10 Non-Horror Movies That Are HORRIFYING

You don't need to be a Horror Movie to be HORRIFYING.

0:00 - Intro
0:38 - No Country For Old Men
1:37 - Watershed Down
2:33 - The Truman Show
3:21 - The Boy In The Striped Pajamas
4:13 - Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory
5:03 - Jurassic Park
5:55 - Spencer
6:47 - Return To Oz
7:47 - Trainspotting
8:44 - Compliance

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[aadamtx]

REQUIEM FOR A DREAM definitely should be on the list. THE NEVERENDING STORY is pretty horrific at times and one of the saddest films. Thanks for adding SPENCER - I've been bypassing it, thinking it's simply a Princess Di biopic, but now I'll give it a look-see.

[princessstomper]

I've never thought of Jurassic Park as anything other than a horror film (it doesn't have to be R-rated to be scary - like you mentioned, Jaws is another) - and Return to Oz is fantasy-horror that happens to be suitable for small children (if you're prepared for them to wear black for the rest of their spooky little lives).

[oldshovelhead]

Well done, great list to be sure. I'm 61 and as far back as I can remember I have been a fan of all things scary; haunted houses, music, figurines, and of course the almighty horror film (my wife and I of 33 years OFTEN do the hide and "BOO" - daily).
I can remember to this day how scared I was of the boat ride in Willy Wonka, it's still frightening in the most lovely way!!

[Pinupchemist]

Kids is disturbing to me. Every decade or so I rewatch it to see if it’s really as bad as I remember. It is.

[Brian-gcru]

If they do a part 2, you have to add Coraline to the list. I thought it would've been in this one.

[madmissmim]

Yeah, Return to Oz and Watership Down are definitely horrifying. I first saw them when I was a small impressionable child back in the 80's (geez, I'm getting old). I would also like to add Secret of NIMH and The Black Cauldron, not to mention The Dark Crystal, to the list of traumatizing 80's kids movies

[aaronmartin]

I think Requiem for a dream is a psychological thriller/horror film.

[doclewis]

Yep. I agree that Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory has some horror elements. It use to give me nightmares as did The Wizard of Oz.

[valerierosario]

Great list! I would add Flowers in the Attic. Based on VC Andrews' best selling novel, it's about a woman who was disinheritrd by her mega rich religious fanatic parents for eloping with her uncle. When he dies in an accident, she, now a mother of four children, begs her mother for forgiveness and permission to return to their mansion. Her mother says she must lock her, children in an attic bedroom hidden from her father and everyone else. There, the grandmother torments the children, beats them, curs the older girl's hair, and convinces the mother to poison them in order to stay in the father's will. The mother allows money to replace her maternal instincts.

[BomageMinimart]

Come and See (1985) is absolutely one of the horrifying films I've ever seen and deserves to be on this list. Massively impactful, IMO.

[techweenie]

I think you missed one of the most powerful: Perfect Sense removes hope piece by piece until you’re literally in a void.

[rebeccamcdermott]

Watership Down is the first film that comes to mind. It gave me nightmares for a week after watching it the first time as a kid. I still struggle with some scenes now.

[teejaydee]

Honestly watching Jurassic Park in theatres as a kid probably started my love for horror movies and video games. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, and my parents had to take my brother out during the T-Rex scene, leaving me even more in suspense since I was by myself for a bit. It’s definitely a gateway horror movie to me and made me love movies in general.

[Hetaliafan]

Have you thought about doing a list on the best horror movies that were made in other countries or even continents? I'd love to see some lists from countries that don't often get thought of as film nations such as Norway, South Africa, Netherlands, Argentina or even just the continents of Africa, Central and South America? I really loved the list about Taiwan recently.

[allison]

It may be a lot, But I feel like Trainspotting should be a required high school watch. You will never touch hard drugs. Brilliant film.

[ApsaraMenaka]

To me that scene in Dumbo when he's drunk or something and has hallucinations was horrible as a child. I still see melting pink elephants in my mind whenever I hear Dumbo.

[Dopecheetah]

Watership Down is Not for children. I don’t know why they told us that. It’s terrifying at any age!

[RazorFriendly]

I'd add The Terminator to this list. It's basically a slasher film wrapped in Sci-Fi trappings. An unstoppable, emotionless killer stalks a woman, and kills everyone around her until it's just the two of them in a showdown.

[BiologyBabe]

I think the horror was from Kristin Stewart playing the beloved Diana. That’s what got me.

[adriennemeyer]

While Watership Down was scary and traumatic as a kid they adapted another one of Richard Adams books that is a 1000 x more traumatic. The Plague Dogs is still to this day one of the most emotionally devastating movies I've ever seen. I'm not a big cryer but I can't even describe the ending without breaking out in tears. You can't tell me that movie doesn't have monsters