I've made no secret of the fact that some Halloween movies are too scary for me to even watch, and I imagine there are others like me out there with this courage disadvantage. So, what are we to do with ourselves during this holiday season? If you're like me, it's the suspense that bothers you in these films, so you're pretty much out of luck. But, if it's something else, there's hope. Specifically, if it's the on-screen death and killings that bother you about horror movies, I've got some good news: there are a few options out there as far as scary movies in which no one dies.
Sometimes the death is implied, or directly spoken about as an event that happened before the movie begins, but, from start to finish, I can promise you that the selections I've listed here will have no slayings, murders, killing, beheadings, or people just plain getting dead. What I can't promise you is that you won't still poop your pants in fear, because these movies are across the board terrifying. Just like horror movies should be, I'm told, as I cower under every blanket in my apartment, shielding my face from the screen with my hands.
But hey, at least nobody dies. That's something.
1. Signs
A family finds crop circles on their farm, suggesting the presence of aliens. Nobody dies.
2. The Babadook
A mother and son discover a presence lurking in their house that you have to believe in to see. Nobody dies.
3. The Others
A single mother and her two children suffering from photosensitivity live in a house they come to believe is haunted. Nobody dies.
4. The Amityville Horror
A pair of newlyweds move into a mansion where a mass murder took place the year before, and begin acting strangely. Based on a true story. Nobody dies.
5. Poltergeist
Ghosts haunt a family's home. Nobody dies.
6. 1408
A professional conspiracy debunker moves into the supposedly haunted Room 1408 at the Dolphin Hotel. Nobody dies.
7. The Blair Witch Project
Three film students enter the woods to film a documentary on the Blair Witch. There are implications and off-screen events, but nobody explicitly dies.
8. April Fool's Day
Nine college students start dropping like flies on a group vacation, but the murderer is unseen, so technically...
9. The Stepford Wives
A blissful town with a perfect wife for every husband holds terrifying secrets. Nobody dies.
10. The Conjuring
The preview of this film about paranormal investigators attempting to assist a terrorized family is so terrifying that I almost had to leave the theater during it, and is fairly roundly labeled as "too scary," but, somehow, still... nobody dies.
11. The Watcher In The Woods
A 1980s Disney movie about a family that moves to an isolated home in the country, only to have the two young daughters experience events linked to a dark happening years in the past. Nobody dies.
12. Triangle
Passengers out for a yacht adventure experience mysterious, inclement weather and have to board another ship. Nobody dies.
And, with that, my work here is done. But, remember, don't say I didn't warn you that, even though they're death-free, these movies are still utterly terrifying. So watch at your own risk.
Image: Artisan Entertainment
