria’ (1977)
Now this is a trip. Meant to be a sort of dark fairy tale, Suspiria easily immerses you in a beautifully disorienting and brutal world with magical ease.
This fever dream of a film follows an American student to a dance academy in Germany. There she slowly finds out that things aren’t what they appear as students begin meeting untimely ends. Set design, score, and cinematography all work together to make sure you feel just as trapped and anxious as the protagonist herself. The saturated colors of this movie ensure that violence has never been displayed more vibrantly, viciousness never seen more vivid.
Ranking 4th on the intensity scale, gore is definitely present. But the true intensity comes from the disjointed feeling and otherworldly aura this flick forces upon you. Able to hypnotize you with its beauty and unnerve you with its creeping paranoia. If Alice in Wonderland has ever caught your attention, you’re a fan of mystery, or you like feeling out of touch with reality in general, this movie might fit perfectly into your queue.
Hands down, the most stylistic on this list.
‘Maniac’ (2012)
This movie should come with a very clear trigger warning. Maniac is a remake starring Elijah Wood, unique in its first person approach. Strapping you into the eyes of a serial killer, seeing what his mental illness does to him, and what he does to any woman who grabs his attention.
Careful not to glorify the violence portrayed on film, Maniac instead strives to make you sick to your stomach with its barbaric scenes of viscera. You would be hard pressed to find better realistic special effects than what is showcased here. At times you may even question if certain inflicted wounds are real, just as the protagonist questions if the signs of his worsening mental state are as well.
Apart from the astounding makeup, the creativity channeled into this film can be easily seen within its camera work. Keeping in mind 99% of this story is from a first-person perspective, the camera constantly utilizes little tricks to uphold a realistic representation of POV.
Being the most intense on this list not only for its portrayal of bodily damage, Maniac almost never allows you to take a step back and watch someone do these horrible things. It makes you that person. At the very least, you’ll walk away feeling like an active participant.
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