10 terrifying horror movies beginners should probably skip

Horror movies are some of the most intriguing yet terrifying genres. While many people are curious to watch it, many of them are also afraid of it. Over the years, horror movies have steadily expanded their scope and pushed the limits. Therefore, there are some movies that have strong scenes and themes and beginners in the world of horror movies should probably stay away from such films in the beginning. From slasher movies to folk horror, here are 10 horror movies that are known for its ominous nature.

Disclaimer: The article is based on the author’s opinions.

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The Descent, The Exorcist, and other horror movies that beginners should avoid

1. The Shining

Directed by Stanley Kubrick and based on the 1977 novel by Stephen King, this psychological horror movie features Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall and is one of the most famous and influential horror movies till date. The film amplifies the horror that emerges from psychological tension and merges it with supernatural elements. The movie focuses on an aspiring novelist, Jack (Nicholson), who gets the job of being a winter caretaker of an isolated mountain resort hotel. He takes his family there and sees it as an opportunity to write. However, the hotel has an ominous atmosphere and Jack begins to lose his sanity and threatens the safety of his family. On the other hand, his son, Danny, is clairvoyant, and has the ability to sense supernatural presence. The movie has inventive and unnerving background score and there is a palpable tension throughout the movie that feels even more terrifying than any gory jump scare. Its ending scene through the maze is heart-racing and the film’s overall mix of the psychological and the supernatural, makes it one of those horror movies that newbies should stay away from.

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2. The Silence of the Lambs

Starring Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, and others, this classic psychological horror thriller movie is directed by Jonathan Demme and is one of the most disturbing horror movies. Therefore, it is not a movie that beginners should watch right away. As the first and only horror movie to win the Best Picture at the Oscars, the movie packs a lot of punch. It is based on the 1988 novel by Thomas Harris and focuses on a young FBI trainee, Clarice Starling (Foster), who is investigating a gruesome serial killer called “Buffalo Bill”, who skins his female victims. However, to catch him, Clarice has to take the help of a genius but cannibalistic psychiatrist, Hannibal Lecter (Hopkins), who has the ability to delve into the mind of Clarice and bring forth her dark past. The movie has everything that a horror movie can offer. It has psychological horror, it has many gory scenes where Buffalo Bill is skinning his victims, and it has lots of suspense and jump scares. As one of the most influential horror movies to date, it is rightly, a terrifying watch.

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3. Creep

Directed by Patrick Brice, this found footage psychological horror movie features Brice and Mark Duplass and is based on a story by the both of them. The movie belongs to the found footage genre and focuses on a struggling videographer, Aaron, played by Brice, who finds an online job that takes him to a remote cabin in California. Over there, he meets his client, Josef, played by Duplass, who gives Aaron the job to record a single day’s video diary because Josef has a brain tumor and he wants to leave a video for his pregnant wife and his unborn child before he dies. However, Josef begins to showcase increasingly disturbing behavior and along with Aaron even viewers begin to feel the discomfort. Found footage horror movies always have an extra edge as they are shaky, realistic, and therefore more frightening. The movie is unnerving, with the right amount of suspense and jump scares, and is therefore terrifying for movie beginners.

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4. The Ritual

Folk horror movies always offer an ominous feeling that makes it an unnerving watch. This British supernatural psychological folk horror movie is directed by David Bruckner and is based on the 2011 novel of the same name by Adam Nevill. The movie features Rafe Spall, Arsher Ali, and others. Based around a group of four friends, the movie focuses on the hiking trip they undertake through a Swedish old-growth forest, where they find themselves in the midst of an ancient evil presence. The movie begins on a tragic note as the group of four was actually a group of five and one of them dies during a robbery shootout. To honor their deceased friend’s wish therefore, the remaining four head out on a hike and veer off the marked trail for a shortcut. However, once inside the dense forest, the four of them fight for their lives as they are hounded by mysterious symbols and unknown attacks in the dark. The movie has themes of cultism, folklore, and has disturbing imagery. Therefore, this modern classic is one of those horror movies that beginners should be cautious about.

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5. The Descent

Directed by Neil Marshall and starring Shauna Macdonald, Natalie Mendoza, and others, this British horror movie is also written by Marshall. The movie focuses on a group of six adventurous women who decide to go for a spelunking trip in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. However, they enter an uncharted cave system and get trapped after a tunnel collapses and blocks them. One of their friends, Juno, admits that she took all her friends knowingly into an unexplored cave system because she wanted them to be the first explorers. However, all the friends soon find out that they are not alone and begin to be viciously attacked by pale and grotesque humanoid creatures that are terrifying and monstrous. The movie is claustrophobic, dimly lit, and intensely horrifying. Full of gore and graphic visuals, the movie is an early aughts classic that is still loved by fans. Beginners in the world of horror movies should be cautious of watching this one.

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6. Saw

Starring Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Leigh Whannell, and others, this horror movie is directed by James Wan and is an influential classic. The hit movie spawned several sequels and a media franchise but the original movie has some of the most disturbing visuals. The movie has a non-linear narrative and focuses on a “Jigsaw Killer”, who puts his victims through deadly games and inflicts great physical pain on to them in order to survive. The film then shifts to two seemingly unrelated strangers, played by Whannell and Elwes, who find themselves in a dilapidated bathroom and are tied so that they cannot escape. In this intense horror thriller, the two men must find out how they end up in this situation and one of them must kill the other to save his family. The film is intensely gory and gruesome and even poses questions about death and life. Known for its graphic visuals and a disturbing antagonist, the film is one of those horror movies that beginners of horror movies should avoid.

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7. Ring

Japanese horror movies are some of the most disturbing films in the genre and newcomers in the world of horror movies should probably avoid them. One such movie is this cult classic that made Japanese horror movies famous in the west. Directed by Hideo Nakata, this supernatural and psychological horror movie is based on a novel by Koji Suzuki. The movie is about a cursed video tape that has gory visuals and whoever watches the tape, dies within seven days. The film therefore follows a reporter, who wants to unravel the mystery behind this unnerving video tape. Japanese horror movies have unsettling atmospheres and an ominous tone that make it terrifying. This movie also has the perfect balance of suspense and fright and the scene where the lady from the video tape begins to crawl out of the TV has been one of the most influential horror images in pop culture. While the film has an English-language adaptation as well, the Japanese original is still the most unnerving.

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8. Alien

Directed by Ridley Scott and featuring Sigourney Weaver, this science fiction horror movie is the first film in a long line of sequels and is still one of the most acclaimed horror movies in the science fiction genre. Set in the future, the movie focuses on the crew of a commercial spaceship that is ordered to investigate a mysterious transmission from a nearby planet. Even though the crew members are hesitant, they arrive on the planet and begin investigating a derelict spaceship. However, unknown to them, the group has brought with them an alien species on board that begins to brutally kill the crew members. The film is one of the most influential horror movies and is famous for its visuals, gory scenes, and Weaver’s commanding performance. The movie opened the floodgates for women to be depicted in main character roles in science fiction movies and even though it is a horror classic, it has lots of palpable tension and gruesome scenes, that beginners in the world of horror movies might need to avoid.

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9. The Exorcist

Based on the 1971 novel by William Peter Blatty, this supernatural horror movie is the horror film that revolutionized the genre. Starring Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair, and others, the film focuses on the demonic possession of a young girl and the attempts by two Catholic priests to rescue her through an exorcism. The movie was a path-breaking movie in the 70s and was one of the first horror movies to showcase a child being possessed and spewing graphic language. The movie therefore, left an impression upon the viewers at the time and many of them left the theatre, fainted, and screamed while watching. The movie is regularly on the top of some of the most horrifying movies lists and while some of its graphics might not have aged well with the present times, it still has the power to disturb the viewers. The scenes where the young girl, Regan, turns her head around or when she begins to levitate, are pop culture’s classic images. No wonder then, that this movie should not be on any beginners list.

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10. Midsommar

Directed by Ari Aster and starring Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, and others, this folk horror movie is another film from the folk genre that beginners must avoid. With heavy themes of cultism and sacrifice, the film focuses on an American couple, Dani and Christian, who travel to Sweden to attend the nine-day midsummer festival in the rural Hälsingland region. However, the relationship between Dani and Christian is steadily deteriorating and the two find themselves being increasingly disturbed by some of the activities of the cult members. The movie has stunning cinematography and its deceiving for the viewers as the movie starts off on a great note but increasingly becomes more and more ominous. The film has some disturbing visuals like the one where the ladies of the cult participate in a practice to get one of their members pregnant. While the movie was a critical and commercial success and is a modern horror classic, its gory scenes and tense atmosphere are some of the reasons why beginners should stay away from horror movies like these.