Ten Great Horror Movies For Beginners
Entry Level Horror Movies
Horror has a high barrier to entry compared to other genres. The spooky themes and disturbing content make horror movies challenging for novices. If you’re brand new to the genre, you’re not going to want to start with Terrifier or Henry: Portrait of the Serial Killer. It’s important to develop your fear threshold.
That’s where the movies below come in. Grab some popcorn (like those fun-loving gremlins pictured above) and check out ten great horror movies for beginners, listed in alphabetical order. Some of these are fantastic genre intros for adults, while others are appropriate starting points for teens or kids.
Beetlejuice (1988)
There are lots of movies about people who move into haunted houses, but how about one from the ghosts’ perspective? In a reversal of the typical haunted house formula, Beetlejuice is about the spirits of a recently deceased couple who want to repel the new inhabitants of their former home.
They hire the eccentric supernatural exorcist Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) to help, but he proves to be more than they (or anyone else) can handle.
Why It’s Good For Beginners: This movie is funny and lighthearted, with lots of creepy visuals. A young Tim Burton was at his best here. Michael Keaton is uproarious as the title character. Like many horror movies for beginners, Beetlejuice has comedic elements that balance out the horror material.
Why You Might Want to Skip It: Beetlejuice is a funny guy, but it’s easy to see how his appearance could terrify little kids. Also, this movie obviously wouldn’t be a good choice for someone who wants to start with a serious horror movie.
Gremlins (1984)
An unassuming inventor purchases a strange little creature named Gizmo at a Chinatown shop. After Gizmo is mistreated, he spawns nasty little monsters who terrorize a picturesque Norman Rockwell-style American town.
This movie was one of the biggest box office hits of the ’80s and had a tremendous impact on pop culture. Its success led to a mercifully short-lived surge of little monster movies (Critters, Ghoulies, etc.).
Like some of the other movies in this list, Gremlins is difficult to categorize. Is it best defined as a horror movie? A comedy? A harrowing lesson on the perils of believing in Santa Claus? Your guess is as good as mine.
Why It’s Good For Beginners: Gremlins maintains a mostly lighthearted tone. It’s rarely scary or disturbing.
Why You Might Want to Skip It: Definitely just for teens and up. The level of violence and grotesqueness is surprisingly high for a Steven Spielberg movie.
Stream Gremlins at Amazon Prime Video
Jurassic Park (1993)
This cautionary tale about the perils of resurrecting dinosaurs has plenty of fun dino chomping and impressive special effects. Like Gremlins, I’m honestly not sure this movie qualifies as horror.
The sequels clearly fall into the action category, but a decent argument could be made that the original is horror, or at least horror-adjacent.
Why It’s Good For Beginners: Lots of tension and suspense, but no extreme violence or gore. The most likeable characters tend to survive, and it’s fun to watch the dinosaurs take care of the rest.
Why You Might Want to Skip It: The t-rex and velociraptor hijinks are too intense for younger kids. I watched this in the theater when I was 12 and didn’t find it frightening, but that’s just because I was rooting for the dinosaurs to eat everyone.
Stream Jurassic Park at Amazon Prime Video
The Lost Boys (1987)
Keifer Sutherland, Alex Winter, Corey Haim, and Corey Feldman stars in this ’80s cult classic about teenagers who battle a gang of punk vampires in a California beachside town. The movie’s dark humor and cartoonish gore make it a fun horror movie for beginners.
Why It’s Good For Beginners: Cheesy ’80s horror movies have developed a massive cult following. The Lost Boys is perfect for horror novices who are interested in this type of film. It’s the epitome of ’80s cheese.
Why You Might Want to Skip It: This movie is dated, juvenile, and lacks any serious scares. That’s part of its charm, actually. But The Lost Boys is a poor choice for anyone who is looking to get into more serious stuff, like modern elevated horror movies.
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
We’ve already discussed this movie here and here, so we’ll keep this brief. Jack Skellington rules over a realm where it’s Halloween all the time. He finds a foreign land called Christmas Town and decides to kidnap Santa, accidentally ruining Christmas in the process.
Why It’s Good For Beginners: This is my top pick to introduce kids to horror. The Nightmare Before Christmas shares many similarities with the classic Disney animated musicals that have been popular with kids for generations.
Why You Might Want to Skip It: You shouldn’t skip it, but people who don’t like animated movies probably won’t be interested in watching.
Stream The Nightmare Before Christmas on Disney +
Poltergeist (1982)
Poltergeist serves up lots of spooky family-friendly scares. It’s about a little girl, Carol Anne (Heather O’ Rourke), who is terrorized by ghosts after her family moves into a new house. The angry spirits communicate with her through the family’s television.
Why It’s Good For Beginners: Relatively mild scares and fun gooey ’80s special effects. Kids might enjoy watching a movie with a child protagonist – a relative rarity in the horror genre.
Why You Might Want to Skip It: Poltergeist features a little girl being kidnapped and terrorized. Viewers may find Carol Anne’s torment too disturbing, even in the context of a purely fantastical storyline.
Watch Poltergeist on Google Play
Psycho (1960)
Motel owner Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) tries to hide his creepy obsession with his dead mother behind a friendly facade. He seems harmless, and that’s what makes him so dangerous.
Psycho is known for the infamous scene in which its supposed protagonist, Marion Crane (Janet Leigh), is stabbed to death in the shower. Although the scene features no explicit nudity or gore, it was still incredibly shocking by the standards of the era.
Why It’s Good For Beginners: Psycho is one of the most innovative horror movies ever made and has even been called the beginning of modern horror. From a historical perspective, it’s a great place to start for anyone who is interested in studying the genre.
Why You Might Want to Skip It: For obvious reasons, this movie is totally inappropriate for children.
Ready or Not (2019)
Talk about in-laws from hell! A spunky newlywed fights for survival after her husband’s wacky family tries to kill her in order to save themselves from an ancient curse.
Why It’s Good For Beginners: Ready or Not features a great balance between humor and horror. The blood and jokes fly freely and frequently. Burgeoning gore hounds will love it.
Why You Might Want to Skip It: People who are squeamish about gore definitely won’t want this to be their introduction to the genre.
Stream Ready or Not on Apple TV
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019)
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is based on the controversial book series of the same name. On Halloween 1968, a group of teenage friends break into an abandoned haunted house and find a book of spooky stories inside. To their amazement, an invisible entity keeps adding new stories to the book – and the stories are coming true.
Why It’s Good For Beginners: The young protagonists and relatively tame violence make it a good starting point for teens.
Why You Might Want to Skip It: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is definitely geared toward a younger audience. Adult horror novices may not find it interesting.
Stream Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark on Netflix
The Sixth Sense (1993)
Psychologist Malcom Crowe attempts to help a young boy, Cole (Hailey Joel Osment) who is having terrifying ghostly visions. Meanwhile, Crowe’s world crumbles as he gradually realizes the shocking truth about his own life.
Why It’s Good For Beginners: The Sixth Sense keeps explicit violence to a minimum, making it a great choice for viewers who don’t have a strong stomach.
Why You Might Want to Skip It: This is easily the scariest movie on this list. The Sixth Sense has some of the most effective jump scares I’ve ever seen. Director M. Night Shyamalan does a great job building palpable tension and dread.
Stream The Sixth Sense on Google Play
time to hand out some awards
So, which one of these movies is the best to start with? Here are some suggestions.
Best for Adults: Psycho
Best for Kids: The Nightmare Before Christmas
Best for the Gore-Curious: Ready or Not
Best for Laughs: Beetlejuice
Best for Scares: The Sixth Sense
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