The Scariest Non-Horror Movies Ever!

Every October, you will see a list of all the best Horror movies. Halloween is the perfect time to revisit or experience some classic scares for the first time. However, when you are looking to be frightened, many non-horror movies may give you just as many—if not more—chills.

For example, there is one non-horror movie that has haunted me for many years. It is also a kids’ movie. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory gave me nightmares when I was younger. The scene that traumatized me the most is Violet turning into a blueberry. I can’t tell you why this moment haunted me, but the idea of suddenly getting bigger and bigger creeps me out. Even as an adult, Willy Wonka still gives me shivers (thanks, Gene Wilder!).

Of course, there are many other movies that could be described as horror but aren’t. Some of the most chilling films are based on true stories because you can’t tell yourself what you are witnessing is just a tale. Schindler’s List is a perfect example of this.

Pan’s Labyrinth combines some real history and fantasy. It chronicles a girl’s journey to complete three tasks to obtain immortality during the days of Spain’s Francoist period. If you don’t believe in fairy tales, you will find the ending of this movie depressing.

Then you have Return to Oz. Why did kids’ films in the 1980s seem to forget they were supposed to be for kids? This dark take on The Wizard of Oz begins with Dorothy undergoing electric shock therapy. It only gets worse from there, as even the good guys are scary!

Threads is a film that anyone who grew up during the Cold War can easily have nightmares about. The depiction of what would potentially happen in the aftermath of nuclear war was bleak—very bleak—and even more frightening, considering that, in the real world, something like this could still potentially happen.

While the horrors of drug abuse have been chronicled in many films, the psychedelic imagery used in Requiem for a Dream portrayed what a nightmare being caught in the throes of addiction can really look and feel like.

Night of the Hunter is an oldie but a goodie. A conman desperate to find the loot left by his now-deceased partner becomes a living nightmare for the man’s wife and children. The atmosphere is intense, especially the kid’s flight down the river.

The thing that is so frightening about 1984 is how many things you can find in this “fictional” dystopia in modern times. And more seem to appear every day. That should scare anyone.

So, if you are looking for something different to tease your horror palate, try some of these films that aren’t on the horror shelf.

Happy Halloween!

Pamela M.
Antioch Branch