# I'm Looking for Scary/Terrifying Movies That Aren't Drenched in Blood **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 17, 2006, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-scary-terrifying-movies-that-arent-drenched-in-blood/352925 "2006-04-17T00:14:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**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:** [April 17, 2006, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-scary-terrifying-movies-that-arent-drenched-in-blood/352925/61 "2006-04-17T17:55:32Z")
I came in to recommend the Dutch version of _The Vanishing_. It’s creepy through and through, and has one scene that wigged me out. I understand that this scene doesn’t exist in the American version. I’ll second _The Haunting_. Good stuff. John Carpenter’s _The Thing_ is one of the most satisfying horror movies I’ve ever seen. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carnac_the_Magnificent)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2006, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-scary-terrifying-movies-that-arent-drenched-in-blood/352925/62 "2006-04-17T18:09:54Z")
> [@Rhiannon8404](#): > > I was coming here to say this movie. This movie is so scary. Suspenseful and tense, but no blood or gore. I cannot watch it by myself and I’m 37 yo. The original _Cape Fear_ is the same way. My objection to the modern remake of Cape Fear is the skeevy seductiveness between the girl and Bob De Niro’s miserable character. Was the protagonist in the original Cape Fear such a sadistic psycho? ---
**Author:** ![mrunlucky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7993a0/32.png) [@mrunlucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrunlucky)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2006, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-scary-terrifying-movies-that-arent-drenched-in-blood/352925/63 "2006-04-17T18:52:03Z")
**Ringu** , Japanese version, far more about creating fear through anxiety and suspense. **Ju-On: The Grudge** , and the immediate sequel, the Japanese versions of course. I’m a big fan of Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s psychological horror. So far I’d say **The Cure** is definitely one of his best. **The Innocents** , psychological horror and great cinematography. **The Others** , which is highly influenced by The Innocents. **Rosemary’s Baby** , **The Tenant** , and **Repulsion** , all by Polanski. **Seconds** , staring Rock Hudson. **The Haunting** (the original of course). I don’t recall **Invasion of the Body Snatchers** or the two remakes being gory, though I remain a big fan of the original, and I admire the second remake for its when-you’re-a-teenager-all-adults-are-aliens metaphor. **Eye of the Devil**. **The Wicker Man** , which has many similarities to **Eye of the Devil** , but with a great soundtrack too. I love and swear by all the Hammer Films. Many are bloody and gory but in an obviously red-paint-for-blood dated way. **Dracula** , **Plague of the Zombies** , **Vampire Circus** , **The Devil Rides Out** , and **Paranoiac** are some of my favorites. Some De Palma movies are very unnerving, like **Blow Out** , **Dressed To Kill** and **Sisters**. I was really disturbed by the **Mothman Prophecies**. Me and probably about only 10 other people. **Wendigo** is a great straight-to-video horror. Many characters die. I can’t remember how gory it is though. ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2006, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-scary-terrifying-movies-that-arent-drenched-in-blood/352925/64 "2006-04-17T18:52:57Z")
Simone Signoret is loads of creepy fun in [_Games_](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061696/). It’s got a little blood, but IIRC, it’s more of a 1967-style suggestive drip, drip, drip than an all out gore-fest. Add another vote for _The Haunting_, too. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2006, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-scary-terrifying-movies-that-arent-drenched-in-blood/352925/65 "2006-04-17T18:55:35Z")
Takashi Miike’s [Imprint](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0757061/maindetails) The last in the Master of Horrors series, Showtime refused to air it in the US. It was screened on TV here in the UK last week and will soon be available on DVD everywhere. I can understand why Showtime got cold feet, it’s one of the most disturbing films I’ve ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2006, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-scary-terrifying-movies-that-arent-drenched-in-blood/352925/66 "2006-04-17T19:09:21Z")
**Open Water** I was terrified during most of the movie. I was just fried when it was over. The camera technique makes it seem incredibly real. I still shudder when thinking about it. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2006, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-scary-terrifying-movies-that-arent-drenched-in-blood/352925/67 "2006-04-17T20:42:31Z")
**The Conversation** is very creepy without too much gore. **Audition** (in Japanese) … neek neek neek … :eek: And another vote for \*\*Silence of the Lambs \*\* and **Nightmare on Elm Street** ---
**Author:** ![Misery\_Loves\_Co](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7cd45c/32.png) [@Misery\_Loves\_Co](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misery_Loves_Co)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2006, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-scary-terrifying-movies-that-arent-drenched-in-blood/352925/68 "2006-04-17T21:06:33Z")
How about “What Lies Beneath?” No Gore that I can remember, lots of suspense, with a couple of real reachoutandgrabya scary moments (IMHO) ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2006, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-scary-terrifying-movies-that-arent-drenched-in-blood/352925/69 "2006-04-17T21:13:36Z")
> [@Misery Loves Co.](#): > > How about “What Lies Beneath?” > > No Gore that I can remember, lots of suspense, with a couple of real reachoutandgrabya scary moments (IMHO) D’oh! How could I forget about **Misery**! :smack: One scene is kinda oogie, but for the most part it’s the tension that gets ya. ---
**Author:** ![Misery\_Loves\_Co](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7cd45c/32.png) [@Misery\_Loves\_Co](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misery_Loves_Co)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2006, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-scary-terrifying-movies-that-arent-drenched-in-blood/352925/70 "2006-04-17T21:16:30Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > D’oh! How could I forget about **Misery**! :smack: :: Deadpan :: Whatever reminded you about that Stephen King movie? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2006, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-scary-terrifying-movies-that-arent-drenched-in-blood/352925/71 "2006-04-17T21:51:00Z")
**Open Water** was filmed without shark cages or water tanks, so the actors really were in a fair amount of danger. Also, the fact that the actors were unknowns also added to the verisimilitude and, for myself, viewer empathy. (If it had starred, say, Meg Ryan and Val Kilmer, I would have rooted for the sharks.) ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2006, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-scary-terrifying-movies-that-arent-drenched-in-blood/352925/72 "2006-04-17T22:09:21Z")
> [@Carnac the Magnificent!](#): > > What I DON’T like: I want to avoid movies along the lines of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I do NOT enjoy seeing people being tortured, dismembered or struck with blunt (or sharp) weapons. I do not enjoy gore, so that rules out the sophomoric Jason/Halloween/Chucky series. What about psychological torture? [Closet Land](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101597/) creeped me out a lot. For another thinking movie: [A Tale of Two Sisters](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007M2374/qid=1145311654/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-1944158-3369745?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=130) had me hiding under a blanket a couple times and at the end, trying to piece it altogether. Well written and woven tighter than 1200 thread-count sheets. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2006, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-scary-terrifying-movies-that-arent-drenched-in-blood/352925/73 "2006-04-18T00:10:56Z")
> [@Carnac the Magnificent!](#): > > My objection to the modern remake of Cape Fear is the skeevy seductiveness between the girl and Bob De Niro’s miserable character. > > Was the protagonist in the original Cape Fear such a sadistic psycho? Not in the same way. Robert Mitchum was definitely vengeful and relentless in his escalating attacks on the family, but not seductive. ---
**Author:** ![lobstermobster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobstermobster/32/10033_2.png) [@lobstermobster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobstermobster)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2006, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-scary-terrifying-movies-that-arent-drenched-in-blood/352925/74 "2006-04-18T01:15:03Z")
> [@Carnac the Magnificent!](#): > > Two movies I’ve heard something of, but haven’t seen are The Ring and Hostel. > > I’m sure these are scary, but aren’t they also gory and violent? Hostel is probably one of the most gorey movies i’ve seen in a long long time. I actually rented it just last week. I wasn’t even that scared though. I was actually a little nauseous at times. The gore is OUT OF CONTROL. The Ring scared the poop out of me though. Something about children… ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2006, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-scary-terrifying-movies-that-arent-drenched-in-blood/352925/75 "2006-04-18T01:56:38Z")
I think I must be jaded. I’ve seen at least 1/2 of these movies, and most of them aren’t remotely scary. (the Fog?? Least scary horror movie ever! Rosemary’s Baby ranks near it, though) I won’t watch Poltergeist again, but since the OP isn’t four, they probably won’t have the months of nightmares I did after seeing it. Some of the ones on this list undeniably nail atmospheric creepy, though: Session 9, The Ring, The Blair Witch Project, The Devil’s Backbone, The Haunting & The Shining (both versions of each), Frailty, The Night of the Hunter, Kingdom Hospital… add **The Other** , **The Cell** , **Skeletons in the Closet** , **The Last Man on Earth** , **Dead End** , **Dead Birds** , and **Soul Survivors** to the “creepy but not _really_ gory” list. I personally consider movies creepy rather than scary if they don’t a. have me jumping at little noises b. give me nightmares or c. leave me afraid to look in the mirrors in case it’s not really me. No,I’m not sure why c happens when I’ve been scared by something I’ve seen or read Here’s a very small list of movies that I actually found scary and aren’t bloodbaths: **In The Mouth Of Madness** **Phantoms Boogeyman The House On Haunted Hill** (remake, the orginial isn’t scary, but interesting) **Rose Red** (right up until it completely falls apart the last half hour) FYI **Burnt Offerings** is currently on Showtime. I watched the first half yesterday before shutting it off. ---
**Author:** ![JoeSki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b487fb/32.png) [@JoeSki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoeSki)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2006, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-scary-terrifying-movies-that-arent-drenched-in-blood/352925/76 "2006-04-18T02:17:13Z")
> [@Carnac the Magnificent!](#): > > Two movies I’ve heard something of, but haven’t seen are The Ring and Hostel. > > I’m sure these are scary, but aren’t they also gory and violent? The Ring has very little blood and did a better job scaring me than any other movie that I can remember. And I’ve seen plenty of movies. There are some disturbing images, including severed body parts, but they’re not really the focus of the movie. The Ring is disturbing on a more psychological level. I’d say Hostel relys exclusivley on blood, gore, and torture as a way of scaring its audience. It is exactly the kind of movie you’re trying to stay away from ---
**Author:** ![Critical1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2006, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-scary-terrifying-movies-that-arent-drenched-in-blood/352925/77 "2006-04-18T04:20:13Z")
not usually clasified as horror but **Jacobs Ladder** scary scary scary, you dont know what the hell is going on or why. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2006, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-scary-terrifying-movies-that-arent-drenched-in-blood/352925/78 "2006-04-18T14:47:15Z")
I saw _The Attic_ one afternoon when I was laid up sick, and found it thoroughly creepy. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2006, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-scary-terrifying-movies-that-arent-drenched-in-blood/352925/79 "2006-04-18T14:49:36Z")
Dang it! [The Attic](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078806/) ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2006, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-scary-terrifying-movies-that-arent-drenched-in-blood/352925/80 "2006-04-18T16:32:06Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > I think I must be jaded. I’ve seen at least 1/2 of these movies, and most of them aren’t remotely scary. (the Fog?? Least scary horror movie ever! Rosemary’s Baby ranks near it, though) I won’t watch Poltergeist again, but since the OP isn’t four, they probably won’t have the months of nightmares I did after seeing it. > > Some of the ones on this list undeniably nail atmospheric creepy, though: Session 9, The Ring, The Blair Witch Project, The Devil’s Backbone, The Haunting & The Shining (both versions of each), Frailty, The Night of the Hunter, Kingdom Hospital… add **The Other** , **The Cell** , **Skeletons in the Closet** , **The Last Man on Earth** , **Dead End** , **Dead Birds** , and **Soul Survivors** to the “creepy but not _really_ gory” list. I personally consider movies creepy rather than scary if they don’t a. have me jumping at little noises b. give me nightmares or c. leave me afraid to look in the mirrors in case it’s not really me. No,I’m not sure why c happens when I’ve been scared by something I’ve seen or read > > Here’s a very small list of movies that I actually found scary and aren’t bloodbaths: > **In The Mouth Of Madness** > **Phantoms > Boogeyman > The House On Haunted Hill** (remake, the orginial isn’t scary, but interesting) > **Rose Red** (right up until it completely falls apart the last half hour) > FYI **Burnt Offerings** is currently on Showtime. I watched the first half yesterday before shutting it off. I’ll second **In the Mouth of Madness**. And **Burnt Offerings** scared the youknowwhat out of me years ago. I don’t know if it still would, but it’s possible. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-scary-terrifying-movies-that-arent-drenched-in-blood/352925.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-scary-terrifying-movies-that-arent-drenched-in-blood/352925.md?page=5)