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The best Halloween movies for scaredy-cats: A complete guide
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Believe it or not, there are some people who just aren't into killer clowns, masked maniacs, chain saw massacres, freaky phantoms and buckets of blood strewn all over the place.
So what are they supposed to watch during the Halloween season?
Scary movies are a cinematic staple – just look at the box-office receipts for "Terrifier 3" – but they're not always the right jam for people who hate being frightened or youngsters not yet ready to face Art the Clown or Pennywise. The good news is there's horror fare to fit those tastes that avoid tired tropes, is more thoughtful than creepy, and eases a new generation of fans into a beloved genre without causing psychological damage or necessitating a night light.
Here are 25 movies that promise thrills without too many chills:
Scary new movies to see this October: From 'Terrifier 3' to 'Smile 2'
'Beetlejuice' (1988)
Michael Keaton notched his signature role as the hellaciously funny title "bioexorcist" of this classic '80s comedy about two ghosts (Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin) desperate to get rid of the annoying living folks residing in their house.
Where to watch: Max
'The Cabin in the Woods' (2011)
It starts like a slasher, with college kids heading to a literal cabin in the woods where they're beset by monsters, but the twist is legendary in this genre-exploding comedy that delights in playfully stabbing a host of horror tropes.
Where to watch: Peacock
'Coco' (2017)
Sure, the animated Pixar film is best known for its heartwarming and tear-jerking ending. But a little boy's accidental trip to a spirited afterlife is peppered with nifty Day of the Dead-inspired visuals plus boasts a seriously nasty villain.
Where to watch: Disney+
'Coraline' (2009)
For young children ready to handle bigger scares, there's this splendid PG-rated coming-of-age stop-motion flick about an unhappy girl who finds a portal in her house that takes her to an alternate world where her parents have buttons sewn over her eyes.
Where to watch: Tubi
'Get Out' (2017)
There are some violent moments in Jordan Peele's instant classic, about a Black photographer invited to meet his white girlfriend's parents, who then learns of their ill intentions. But the scariest aspect is a larger social commentary about race.
Where to watch: Peacock
'Ghostbusters' (1984)
The most frightening thing here? A Godzilla-sized marshmallow man. The tale of scientists who become overnight sensations in New York City busting ghosts and dealing with an apocalyptic situation is a horror-tinged all-time comedy.
Where to watch: Apple TV and video on demand
'Goosebumps' (2015)
R.L. Stine's beloved series of kids horror books were the inspiration behind this rousing adventure where a couple of teens face a host of unleashed creepers, with an evil dummy and Jack Black channeling Stine as a grumpy literary dad.
Where to watch: Prime Video
'Gremlins' (1984)
The kid-friendly horror comedy mashed together two great holidays before the likes of "The Nightmare Before Christmas," unleashing the adorable Mogwai Gizmo and complete creature chaos in a fable about following directions.
Where to watch: Max
'Happy Death Day' (2017)
Time loops and college slashers come together in this film perfect for tweens and teens (and adults who like fun things) about a sorority sister who lives the same day again and again where she's murdered by a mysterious baby-masked killer.
Where to watch: Peacock
'Hocus Pocus' (1993)
Disney's Halloween comedy became a pop-culture staple for kids in the '90s and has since found a new generation of fans who dig Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy as evil 17th-century witches on the loose.
Where to watch: Disney+
'Jaws' (1975)
Change Halloween to the Fourth of July and a relentless maniac to a hungry shark, and Steven Spielberg's iconic blockbuster might as well be a seabound slasher. If you love "Jaws," maybe you really like horror movies, too.
Where to watch: Netflix
'Little Shop of Horrors' (1986)
Come for the great tunes and unlikely romance between flower-store co-workers, stay for a soul-singing, man-eating plant from another planet – plus Steve Martin's sadistic dentist – in the cult musical based on the off-Broadway show.
Where to watch: Apple TV and video on demand
'The Lost Boys' (1987)
Who could ever forget that one time Kiefer Sutherland was the coolest vampire around? This Reagan-era standout brought the over-the-top gore but also plenty of camp in a coming-of-age story with teens becoming bloodsuckers.
Where to watch: Apple TV and video on demand
'Monsters, Inc.' (2001)
The ultimate gateway horror movie for little kids, Pixar's animated buddy comedy features lovable BFFs (played by Billy Crystal and John Goodman) who scare children for a living and embark on a heartwarming quest to get a little girl home safe.
Where to watch: Disney+
'Nightbooks' (2021)
One of the best pandemic-era horror treats for youngsters was this family-ready chiller based on the J.A. White book where a boy is kidnapped by a snarky witch (Krysten Ritter) and forced to tell her a new freaky tale every night or die.
Where to watch: Netflix
'ParaNorman' (2012)
Equal parts John Hughes and "Scooby-Doo," the stop-motion comedy thriller for kids of all ages centers on an outcast boy who can speak to the dead and is tasked with ending the centuries-old curse on his small Massachusetts town.
Where to watch: Tubi
'Psycho' (1960)
Alfred Hitchcock's thriller is considered one of the best movies ever for a reason, folks. From that infamous shower scene to the mother of all reveals, it's a masterclass in building taut suspense rather than scaring your pants off.
Where to watch: Netflix
'Ready or Not' (2019)
With Samara Weaving as a bride who has to survive her wedding night while being hunted by her devil-worshipping new in-laws, "Ready" rocks an enjoyably absurd action-thriller vibe on the way to an unhinged, cathartic and blood-drenched finale.
Where to watch: Hulu
'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' (1975)
Do the "Time Warp," if you've never had the pleasure. The '70s counterculture midnight movie offers sci-fi horror bits – spooky mansion, bad-guy aliens, a man-made creature with great abs – plus a glorious Tim Curry in a corset and fishnets.
Where to watch: Hulu
'Shaun of the Dead' (2004)
Edgar Wright's beloved breakthrough zombie comedy puts a daft spin on an undead apocalypse, with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as loyal best friends ill-prepared for normal everyday life, much less an existential emergency.
Where to watch: Peacock
'The Sixth Sense' (1999)
Yeah, OK, everybody probably knows the big twist by now from M. Night Shyamalan's phenomenal debut. Still, he ratchets up quite the atmospheric drama with Haley Joel Osment's kid who can see dead people and Bruce Willis' caring child psychologist.
'Tucker & Dale vs. Evil' (2010)
Spoofing slashers and their tired cliches with a new perspective, the comedy features Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine as good-natured hillbillies assumed to be backwoods psycho killers by a bunch of college students.
Where to watch: Peacock
'Wendell & Wild' (2022)
The dark and twisted (but not overly so) animated comedy centers on a boombox-wielding orphaned teen who is shipped off to Catholic school and brokers a deal with her personal demons (Keegan Michael-Key and Jordan Peele) to fix a past tragedy.
Where to watch: Netflix
'Werewolves Within' (2021)
Like "Clue" meets "The Howling," the delightful whodunit finds a naive forest ranger new to a small Vermont town teaming with a mercurial postal worker to catch a killer among various kooky residents trapped by a snowstorm.
'What We Do in the Shadows' (2014)
The wonderfully ridiculous brainchild of co-stars/directors Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement, the mockumentary follows a group of vampires living in an apartment in New Zealand and struggling with the idiosyncrasies of modern times.
Where to watch: Apple TV and video on demand
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Best Halloween movies to watch if you hate horror