I know that a lot of people like spooky season but don’t want to watch super bloody and violent slasher movies or maybe you’re looking for something is a genre crossover to keep spooky season fresh. If so these are my suggestions for horror that isn’t 100% tame but isn’t just a full of blood bath and screaming for 90 minutes. While many of these contain horror elements they’re mostly movies that use spooky atmosphere to bring interesting ideas to life.
Dead Talents Society – A Taiwanese horror comedy about a recently deceased girl whose new afterlife is threatened by her lack of popularity has a lot of goofy charm but is also peppered with sly commentary on social status in the age of the internet. Clever camera work and cheeky characters make this a really breezy watch for people who can’t deal with scary movies.
Errementari – A Basque dark fantasy/fairy tale based on the fairy tale of The Smith and the Devil this a spooky mood piece that showcases great costumes, an interesting dialect, and a scary forest setting. While the story is generally familiar all the other parts of this movie make it really unique and at times charming and disarming. This movie is B-movie spooky about on-par with the scariness of Pan’s Labyrinth.
Jacob’s Ladder – One of my favorite “psychological” horror movies of all time about a man losing his mind after coming from the Vietnam War. I thought maybe this movie was too mainstream to list but I actually feel like most people haven’t seen it. I think I would describe this movie as bleak and the type of horror that sticks with you. There’s only a few actually gruesome things, most of the time you just get that creeping sense something is wrong and the horror comes after the movie sits with you for a while.
Knife + Heart – A French porn producer tries to make her biggest film yet while all of her actors are killed off by a man in a strange costume. This movie has a few over the top murders so it’s more slasher than anything else. A warning, it deals with mature themes of pretty much every flavor but it’s strange and thoughtful and so unique I wish more people watched it. More spooky and shocking than actually scary at any point but it has extreme Halloween vibes because of the intersection of 1979, porn, gays in little costumes, and neon lights.
Lisa Frankenstein – A pretty new entry for this list and one for the mono-genre, it is a rom-com horror film! It plays in a around tropes, is set in the 80s so it has that distinct electric color palette and a very cheeky almost B-movie vibe. While this movie abstractly starts as a version of Frankenstein it is much more of a horror send up to a certain type of 80s teen movie. Not to say it doesn’t have some gruesome, bloody moments. This one thudded with critics and the box office but I suspect this will get a reevaluation at some point in the next 15 years.
November – During a cold Estonian winter, villagers trick the devil to survive the harsh winter. The film revolves around the spirituality, brutality, and lengths that people in desperate situations will go through. Featuring lots of Estonian mythology, countryside, and manors all shot in beautiful black and white that makes this film as visually unsettling and dark as its narrative. With a fairy tale feel and narrative that keeps you at arms length this is a spooky film that is sure to chill you.
One Cut of the Dead – The original title of this film is “カメラを止めるな!” or “don’t stop the camera!” which is the perfect explanation of this laugh out loud zombie film since the films set up is following a film crew as they film a zombie movie. A film within a film that quickly spirals out of control and is enjoyable for people who love comedy, love zombies, but also those who love clever film making. This is actually a great movie to watch in a group (it was originally a play so it benefits from extra energy) and it’s pretty tame so it’s good for older teens or mixed groups of adults where some of the adults don’t like scary movies.
Only Lovers Left Alive – Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston play estranged vampire partners who have been coasting through modern society. Upon their reunion, they rediscover music, passion, and contemplate living in the modern world until one of their younger sisters shows up and inserts herself into their world. Sexy, sleek, slow, and laguid this is a horror movie because it has vampires but it is such a lovely and dreamy tome on life and modernity.
The Witches of Eastwick – If you’re looking for cozy autumn vibes much more than scares and thrills, this is the movie for you. Three best friends (Cher, Susan Sarandon, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Veronica Cartwright) in a cozy New England town accidentally form a coven and summon Jack Nicholson where in all manners of ill begotten magic happen. For people who liked Halloweentown or Hocus Pocus as a child this movie offers a more mature but no more spooky movie.
The Vourdalak – Based on Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy’s 1839 novella The Family of the Vourdalak this is a Slavic/Gothic story that plays at the line of tension between horror and comedy very well. It’s also shot on a 16mm so it has a really distinct almost dream-like feel. This is a very strange movie that is also kind of delightful, it’s a very fun experience to smile because you’re just having a fun time while you’re watching a horror film even though the movie isn’t a comedy. I would suggest this one to anyone who likes period pieces and old timey films.
Bonus:
Last Year at Marienbad – This isn’t a horror film per se (it’s a psychological drama) but like a Charlie Kaufman film or a David Lynch film the ideas and images in this film will gently haunt you. The exploration of reality and self turning and twisting is more eerie and uncanny than spooky but it gives you the same deep unwell feeling that a good horror movie evokes. Also it’ll make you want to vacation in French castle as a bonus.
That’s all for this year! Hopefully I can share 10 more movies next year but until then, stay Spooky out there 🙂