I don’t know how your relationships work when it comes to movies, but as someone that can pretty much watch anything, there is one kind of film in particular that causes a divide in my household… horror movies. Let me set this up before we go any further…
The trailer for The Woman in Black recently played on television and when it ended my girlfriend proclaimed, “Oh hell no!” She said the same thing when she saw the trailer for Paranormal Activity 3 and was even unwilling to watch even “The River” with me. I did manage to coerce her into watching Dream House and about midway through she was almost ready to bail, not necessarily because it was scary, but because it was a) stupid and b) started relying on jump scares. Jump scares, in fact, are one of the number one reasons I believe she has a problem watching the horror genre.
Of course, there are some people that just don’t like to be scared. “Why would I want to be scared?” is something they might ask and when looked at from that point of view there is no real come back. Some of us may enjoy the thrill we get when something scary happens on screen, but can we really fault someone for not wanting to be scared?
Where I think horror films cause most people to shy away, are the ones that strike too close to home or create an atmosphere so realistic the viewer has a hard time getting away from it once it ends and they head for bed. Yes, these are the films horror lovers tend to go back to. The films that make the skin crawl, creating an atmosphere such as what’s found in The Others or The Orphanage, two films that don’t really have much in the way of traditional horror movie scares, but are undoubtedly scary. And most certainly not for the easily scared.
So, while I know the traditional idea of watching scary movies with significant others is the hope to give them a scare to the point they have to hold on to you out of sheer terror, but I’m going a different route. This Valentine’s Day, I’m looking for a decent horror movie couples can enjoy together, and not only that, horror movies for people that don’t like jump scares or the atmosphere of a really scary and/or creepy movie? After all, you have to get them to watch the film in the first place.
I think I came up with a few options that just might work, though I leave the ultimate decision up to you…
Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer
Yeah, there are still some jump scares in the Scream franchise and in most of these films, but what they essentially boil down to are scarier versions of “Dawson’s Creek” and “Gossip Girl” that most often feature actors from current junk television programs or musicians.
These are essentially the bubble gum versions of Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street, which may also be decent for some people that tend to shy away from horror, but in my estimation you’d be much safer with the Scream films, which is probably about as good as this kind of film gets. These kinds of films don’t typically aim for top quality.
Other Possible Titles to Consider (though all three aren’t very good): The Stepfather, Prom Night and Jennifer’s Body
Resident Evil and Silent Hill
Like all things, familiarity helps when attempting to get comfortable, and while there aren’t a ton of options out there in this category, I think a movie based on a video game that the person watching may have played will help desensitize them to some of the elements in the film they may normally consider scary.
The Resident Evil films have largely devolved into action films, but do attempt to evoke some level of atmosphere even though the franchise has gone on to become more “shoot ’em up” than anything else, but I still think it qualifies.
As for Silent Hill, like Resident Evil, it is picking up again this year with its own 3D installment this fall and while it may be a bit scarier than Resident Evil, if your significant other has played the game, perhaps it’s one they may be able to tolerate.
Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland
I can’t explain it and won’t attempt to, but there are large factions out there that LOVE zombie movies, but guess what, you’re not likely to get a frightened significant other to watch Night of the Living Dead or Dawn of the Dead, but you could most certainly entice them to watch Emma Stone and Jesse Eisenberg in Zombieland. It’s got its share of gore, but the number one goal here is comedy and you can always tell them it has the girl from Easy A and the guy from Adventureland along with Woody Harrelson and the little girl from Little Miss Sunshine. I mean, how can you go wrong?
Then there’s Shaun of the Dead, which is superior to Zombieland in most every way if you ask me and I would hope it wouldn’t take much coercing to get them to watch it.
A potential addition in this section would be the remake of Fright Night, which I think you could easily get away with showing a significant other that tends to shy from horror.
Tucker and Dale vs. Evil and Ghostbusters
You can’t get them to watch Wrong Turn or any other movie about kids getting killed in the woods, but I guarantee you can get them to watch a hilarious comedy that spoofs everything they are most likely to hate about those kinds of horror movies in general. Tucker and Dale vs. Evil is one of the best horror comedies you’re going to find and just like the zombie options above, it plays heavily on the comedy angle and while it has a fair share of gore it’s hard not to laugh through it all.
I decided to go with Ghostbusters as the combo feature here though I almost went with Evil Dead. While Evil Dead is clearly more in the horror genre I think Ghostbusters is the more populist choice in this case and definitely the safer choice considering the kind of horror films I’m trying to list. It has a couple of dark moments but for the most part it’s Bill Murray providing the laughs as he and his team kick paranormal ass.
Let the Right One In and The Host
Suppose that significant other of yours is more the refined type, suggesting you watch the latest Foreign Language Oscar contender. Perhaps they believe to be a true cineaste isn’t about watching blood and guts, but to broaden your horizons and explore other cultures. Well, while I think The White Ribbon is as much a horror as it is a period drama, how about suggesting the vampire horror film Let the Right One In from Sweden or South Korea’s monster feature The Host, both are subtitled for your enjoyment and I don’t particularly think either will scare anyone into submission.
In the case of Let the Right One In, the original exceeds the remake in terms of being a film less interested in scaring the audience and more interested in telling a delicate story of young romance. And with The Host, while it’s a monster movie it has a solid amount of tension and some great laughs courtesy of Kang-ho Song.
Rent those two films, pop open a bottle of Pinot Noir and get sophisticated.
So what do you think? Have I underestimated or over-estimated any of these films? What am I forgetting or have I left off the list? Share your thoughts in the comments below and have a happy Valentine’s Day.
