The plight of the scaredy-cat is not being able to watch horror movies without absolutely humiliating themselves. With that, Halloween can be a tough time of year when it comes to watching movies. Everyone suggests the same thing around Halloween, "Let's watch this horror movie!" But fear no more, my fellow scaredy-cats, for I have three movies that are technically within the horror genre that you can suggest to your friends, without looking like a wimp :)
Shaun Of The Dead (2004)
This horror/comedy blends genres seamlessly to create a zombie movie that thrills as much as it provokes laughter. Director Edgar Wright made his mark back in 2004 with this remarkably funny and horrific piece of genre filmmaking. His comedic timing is perfect, as is his timing when it comes to building suspense. The smart script, penned by Wright and co-writer/star Simon Pegg (Shaun), offers enough laughs to take the edge off of horror for the more easily-frightened viewer; and the lovable Nick Frost as Shaun's friend Ed is just a cherry on top!
Signs (2002)
This alien invasion thriller comes to us from M. Night Shyamalan, the director of the horror classic The Sixth Sense. While perfectly capturing the spirit of an American Autumn, this move offers spine tingling suspense through slow but intriguing build-up throughout the runtime. Because most of the film's suspense comes from that build-up, and that build-up introduces us to a lovable family lead by Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix, a non-horror fan can be safe from looking like a weenie too much; there is a fair amount of jump scares, but nothing that will keep you awake at night. And at the center of it all is a beautiful message about faith and redemption, which should lift your spirits even if the overall film scares you a bit :)
Psycho (1960)
This is the oldest film on the list, but it ushered in the modern era of horror, so you can just throw out that fun fact if any of your friends dog its age. Because of its age, Psycho is a bit more bearable than most slasher films; however, it remains very disturbing, especially for those who don't know the ending. Bernard Herrmann's score is iconic; if you don't know the film itself, then you might just know the tune. Furthermore, it is arguably the masterwork of the Master Of Suspense himself, Mr. Alfred Hitchcock-who created a very tongue in cheek trailer for the film way back in the 60s.
I say all of this to say that if your friends doubt the power of Psycho as a horror movie, then they will be proved wrong by the movie. However, if you think you cannot take Psycho because its a horror movie, I think you'll actually find that you can take it.
Have a happy Halloween, everybody!
