# Scary movies for a first time horror movie watcher...



## kerska

So I'm dating this girl for about a month and she's never watched a horror movie. We're pretty much polar opposites and she's very prissy and is legitimately scared of horror movies, however after muscling through a couple of her chick flicks I've convinced her to watch a horror movie with me.

Sooo I want to do this right. I don't want to put something on that's so insanely scary that she'll never watch one with me again, but I don't want to put something gory or cheesy on that is just too ridiculous that has the same end result. I need some suggestions as to some good horror movies that aren't too over the top, but still have a good horror effect. 

I was thinking of staying kinda mainstream and watching something like The Ring, but was curious if anyone else had some good recommendations...?


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## MFB

Start with 70's/80's and work forward basically. The older horror movies are to us - 90's/later kids - rather cheesy and we basically laugh at them so for a first timer she might be a little uneasy with them but overall she shouldn't be losing her shit like you made her watch all the Paranormal Activities back-to-back-to-back-to-back (phew!)

Cabin in the Woods might also be a good one since it's a "classic" horror flick but done in the now with actors she'll recognize and not go "Oh my look at how young Jamie Lee Curtis is!"


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## Leuchty

Yeah...

Watch the Ring with her and then use your cell/mobile phone to ring the house phone...

BOOM!


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## flint757

I know for first timers possession movies are a big no no as well as ghost movies. It seems like they freak out quite easily. 

You could try a psychological thriller instead of an outright horror movie.


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## The Grief Hole

As gory as it is, try watching the Cronenburg remake of The Fly. There is some genuine emotion in it and the ending is actually extremely sad. That might open her up to thinking Horror movies are worth watching.......

It may aslo put her off ever wanting kids. Win/win situation.


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## vstealth

The ring is a pretty good first horror movie, one of the first I remember watching after not wanting to see a horror movie again after watching signs when it first came out.


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## Marv Attaxx

Start with the classics:
- Scream
- Nightmare on Elmstreet
- Friday the 13th
etc.

NEVER watch The Thing with a girl!!
NEVER!!!!


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## Leuchty

Girl with the dragon tattoo?

Not really horror though...

Or the human centipede?


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## mcleanab

To this day John Carpenter's THE PRINCE OF DARKNESS gives me the willies...

A little dated (80's), but not a lot of "boo!" scary moments, more sustained creepy type stuff.


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## wankerness

Marv Attaxx said:


> Start with the classics:
> - Scream
> - Nightmare on Elmstreet
> - Friday the 13th
> etc.



Those are kinda bad recs - Friday the 13th is pretty terrible besides the gore effects, and Scream won't make much sense to someone that hasn't seen all the movies it's referencing. Nightmare on Elm Street is DECENT but the acting and effects are REALLY bad and it would not help to make her think horror movies are any good. Everyone I know who grew up after about 1990 just laughs when they see stuff like the "Freddy with long arms" bit.

Basically I'm saying that if she's like most "KIDS THESE DAYS" she will just go OMG THIS IS SO LAAAAAAAME with anything made before about 1995. The fact you say she watches "chick flicks" further suggests this would be the case, unless you mean she watches like, Gone with the Wind and Casablanca instead of awful movies starring Jennifer Aniston or Katherine Heigl.

"Cabin in the Woods" is also not a good rec imo cause it is so loaded with references to other horror movies and a ton of the humor is dependent on knowledge of genre conventions. 

"The Fly" (the 80s version) is probably my favorite horror movie but it absolutely should not be the first thing she watches if she gets grossed out easily cause it is REALLY gory even by today's standards. If you think she can handle the gore effects, then yes it's a great rec cause it's a really well-made movie with one of the extremely few romances that work in a horror movie.

It's hard to give you recs without knowing what she really likes, besides "chick flicks." Here are some with an explanation:

"The Ring" (US remake) - This is a pretty good horror movie and it doesn't have much in the way of gory bits, but if you think she'd get freaked out too easily it might be too much cause it's pretty scary by movie standards. The first time I saw it I was very stoned and when the ghost came out of the TV at the end I was like "OMG I DON'T WANT TO LOOK AT HER FACE" and freaked out.

"The Descent" - This is a very good horror movie, it has good acting and it's about a group of women with no men (which is very rare in the very very sexist world of horror movies) but it's also very scary. The first half has a ton of really creepy stuff that will mortify anyone who's scared of the dark or is claustrophobic, and the second half has a bunch of things jumping out of the dark and a lot of gore. Judge accordingly!

"Final Destination" - It's not a very good movie at all, but it's a pretty fun one and I don't think there's any way it would freak her out. It might also help to make her enjoy gruesome violence since most of it in this movie is pretty funny. Part 2 is a lot better but it wouldn't make a lot of sense without seeing the first one first, unfortunately.

Hard to say without knowing specific stuff she likes!


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## Manurack

Insidious.
Now that was fucking scary! She'll cuddle up to you in no time lol


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## The Grief Hole

mcleanab said:


> To this day John Carpenter's THE PRINCE OF DARKNESS gives me the willies...
> 
> A little dated (80's), but not a lot of "boo!" scary moments, more sustained creepy type stuff.



Yes! Great movie!


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## VBCheeseGrater

I like "The Descent" recomendation. But no EVIL DEAD???? Classic horror movie.

Maybe not best for first timer (Evil Dead 2 might be) but you and her both MUST see Evil Dead. It's the perfect mix of campiness, gore, and shock


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## kerska

VBCheeseGrater said:


> Maybe not best for first timer (Evil Dead 2 might be) but you and her both MUST see Evil Dead. It's the perfect mix of campiness, gore, and shock


 
Oh yeah trust me at some point Evil Dead will be shown, but I was thinking that would be later on after she's seen a few horror movies and kinda more understands the whole B horror/campy kind of stuff.

I'll probably start out with something like Scream or slasherish or something that's still kinda grounded in reality because like other people said, ghost/possession type stuff may be too extreme at first...anything I put on is going to freak her out, so I'm thinking if I stick with slasher/jumpy kind of stuff it may be a good start.

And for the record she's into a lot of period piece movies like 1800's Pride and Predjudice type of stuff.


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## Manurack

VBCheeseGrater said:


> I like "The Descent" recomendation. But no EVIL DEAD???? Classic horror movie.
> 
> Maybe not best for first timer (Evil Dead 2 might be) but you and her both MUST see Evil Dead. It's the perfect mix of campiness, gore, and shock



The Descent is awesome!

And you can't go wrong with JEEPERS CREEPERS!
that movie totally scared my girlfriend lol


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## VBCheeseGrater

kerska said:


> And for the record she's into a lot of period piece movies like 1800's Pride and Predjudice type of stuff.



better take her to see Lincoln then, GREAT flick!


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## wankerness

kerska said:


> And for the record she's into a lot of period piece movies like 1800's Pride and Predjudice type of stuff.



If she likes English period stuff then I'd say "Woman in Black." Either the original or the remake with Harry Potter from last year are both pretty solid, the new one has a lot more horror stuff and special effects. It is loaded with jump scares, it's pretty fun and it's only a PG-13 so I don't think it would freak her out TOO much! I'd compare its tone to something like "Drag me to Hell," without the open sense of humor. Speaking of which, Drag me to Hell is another really fun one that's just a ton of jump scares and it's very fun.

Dead Alive is a great first horror movie to show someone if they aren't affected by (intentionally cartoony) gore. I had a girlfriend who was absolutely petrified by anything that had jump scares in it or suspense, but she LOVED dead alive and just laughed through the whole thing. It's pretty much the most gory movie ever, but it's like a better version of the Evil Dead 1/2. Great, great movie. I'd always recommend it over those movies even though Evil Dead 1/2 are both great too.

For slashers I still think the only really good one is the original "Halloween." It doesn't have any blood or any retardedly loud strikes on the soundtrack whenever something jumps out or anything so a lot of young people are like LOL DUMB but I think if she's not overly cynical it would be pretty effective.


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## glassmoon0fo

What's the goal, to make a girl like horror movies or to help this girl like YOU? Pick something scary, but with a little humor and a badass male lead she can put you in place of. Slither gets my vote, cheesy or not. Nathan Fillion is the shit.


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## kerska

glassmoon0fo said:


> What's the goal, to make a girl like horror movies or to help this girl like YOU?


 
We're a lot the same personality wise although we have very little common interests, but for whatever reason it works between us so we've been kinda taking turns showing each other stuff that we're into, and I'm into horror movies. 

So I guess if there was a goal it would be to maybe warm her up to them a bit so if something good comes out into theaters I might be able to convince her to come along with me.


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## synrgy

While I'm suddenly hard pressed to think of specific examples, I think there are plenty of 'scary movies' out there in which nothing _really_ happens. I'd go for something that leans closer to thriller than horror. Kind of like dipping one's toe into the deep end before diving in.

Big no-no to any of the 'torture porn' stuff like the Saw or Hostel movies, and probably an equally big no-no to the creepier ghost/supernatural stuff like The Grudge or The Ring. (The Grudge is one of my favorites, but I wouldn't suggest it to someone who's not into scary movies, yet.)

I can't believe I'm actually doing this, but I feel like in this one extremely special case, it may be worth suggesting an M. Night Shyamalan flick; either Sixth Sense or Signs. Neither are notably scary or really qualify as horror, but both have enough star-power and story to keep her interested. Mind you, I really don't care for either film in the grand scheme of things, but the trick is trying to expose her to the genre without immediately turning her off.

Maybe going with a comedy angle, you could try something like Army of Darkness?

If all else fails, go with Predator. Noone can ever go wrong watching Predator. Best movie ever.


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## wankerness

Sixth Sense is a good rec, that is a really great movie and loosely qualifies as horror, I guess there are a couple jumps in there. 

I hate Signs, that part where Mel Gibson starts eating mashed potatoes messily and his kids start crying and yell I HATE YOU!!!! is fucking hilarious tho.


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## flint757

The eye isn't too bad either. It's semi-scary, while ultimately ending on a lighthearted note. Whatever it is make sure it ends with the bad guy dying. For a newcomer to the genre it might leave her with nightmares otherwise.


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## kerska

synrgy said:


> I can't believe I'm actually doing this, but I feel like in this one extremely special case, it may be worth suggesting an M. Night Shyamalan flick; either Sixth Sense or Signs.


 
Oh wow I didn't really think about Sixth Sense. I mean for it's time it was a pretty good movie, and it's not really as much straight horror as it is just creepy, and nothing really extreme happens except for a few jumpy parts. That may be a good one


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## Bloodbath Salt

I'd avoid the typical 80s horror movies, like Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm St, cause their not scary. For somebody that's never seen a horror movie might think that those movies are lame (which they are). I'd go with The Thing (original), Dawn of the Dead (2000s remake), The Shining, or the 28 Days movies.


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## MythicSquirrel

The Blair Witch Project, maybe? Whenever I think of a good horror movie, that's the first one that comes to mind. 

Insidious is another good one, lots of jump scares, and if you don't take it too seriously it's just a really fun movie to watch.


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## wankerness

Bloodbath Salt said:


> I'd avoid the typical 80s horror movies, like Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm St, cause their not scary. For somebody that's never seen a horror movie might think that those movies are lame (which they are). I'd go with The Thing (original), Dawn of the Dead (2000s remake), The Shining, or the 28 Days movies.



By "The Thing (Original)" do you mean the original from the 50s, or the 80s remake? They're both classics but I like the 80s one a whole bunch more :O It's probably too splattery and testosterone-driven (cmon, the main character wears a cowboy hat and pours whiskey into the computer when he loses at chess) to be showing a girl as her first horror movie though.


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## metal_sam14

REC. 

Thank me later


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## SpaceDock

The Shining or the original Wicker Man are really cool psych horror movies.

Evil Dead and Dead Alive are great campy horror. 

Halloween is my favorite slasher series.

Pumpkinseed is my favorite creature feature.

There are a lot of great horror genres to get into, it's all p to your tastes.


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## wankerness

SpaceDock said:


> The Shining or the original Wicker Man are really cool psych horror movies.
> 
> Evil Dead and Dead Alive are great campy horror.
> 
> Halloween is my favorite slasher series.
> 
> Pumpkinseed is my favorite creature feature.
> 
> There are a lot of great horror genres to get into, it's all p to your tastes.



You mean Pumpkinhead?

REC is a great horror movie but probably the most intense I've seen. The first time I watched it I coudln't even bear to look at the screen through the whole attic part at the end.


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## Grand Moff Tim

You could try a movie that starts out harmlessly enough and doesn't really get freaky or intense until towards the end. You could watch _Audition _with her, perhaps, and then go find a girl who actually likes horror movies after she dumps you.


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## Bloody_Inferno

synrgy said:


> If all else fails, go with Predator. Noone can ever go wrong watching Predator. Best movie ever.


 
This! Watched the TV premiere on my 7th birthday. Explains so much... 



Grand Moff Tim said:


> You could try a movie that starts out harmlessly enough and doesn't really get freaky or intense until towards the end. You could watch _Audition _with her, perhaps, and then go find a girl who actually likes horror movies after she dumps you.


 
This is something I would have done. Then add all the Ringu movies to it.


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## Baelzebeard

What about Alien/Aliens. That would be a good place to get into horror and sci-fi without jumping in the deep end of horror.


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## Winspear

Baelzebeard said:


> What about Alien/Aliens. That would be a good place to get into horror and sci-fi without jumping in the deep end of horror.





You could also try _A Serbian Film_.


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## vampiregenocide

Wolf Creek. Not so much gory, but psychologically horrific.


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## wankerness

vampiregenocide said:


> Wolf Creek. Not so much gory, but psychologically horrific.



Bad idea, any well-balanced woman would probably walk out on you at the head on a stick scene if she hadn't earlier.


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## Azyiu

I hope I just missed it somewhere, but *The Shining* wasn't even mentioned anywhere?! You kidding me?!


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## fps

vampiregenocide said:


> Wolf Creek. Not so much gory, but psychologically horrific.



Saw this on a date. Awkward. 

Maybe start with comedy horror? Even elements of things like Beetlejuice are pretty full-on if you're not used to horror movies. I like the Evil Dead II idea, I think it's important, like when getting someone used to screamed vocals, for that person to understand that these are just human beings goofing around ultimately. That's a good point to start exploring from.


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## x360rampagex

I recommend this:







...say hello


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## AndreasD

EtherealEntity said:


> You could also try _A Serbian Film_.



+1


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## M3CHK1LLA

i'd go with zombieland & shaun of the dead...

...both great semi-scary films with humor & a little chick-flickish love story crap woven in.


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## MythicSquirrel

Another one I forgot to mention in my other post is Cannibal Holocaust, just a really fun movie that the entire family can get in to.


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## SpaseMoonkey

EtherealEntity said:


> You could also try _A Serbian Film_.


I would not recommend this for someone to watch unless you want to feel uneasy for the rest of the night.

I don't think I've seen The Others or Exorcist mentioned.


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## synrgy

Can't believe I forgot Zombieland. That might work perfectly.


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## Stealthtastic

Just make her watch all of the walking dead with you. It's not scary at all, but before I had ever watched it I had my worries with it.

Yeah dude, I'm a pussy. I was fucked when I saw Michael Myers when I was like... 7.


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## Koloss85

A korean film "I saw the devil". Fucked up. Really scary deranged performances. You've been warned. Its on netflix.


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## JPhoenix19

"The Thing" from the 80's. It messed with my head.


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## metal_sam14

wankerness said:


> You mean Pumpkinhead?
> 
> REC is a great horror movie but probably the most intense I've seen. The first time I watched it I coudln't even bear to look at the screen through the whole attic part at the end.





Spoiler



How rough is the skinny creature at the end, fucks with my head every time, so fucking realistic.


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## synrgy

Sorry for the bump, but I must admit that I'm really curious to find out how this turned out! Any updates?


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## Bobo

First scary movie I took one of my GF's back in the day to see was Event Horizon. Pretty scary imo, but she just shut her see through half the movie lol. I'd try it again just to try and figure out what scares her.


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## All_¥our_Bass

The Thing (Original, of course)


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## Jzbass25

The grudge movies were pretty scary but I haven't seen them in years so it may just have been because I was younger haha


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## tacotiklah

I agree that thrillers are better for her than outright horror movies. Something like Silence of the Lambs, The Lost Boys, Secret Window (johnny depp ftw!), or The Crazies. Some of the Stephen King-inspired movies would work too, like The Shining, Silver Bullet, and Carrie.


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## johnny_ace

informative and funny as hell


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## Philligan

[Rec] [Rec] (2007) - IMDb

Pretty scary, but awesome and I don't think anything too over the top that a newbie would hate it. I thought it was just supposed to be random and not that great, but I watched it and turned out to love it. 

If you think you wanna watch it and haven't seen it already, IMHO try not to read anything about it. I had no idea what it was going into it and the surprises were that much better because of it I think. I have the same general philosophy of avoiding learning about any movie I'm interested it, and it makes for some really great experiences  keeps other people's opinions from messing with you, too.


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## thraxil

I didn't see any mention of Dario Argento. Suspiria, Tenebre, Inferno, Phenomena. Classics.


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## wankerness

thraxil said:


> I didn't see any mention of Dario Argento. Suspiria, Tenebre, Inferno, Phenomena. Classics.



None of those should be shown to a first time horror movie watcher, as they'd just make them think horror movies are misogynist plotless messes with terrible dialogue and tons of gore. The only one of his I would ever recommend to anyone that isn't a horror nerd would be "Bird with the Crystal Plumage," the others all linger way too much on gore and have increasingly nonsensical plots that only exist as the barest framework on which to hang gory setpieces. I guess maybe "Suspiria" too if I knew the person had a strong stomach and was interested in movies that have strange visual styles. That doesn't mean I don't like those other movies, though. I think my favorites of his go like this:

Deep Red
Suspiria
Opera
Bird with the Crystal Plumage
Tenebre
Inferno
Phenomena

His other stuff is mostly pretty bad but those are all either great or at least very pretty to look at. Phenomena has got to have the most outrageous climax I've ever seen with the killer spear midget and the razor-wielding chimp and the insects controlled by psychic power and whatnot.


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## morrowcosom

"A Serbian Film" 
"Salo: 120 Days of Sodom" 
"Irreversible" 
"Martyrs"


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## Gothic Headhunter

Alien and Predator are great recommendations. I watched both of those by the time I was 10 and neither one scared me too much, so she should be fine.


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## zappatton2

Two really great movies for people who don't generally like horror are Creepshow (1 and 2 are both good) and Trick R Treat (the recent one, the one from the 80's has less universal appeal).


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## Beowulf Von Thrashmeister

Here is a list of good horror movies, that are all time classics !!!. 

Silent and early cinema ... 


Frankenstein (1910)

Nosferatu (The 1926 original in all its silent and atmospheric beauty)

The Phantom Of The Opera (1926, with Lon Chaney, the man with a 1000 faces) 

Der Golem

The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari

London After Midnight



Universal Monster series ...


Dracula (how can we not have Bela Lugosi represented) 

The Bride Of Frankenstein 

The Mummy (the original with Boris Karloff)

The wolfman (Lon Chaney JR)

The Black Cat

Vincent Price movies ...

The Abomnible Dr. Phibes (Vincent Price rules)

Theatre Of Blood (this film is another awesome classic with Vincent Price)

House Of Wax



Other good films from the 50`s and 60s...


Night Of The Living Dead (The original 1968 George Romero classic)

The Haunting (1962)

Bloodfeast

A swing Of The Axe

Plan 9 From Outer Space 



Hammer films...

Blood From The Mummy`s Tomb

Countess Dracula

Twins Of Evil

The Devil Rides Out

Lust For A Vampire

The Vampire Lovers 

Dracula Has Risen From The Grave

Dracula AD 1972 

The Vampire Circus

Frankenstein must be Destroyed

The Evil Of Frankenstein

You just cant beat the Hammer movies with Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, and of course Ingrid Pitt.


Well... before my post starts to look like a Halliwells guide to classic horror and monster movies, just a few more ...

Bram Stokers Dracula

The Company Of Wolves

Trick Or Treat

Onibaba 

The Shining (How can we forget Stephen King?) 

Susperia 

An American Werewolf In London 

Carrie (1975)


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## soliloquy

i'd suggest these 4

the original 'saw'. its more suspense than horror. most of the gore scenes are implied rather than shown. 

cabin in the woods. this movie isn't really horror, though it starts off that way. this movie is over the top, but not in a gore way. its over the top as in it has a bit of EVERY genre in it, and they pull it off fairly well. 


28 days later/28 weeks later: again, this is more of a 'suspense' and 'thriller' type of movie




but if you want more subtly, story driven, and more character development, then try watching shows with her. 

Dexter would be an awesome show to start off with. again, most of the gore is implied, its never fully shown as to what exactly dexter does. yes, there is blood. but thats pretty much as far as it goes. and because its a drama, i'm sure she will enjoy it


if thats a bit too much, then try 'the walking dead'. it has zombies in it. but if shes a typical girly-girl who enjoys the insane drama of gossip girls, and silly little liars or sex and the city, then she will LOVE the drama in this show. not that its the same, but the tension, stress, the sheer panic it creates is amazing. great story. great drama. and i guess it would be a horror movie as well....




if you want to ease her into it, you could start off with parodies of horror movies so she gets used to the subject matter. movies like 'shawn of the dead' or 'zombie land'. she'll find zombies something funny. 

you could also poke fun at horror movies as a lot of them are fairly cheesy. i'm not a fan of horror movies as i'm scared easy. but when i was watching 'the ring' the only reason why i walked out of there laughing was because the people i was watching with kept making fun of EVERYTHING in it. like when the girls are walking through the kitchen someone would scream 'grab a spoon! you can spoon it to death!' and someone replied 'no, forks are sharp! fork it to death!' and a third reply was 'you guys are idiots! grab a knife! its the sharpest and makes for a perfect weapon!' a 4th reply 'shut up nerd!'


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## himself138

martyrs or high tension.


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## TheDepthsWillRise

The remake of I Spit on Your Grave is pretty intense, although it's really more shocker gore than horror. Tales From The Darkside: The Movie is always a good bet.


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