TOP 25 HORROR MOVIES FOR BEGINNERS (where to start + not too scary) 

cyber month deal! go to www.nordvpn.com/possessedbyhorror to get 73% off a two year plan plus one additional month free, only $3.16 per month!

I feel like Get Out is a perfect movie for beginners because it’s not gory or anything that would bother a lot of people but it is suspenseful and is overall just a really good movie (not a classic but will definitely be in the future)

I would def say to watch Scream after watching the classic slashers like Halloween and Friday the 13th since the Scream franchise basically spoils them all!!!

I recommend the haunting of hill house for beginners, which I know is weird because it is definitely scary. My argument is that my husband hates scary movies and is easily scared but he binged that series and still raves about it. It’s a must see!

Haha when your parents don't care what you watched as a kid, so these are just childhood favorites. 😄

I'm not a horror fan, but DEFINITELY I'd say "Cabin in the woods". It's just perfect. So full of references, so funny, yet so well done and intriguing. And the ending. OMG. THE ENDING?? That was brilliant... It's my favourite horror movie by far. :D

So I definitely lean to older cinema, especially when I don't want to be scared or maybe just prefer a good/simple story? Here are five I think could be added to this list. Psycho (1960) - a must see classic, not scary, but full of dread and suspense House (1977) - your list lacked some foreign language picks, this is one that is kind of scary but very accessible to anyone Phantasm (1979) - a recent discovery for me, amazing score, a few great scares, but lots of mystery and intrigue, highly recommend The Changeling (1980) - a well acted haunted house/ghost story with no gore but lots of beautiful, gothic atmosphere Poltergeist (1982) - some terrifying scenes but this is such a good movie for the entire family, everyone has to see this

THANK YOU FOR THIS!!! i was never allowed to watch horror growing up so i feel super behind, and there are sooo many movies it can feel intimidating without guidance. happy spooky season 💜

Can someone explain to me why I have a boat load list of movies I want to watch that I’ve never seen but I always end up watching the same old movies I’ve already seen. 🤷‍♀️

My gf doesn’t really like horror but makes the effort to watch some movies like these ones, which have great characters, stories and aren’t too intense. I just wanted to say that she watched Gonjiam thanks to your review and she deeply enjoyed it!! So thank you! 😬😊

Ok but Jaws (the og) hits VERY well even today! The effects are very impressive still and the scares are awesome. I encourage a rewatch!

I remember watching disturbia when I was in 6th grade and not finding it too bad. I was so scared of things back then too. I did have to leave the lights on in the house for a while but for people looking into horror, it might be a good starter. Some gore, some jump scares, but not too bad. And Shia LaBeouf… enough said.

I would add Guillermo del Toro’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. It has almost no gore and is generally pretty tame but the visuals and writing are insane. It has some of the traditional tropes and the story is kind of cheesy, but overall a fantastic watch for a newcomer to the horror genre.

Creepshow definitely got me more into horror especially bc I love how campy and how much variety there is in both the original and newer series. I did accidentally watched the lake blob episode of creep show with my dad though :(

“Gremlins” and “Ghoulies” were the first two that came to mind. My personal favorite horror movie is “Re-Animator”, which tends to be more campy than scary, but it definitely has a good helping of gore. “An American Werewolf In London” is also a good choice. There is a little bit of gore, but it strikes a good balance between horror and comedy.

House on Haunted Hill (1959) is one of the most fun horror movies I’ve ever seen, and I love it to death :)

yeah honestly when i first started getting into horror i did a mix of classics and not super scary, great video !

Highly agree that Scream is so fun to start with!

I would recommend The Lost Boys. It’s not too scary, although the vampires can be kind of creepy. There’s a little bit of gore, but there’s generally not much. It’s also pretty lighthearted, and the jokes land well. I think Kiefer Sutherland does a really good job in this movie.

I feel like I’m a horror movie fan bc before I could barely watch scary movies alone and now it’s one of my favorite things to do and analyze.

I love horror movies! I would put Cabin in the woods, Scary Stories to tell in the dark, 47 Meters Down, The Strangers, and Escape Room in this list

Your literally my go to feel good horror channel I watch a lot of other horror channels but I can always expect feeling good after watching your vids

love the new layout for displaying the movie names :D

I'm so stoked you mentioned Triangle! That movie stuck with me and basically no one I know has seen it or heard of it. Even to this day I think about the ending and how the loop could've started in the first place

Great video and list as always! My very first intro to horror was the original Chucky movies, the Child's Play trilogy and it made me fall in love with the genre instantly. It ticked all the boxes for me. It was scary (at least for me), but not too much, it had a decent amount of gore and they were all fun. And later Bride Of Chucky put together everything i love about horror. It prepared me to the rest of the genre. Paranormal Activity, Scream and Blair With Project were some of my firsts as a beginner fan too and i recommend them to everyone. I think supernatural/ghost moves in general are a great start if anybody's wanna get into horror, cause mostly, they not all that disturbing.

So glad you mentioned Signs. I saw it pretty young and it's by far my scariest movie memory of all time. Great intense moments, great cast and great story about a man questioning his faith. Love it.

Good choices~ Althought maybe even the original adaptation of "It" it's too scary for beginners. Tim Curry was fantastic on that one. Some oldies like "Psycho" or the original zombie trilogy of George A. Romero would be for me also good ways to start on the genre, if you don't mind watching older movies.

I'm still a horror beginner myself, but I'd really like to recommend Train to Busan! I didn't think it was that scary, and it's genuinely very good with an amazing cast. Very sad though so be prepared to cry

Rosemary's Baby and House of the Devil! Excellent list, lots of favorites on this. I'd also say the Lost Boys.

Thank you for putting where they can be streamed! I agree with Scream, Jennifer's Body, Carrie, and Signs. I also think the I Know What You Did Last Summer movies aren't too bad for beginners

My personal experience the first time I watched paranormal activity, I couldn't sleep for a whole week. It could also be that elements of my culture background played a big part on how the movie impacted me.

3:55 YES let's get that Shyamalan praise! His movies are amazing, he's also my favorite director which is a huge hot take! The Village is my all time favorite movie, and i highly recommend it as well to anyone who hasnt seen it!

Thanks for this video! I've been dipping my toes into the horror genre a bit but I really hate jumpscares, so this video is really helpful. As for my own recommendation, It's a series but I think the haunting of bly manor is good for beginners! It's spooky but no jumpscares and the story is really beautiful :)

First off just wanted to say thanks for the content Sarah❤️ knew you were having a hard time filming this but you can’t tell one bit! Secondly OMG you mentioned the classics but not chucky!! I know they aren’t your thing but definitely check these out if your a beginner they aren’t to scary!❤️

I'm definitely not a beginner, but I think these recs are really good! I've been curious about Triangle for awhile now, and sometimes I need to take a break from super disturbing stuff. I really appreciate that you put where to stream in the video, that's really helpful.

Thank you for making this! I started my channel a little bit ago (inspired by you) because I love horror but I'm super new to the genre, so I've been like binge watching your lists and recommendation videos to make a spreadsheet :') But now I have something I can definitivley dive into!

I have a soft spot for Crawl (I love creature features) so I’m so glad you included it.

I started off with the first three Saw films. I've been a fan of the horror genre ever since.

this list is incredible!!! 🦇 I never wonder why you’re my favorite youtuber!

I AM SO EXCITED TO WATCH!!! you make my day every single time you post ❤️

I appreciate how kind you are to beginners. Iv seen and experienced a lot of very "gatekeepy" responses to newbie recommendations that involves tones like: "horror is scary, if you can handle scary go watch a comedy."

I would recommend the OG Night of the Living Dead. It's way more a story about people than it is zombies.

In addition to the slashers and stuff you recommended, which I also think is a great starting point, I'd also recommend sci-fi horror movies like The Thing or Alien. They're both absolute classics, and they've aged pretty well, but I actually think that the majority of movie goers in 2021 will be able to make it through them without being traumatized, just because of how influential those movies are, and because how they've proliferated pop culture -- most people will have already seen something similar that was heavily inspired by one of the two. I'd probably recommend zombie movies. I don't think that zombies are very scary, and there's a lot of different flavors of zombie movie to recommend to different people. Like depending on how much of a chicken the person is, you could start with like 28 Days Later (normal difficulty), or Train to Busan (easy difficulty), or go with something even easier like Shaun of the Dead for a 100% pure beginner who is scared of everything.

This was so good! Your reviews are honestly the best

i’m a early teen and i’m just trying to get into horror and i just got done watching the blair witch project like 5 mins ago. it was so good and not too scary, i would recommend it to anybody over the age of 12!

Ahhhh! Thank you so much. I recently found your channel & honestly, this is exactly what I needed. Obviously I’ve watched all the Halloween films & I’m obsessed with them as well was Scream, but I still consider myself a newbie. I just watched the Texas chainsaw massacre original & remake the other day & had nightmares, so I think I need to slow down right now so this video is perfect for me haha! Thanks girl! Happy Halloween! 🖤🎃

Great video idea! I have younger sibling I am trying to get into this kind of stuff. They both love scream, Halloween, ANOES franchise , scary stories to tell in the dark, the gate, gremlins, the critters franchise, and a few others.

This is perfect! I’ll be watching some of these with my younger sister. She loves to watch spooky stuff with me, but I’m hesitant sometimes depending on whether I’ve seen the movie or not.

I’m trying to get into horror, watched around 7-9 movies. Just watched the sixth sense last night with my mom. It’s pretty scary but more so very heart wrenching and sad. So many emotional parts that almost some tears out of me, and I don’t really cry during movies. Definitely a great one.

orphan is a must for me..the twist is for forever iconic

Thank you so so so much for including where we can watch these!

Thanks for the recommendations! I'm not really a beginner in the genre, but I have become a bit more sensitive to them, because I had a big horror break for a while, so slowly getting into it again. Blair witch actually scared me so much the first time I watched it. I feel like you only get scared when you are really focussed on the movie when watching. otherwise the suspence and creeping eary feeling doesn't build up. Because my friend who isn't into horror and also gets scared by them quick, wasn't scared at all, but they didn't pay attention a lot.

This video was a great idea! Sometimes I want scary themed movies, especially for around Halloween, but aren't in the mood for more intense films.

The first horror movie I watched was nightmare on elm street. Couldn’t have made a better choice. My favorite to this day!

Love this video and the comment section!! I needed a list like this :) I love the Scream series.. got me to try more scary movies. I would like to add Urban legend and The Thing 🖤

This video is awesome omg!! I agree so much with carrie, the others, and creepshow those where some of the 1st movies i ever watched as kid lolol

I genuinely love The Village and had no idea it was controversial to like until now 😅

Amazing content as always. Keep them coming! 🔥🔥

When a stranger calls (original or remake) is one of my all time favs. Not super scary, but the concept is creepy, especially if your a teenager who has ever babysat.

very happy to see battle royale on here. one of my all-time favourites! :)

I remember that The Sixth Sense was the first ever horror movie I watched and it scared me so much that it took me a long time to start watching horror movies again hahaha but after I came across your channel, I've been challenging myself to watch more horror. Do I still watch them in the day time because I get scared? yes, but hey, it's a start right? HAHAHAHAHA

I would also recommend 1408 as a good stater horror movie.i personally love this movie

As someone who loves absolutely scary movies, this is still a good list for old classics I usually have a craving to watch just during the day. I thought the video was called "where to stream them" and I was like "ugh I hate sifting through google to find what I want" that's ok though haha Oh you did! Awesome thank you!!

yessss i've been so excited to watch this! i sent you like 20 movie ideas for this video on insta so i'm excited to see the movies you chose to include in this! 😺🍿

Always been scared of open water and that film terrified me! Especially when I know it's a true story! Great list love your videos xx

For beginners I recommend: The exorcist The Texas chain saw massacre Hereditary Saw And u can’t forget martyrs

I remember watching the others! It was my first horror movie experience and it defiantly wasn't too scary. Its a great place to start if your a beginner and I'm pretty sure it doesn't have any gore!

I think Horror Comedies are the best introduction to the genre because it allows beginners to laugh while exposing them to aspects of the genre such as jump scares, gore, or messed up imagery. I would recommend Scream or Tucker and Dale vs Evil. Basically allows you to get your feet wet.

loved the video!! I'm a beginner and I've already watched most of these and totally agree with u

I love you for mentioning the others and battle royale, those are two of my favorite movies

I like horror but I'm a baby, so I have absolutely confirm that Scream is the perfect movie for people like me. It's honestly my favorite horror series

The Sixth Sense was the first horror movie I saw and I was traumatised for years!! Rewatching it now I'm so desentised but I still understood why it affected me so much

Also, thank you for listing streaming options!

Thank you so much for this video 🤣 Horror chicken here, I have loved your vids for years!

Anxiously awaiting your review of Antlers!

I watched my first horror movie when I was 7 in 1968 so I am obviously from a different generation. For those interested in 80’s horror I highly recommend The Changeling with George C Scott and The Movie The Herse. I loved them both. Changeling was on RU-vid and is a great supernatural and not too scary….. I love your channel Sarah. Thanks so muxh

This is a wonderful video thank you so much!

My FAVORITE of your videos!!!! Really great recommends.

Paranormal Activity is totally a modern classic. It showcased what could still be done on a shoestring budget and was super effective. The Descent is another modern classic imo. More intense though.

When you said scream in the beginning I was very happy (it’s my favourite horror movie of all time) that is the film I always introduce to new people who want to get into horror Triangle is a great one too

Hi there, so I know this video is quite old but I just wanted to say thank you so much for introducing me to The Sixth Sense I loved it so much I just finished and WOW the ending. I am still in tears. But I loved it so much so thank you I look forward to watching the rest of the movies on this list :)

Great video. The craft is my favourite x

My first horror movies were Poltergeist, Psycho, and Silence of the Lambs. All of which terrified me as a pre-teen lol. Omg and When a Stranger Calls!!! The go-to sleepover movie, probably watched it twenty times

I haven't been a beginner of horror in a long time. I know what most of my horror taste is and still exploring the genre. This list is actually good and in case that I need it at some point.

Certified scaredy cat here! the only horror ive been able to make it through so far has been Jaws and the original Alien movie. Absolute classics both of them, and since im a huge practical effects nerd i love them even more, but I definitely want to keep dipping my toe in the genre in general - i think my next targets will be Jennifer's Body and The Craft, thank you for your recommendations!!!

I agree with your choices, it's a pretty good list already, but if you don't mind I'd like to add another 10 great movies for beginners: - Trick R' Treat - Sleepy Hollow - Silent Hill - The mummy - ghost ship - Alien - The ruins - It follows - Orphan - Ghotika

I totally agree with the Scream franchise. Probably the best place to start. The 6th sense is good, along with the craft and the crow. Funny horror would also be a good in-road like zombie land, Shaun of the Dead and Rocky horror picture show (in a theater If possible). I would add 80's horror with lost boys, the serpent and the rainbow and nightmare on elm st. After you have gotten your toes wet I would head for the classics: Halloween, Friday the 13th and Texas chainsaw massacre, originals before remakes. As for newer movies Hellfest and the fear st movies on Netflix were awesome without being over the top.

I saw Signs in the theater, I would have been 16 or 17 at the time, no stranger to horror. I swear I had trouble sleeping for about a week after that. Still to this day even though I know what's coming it will scare me. Great work

I've watched countless hours of gut wrenching online horror videos but something about watching a horror movie rather than video makes me anxious as I've never seen one

Great list! I'd like to recommend Vile (2011), Vacancy, The Mothman Prophencies, Stigmata, The Ruins, P2, The Orphanage, Oculus,and Bait. I always enjoy your videos, dont always agree, but great content! Keep up the great work!

For the record, I don't really care if everyone agrees with everyone on opinion based things like this. I love horror, and I find horror content creators who's vibe I like. I will watch some of their recommendations, but even if I don't agree don't mean anything. We are all different people with different perspectives. The few who think we all need to adhere to some weird horror fan code need to grow up. BUT I love this list. I have seen almost everything but now I have a few more to add to my watch list! Thank you! If anything, I think it would be cool if you started make some series based around Monster Movies. I know you've done a lot of sub genres, and even decade lists. But what about some monster love? Like a list just for Vampire movies, or Alien movies (did you do this? I know you did space...) or even super cheesy monster movies (like the original Godzilla! it's considered a horror).

Great list. I think Jaws is a great movie to start out with, that's the movie that got me in horror. As for other movies I would add Black Swan as a modern classic and also Sleepy Hollow which isn't scary but the atmosphere really makes it.

A Tale of Two Sisters or Ringu are must watch films for anyone who's starting to dip their toes in the horror genre especially that Asian horror scene

I LOVED horror movies when I was in middle school and now that I'm in my 20's I cant watch anything with having such bad anxiety so now I get my horror fill through review channels

This video was really helpful! I’ve been meaning to get into horror movies because a lot of friends like them, but I’m not a big fan of heavy gore movies.

Omg I loved crawl and Jennifers Body is one of my fave flm, not just fave horror film!

13 ghosts was the first horror movie i watched asa kid and stilll love rewatching to this day! I wouldnt say its to scarey and has a great storyline!

This was a great list. Jennifer’s Body very quickly I feel made it’s way into being a classic. I will always recommend that movie. Do you watch a lot of Korean thriller/horror?

I recently watched Children of the Corn for the first time and I feel like that would be a good beginner Stephen King movie 🌽 it’s creepy but not too scary or gross. Also I LOVE Creepshow 😍♥️

You should do a list of some of your horror favorites that don't have jumpsacres. I love horror but I HATE jumpscares, so there's a lot I end up avoiding.