Five Films That Weren’t Horror, But Traumatised Us Anyway

Everyone knows the feeling of peeking through their fingers at the latest supernatural or slasher movie, but for many of us, the creepiest films weren’t labelled as ‘horror’ at all. Here are five films that weren’t horrors, but still gave us the heebie-jeebies.

Coraline

2009, Director: Henry Selick ‘Coraline’ is a 2009 kid’s film based on the novella by Neil Gaiman. It revolves around a young girl, who discovers an idyllic world complete with a perfect family behind a secret door.

As the film goes on, all is not what it seems, and the Other Mother’s true colours are soon revealed. This is top of the list for me, as I still recall it giving me nightmares, not because of the Other Mother’s creepy spiderlike final form, but because of the uncaniness of everyone you know being replaced with an exact copy, just with buttons for eyes.

Another honorable mention for this list, that’s also a kid’s film, is 2006’s ‘Monster House’ – That old man was so creepy.

We Need to Talk About Kevin

2011, Director: Lynne Ramsay Unlike ‘Coraline’, this film, starring Tilda Swinton and Ezra Miller, is certainly not for children. It revolves around the aftermath of a school shooting, showcasing how the mother of the perpetrator has had her life blown up entirely as a result of her son’s actions.

‘We Need to Talk About Kevin’ is an extremely dark tale about a mother’s struggle to come to terms with her son’s actions. With such horrific subject matter, it’s no wonder this one leaves many with an uneasy feeling.

Eraserhead

1977, David Lynch From creepy kid’s films to serious social commentary, the films that scare us can take many forms, and there is no better example of this than David Lynch’s 1977 film, ‘Eraserhead’.

Though some might label this as a horror, it is far from your typical scary film. The film revolves around a couple giving birth to a strange lizard-like creature, with a backdrop of industrial gloom.

Simply writing out the plot won’t do this film justice, though, as it features everything from a walking roast chicken to a disfigured woman living in a radiator.

Watership Down

1978, Martin Rosen ‘Watership Down’ follows a group of fluffy rabbits leaving their warren to go on an adventure, searching for a new home. Sounds sweet, right? Well, it’s anything but.

Based on the novel by Richard Adams, ‘Watership Down’ is extremely violent and bloody, featuring sixty-three on-screen rabbit deaths. It was originally rated a ‘U’, despite graphic scenes of rabbits being ripped apart and buried alive.

The film is now PG-rated, though it remains enough to frighten many adults.

Spirited Away

2001, Hayao Miyazaki A critically acclaimed Studio Ghibli classic, ‘Spirited Away’ tells the story of a young girl who is forced to work in a supernatural bathhouse to free her parents who have been transformed into pigs in an abandoned theme park.

In typical Ghibli fashion, the film features a host of bizarre characters, from Yubaba, the elderly bathhouse proprietor who can turn into a bird and has three disembodied heads as pets, to the grotesque slimy stink spirit who clears the room with its stench.

That’s not to mention the iconic No-Face, who instils terror in kids and grown-ups alike.