# Favorite non-gore horror movie **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [November 1, 2023, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-non-gore-horror-movie/992438 "2023-11-01T20:34:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2023, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-non-gore-horror-movie/992438/61 "2023-11-03T21:50:30Z")
> [@troub](#): > > Oh sorry, I was following on the slight highjack (sorry!) about emojis on the Google page when you Google a movie. Lost track of the thread. Sorry! Ah! Well now I’m curious what shows up when you do that… Oh that’s cool! Never seen that before. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2023, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-non-gore-horror-movie/992438/62 "2023-11-03T22:22:31Z")
If you’re into aliens, I just watched **No One Will Save You** which is pretty creepy but not gory at all. It’s more like a thriller than horror, but I find aliens pretty scary, so YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2023, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-non-gore-horror-movie/992438/63 "2023-11-03T22:47:56Z")
> [@thevolleyballer](#): > > I saw A Perfect Murder with Michael Douglas & Gwyneth Paltrow; even at the time it came out 30 years ago, the allusion to SOAT was obvious. Strangely Original Airsoft Tactics? Special Operatives Anti Terrorism? Sophomore Outcome Assessment Test? Society Of Actuaries Of Thailand? Ohhh, you probably mean Strangers On A Train. Never saw the movie you referenced, so I didn’t get the abbreviation right away. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2023, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-non-gore-horror-movie/992438/64 "2023-11-04T22:22:10Z")
Straightest of All Time? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2023, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-non-gore-horror-movie/992438/65 "2023-11-05T01:12:37Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > I loved the ending! It was the culmination of the entire theme. In fact, knowing how it ended is what made me want to see it. My husband had a hard time, though. We are the parents of a young child and he’s a therapist and I think it was just too much for him. Yeah–I really think it hits differently, knowing kids in crisis or even just having kids. > [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > I remember leaving the theater and saying, “That’s the best movie I’ll never watch again.” I saw it twice. The first time, my wife and I went straight to the bar afterwards for a stiff shot of bourbon, and sat there in stunned silence for a bit before we could talk about it. The second time, I was at a summer class on children’s lit and fairy tales, and we did some movie nights. There were three of us who watched _Pans Labyrinth._ One of the other students had never seen it and was riveted. The other had never seen it, spent most of the movie shopping for outfits on her phone and chatting about what she was buying, and occasionally looking up to make snarky comments about it. There was very nearly some extra gore on that second watching. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2023, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-non-gore-horror-movie/992438/66 "2023-11-06T05:34:24Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > If you’re into aliens, I just watched **No One Will Save You** which is pretty creepy but not gory at all. It’s more like a thriller than horror, but I find aliens pretty scary, so YMMV. Along the same lines, **Communion** is a lifetime of nightmare fuel for the scene where the uncanny valley-ass alien pokes it head around the door. I leave my bedroom door wide open just in case, so they can’t do that to me. **Fire in the Sky** is another alien abduction movie that didn’t have any gore in it that I can recall. **Nope** was not brutal but there was some gore in it. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2023, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-non-gore-horror-movie/992438/67 "2023-11-06T18:28:36Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > I saw it twice. The first time, my wife and I went straight to the bar afterwards for a stiff shot of bourbon, and sat there in stunned silence for a bit before we could talk about it. When I saw it, I had just completed a Spanish course on the Spanish Civil War, taught by a professor who had lived under Franco’s regime. The movie is even more depressing when you realize the fascists won. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2023, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-non-gore-horror-movie/992438/68 "2023-11-06T23:00:09Z")
Here’s one that I can’t understand why it isn’t regarded as a classic: _The Changeling_ starring George C. Scott from 1980. Nowadays if the title is mentioned at all, the more recent movie about a missing child starring Angelina Jolie comes up. That is not a horror movie, and since I saw it and cannot remember much about it, I can only describe it as meh. I’ve only seen the 1980 movie twice and I vividly remember it. It should be far more famous than it is. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2023, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-non-gore-horror-movie/992438/69 "2023-11-06T23:35:37Z")
Yep, that’s a good one. ---
**Author:** ![El\_DeLuxo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_deluxo/32/9043_2.png) [@El\_DeLuxo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_DeLuxo)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2023, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-non-gore-horror-movie/992438/70 "2023-11-07T05:07:09Z")
_The Crazies_ aka _Code Name Trixie_(1973) and _Martin_ (1977) are under-rated early George Romero movies which are light on gore (especially for Romero) and also creepy and frightening. I liked _Seance On A Wet Afternoon_ (1964), although it’s more of an eerie crime thriller. _Lady In A Cage_ (1964) is another horrific crime drama or melodrama, and one of my very favorite flicks from the 1960s. _Curse Of The Undead_ (1958) the original and classic vampire Western. _Hex_ (1973) --oh God, it’s such a weird movie. Native Shamanism, marijuana, and proto-outlaw bikers. In the Wild West. In 1920. ---
**Author:** ![thevolleyballer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cc9497/32.png) [@thevolleyballer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thevolleyballer)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2023, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-non-gore-horror-movie/992438/71 "2023-11-07T09:54:52Z")
solost [https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost) it’s worth a watch - I ain’t a Gwyneth fan & Michael Douglas plays a rich asshole for the 10th time since Fatal Attraction. There are suspenseful moments - I saw it on cable the year after it came out, & again this year so not in my collection but watchable ~ every 25 years or so. ---
**Author:** ![Raza](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raza/32/213_2.png) [@Raza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raza)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2023, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-non-gore-horror-movie/992438/73 "2023-11-07T14:27:51Z")
I absolutely love **The Others** - we’ve seen it at least a half-dozen times. And welcome! ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2024, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-non-gore-horror-movie/992438/74 "2024-02-05T21:19:36Z")
Despite its reputation, **The Texas Chainsaw Massacre** is actually almost entirely gore free. The director did this on purpose as he was aiming for a PG rating, and was quite shocked when it received an X. But as to the true spirit of the thread, I will submit **As Above, So Below**. I like the take on Hell as a maze of claustrophobic passages. **Killer Klowns From Outer Space** never gets turned off if I happen across it on TV. More of a monster flick, but **Trollhunter** is a great movie. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2024, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-non-gore-horror-movie/992438/75 "2024-02-05T21:38:54Z")
_The Changeling_ is a ghost story released in 1980 starring George C. Scott. The story revolves around a composer who moves to a haunted hosue in Seattle following the deaths of his wife and daughter. Scott’s an excellent actor of course but the support staff was top notch as well. There’s very little blood in the movie but there’s one scene involving a wheelchair that still sends shivers up and down my spine. This is worthwhile ghost story. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2024, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-non-gore-horror-movie/992438/76 "2024-02-05T22:24:26Z")
I’ve seen almost all that have been mentioned and agree with their inclusion. The ones I haven’t - The Shout and Cold Skin - I’ve just put on my watchlist, so thanks for those. A few more: **Lake Mungo** - An Australian film that deals with the death of a teenage girl and her family’s grief. Atmospheric as hell with one brief scene that stayed with me for a LONNNNG time. It’s slow paced and rather sad and there is just a patina of . . . discomfort throughout. **Session 9** - Genuinely creepy from start to finish, in no small part because it was filmed at a real, abandoned mental asylum (Danvers). Another one that will stay with you long after it’s finished. **Absentia** - I’ve mentioned this a few times lately - it’s by Mike Flannagan (Fall of the House of Usher, Midnight Mass, Oculus to name a few) and it’s very original, haunting and rather sad. I have many more recommendations but I’ll stop there for now. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2024, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-non-gore-horror-movie/992438/77 "2024-02-06T00:26:01Z")
> [@DWMarch](#): > > **Communion** is a lifetime of nightmare fuel for the scene where the uncanny valley-ass alien pokes it head around the door. I leave my bedroom door wide open just in case, so they can’t do that to me. I couldn’t deal with the feet in **No One Will Save You.** Their feet are soooooo wrong. ETA: What about **1408**? Haven’t seen it in a long time but I don’t recall any gore, and Stephen King’s short story never had any. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2024, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-non-gore-horror-movie/992438/78 "2024-02-06T03:27:16Z")
Mario Bava’s **Black Sabbath** has three episodes — one with Boris Karloff (who also hosts) — but the epi with the dead witch still gives me the willies. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2024, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-non-gore-horror-movie/992438/79 "2024-02-06T14:01:24Z")
The segment called, “The Drop of Water.” Brrrr…really freaked me out as a child. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2024, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-non-gore-horror-movie/992438/80 "2024-02-06T14:57:36Z")
This thread has shown you guys have an elastic definition of ‘non-gore’ and ‘horror’ so in that spirit I’ll add: **Coherence** (2013) A sci-fi thriller rather than horror and so barebones I suspect it was a stage production at one point, but it’s all creepy as hell without a drop of blood. ---
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2024, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-non-gore-horror-movie/992438/81 "2024-02-06T15:08:17Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > **Coherence** (2013) A sci-fi thriller rather than horror and so barebones I suspect it was a stage production at one point, but it’s all creepy as hell without a drop of blood. That movie is great, and I’m glad I actually got to see it on the big screen. The budget was super low, like, not far removed from _Blair Witch_ levels, despite a couple of recognizable TV actors in it. But it’s a fantastic headtrip. It wasn’t a stage play first, apparently, it was written deliberately to be a low-budget film. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-non-gore-horror-movie/992438.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-non-gore-horror-movie/992438.md?page=5)