Non-gory films that are genuinely terrifying

[Greensleeves]

I love really scary, suspense-filled movies that make me scared to go upstairs on my own. I'm not a fan of slashers, body horror, bugs etc; I think some horror movies are just gross rather than scary. Anyone want to recommend any films with a real atmosphere, genuine menace etc without lots of blood and guts? I'll start:

The Others
Don't Look Now
Rosemary's Baby

It's not subtle or scary. It's a Hammer Horror full of cliches and cheap jumps. Ruins a very good book and play.

That's one film I will never, ever watch again.

Just because it is so desperately sad. I love horror including proper gore like The Exorcist, Rec, 28 days/weeks etc - but that film was an emotional punch too far for me.

OP about 20 years ago there waa a whole swathe of Korean ghost type films that are non gory and very scary, like two sisters, dark water and so on. Also going back a bit I agree with a pp about Dead of night and oh whistle. Plus Onibaba. Which is one of the most terrifying things I have ever seen, but there is no gore, whatsoever. It is very old, but incredibly effective.

I found A Quiet Place terrifying 🫣

Just watched The Woman In Black for the first time last night. Really enjoyed it, but I have no objection to cliches and cheap jumps so that's probably why

Thinking either Malevolent or The Ring tonight, neither of which I've seen before

DrFoxtrot gosh yes, A Quiet Place is excellent. I'll never forget seeing it at the cinema and being desperate to open my Maltesers but the room was just too silent and I didn't want to ruin the atmosphere ☺️

I disagree. I loved all the versions. I particularly like the way the film highlights the sadness of losing a child…that’s the actual horror isn’t it.

Also like Silent Hill. Shame it’s a bit nasty in places but overall very disturbing rather than gory.
Love both versions of The Ring
Also agree that Texas Chainsaw Massacre was more frightening and less gruesome than expected.
Event Horizon is gory but I do so love the premise of things coming back from hell

Some of the Doctor Who episodes should be made into films. The gas mask child and orginal weeping angels are really scary !

Anyone mentioned 'Lights Out'? That's pretty jumpy! My one downer was Rebecca. If Vocal Fry pees you off, she has it in spades.

"Dead Of Night" I watch it every Halloween but the final ventriloquist story brings me out in goosebumps every time. Still does just writing this!

What Lies Beneath is great ! Forgot about that .Similar to the Others in tone actually . Not horrific but tense and not what you expect.

Has anyone seen The Collector (1965) with a young Terence Stamp? It's chilling! Psychological fear not gore..I found it so tense and really disturbing.

Also 10 Rillington Place with Richard Attenborough...so bleak..and horrific for being true.

The Wicker Man (the original obviously, not the awful remake)

Dutch vanishing
original Halloween (does have blood but not too much)
get out
sixrh sense

Event Horizon is on Film $. Yeah don't watch that. Very gory. Also a bit dated now. So weird how that happens.

The Awakening with Rebecca Hall. Really good story and set post war - genuinely creepy and unsettling. And there is something fascinating but frightening about dolls' houses.
Also The Little Stranger with Ruth Wilson. Leaves out some of the book but is very atmospheric and i think v clever.

Hereditary-from the opening moments.

Rosemary's Baby is one I've watched again and again.
I've not been scared by a film for a very long time. I think the last time I felt creeped out was when I saw Blair Witch in the cinema. I suppose it was because it was so different from anything else at the time.
Japanese horror can be really creepy.

Hitchcocks. The birds

Paranormal activity

Threads. The 80s BBC film.

Sleep well.

<cries>

Psycho.

Old but still terrifying. And the most intelligent ‘horror’ film of all time. It marks the film watershed between horror from the outside (Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster, alien invasion, mutant creatures etc) and horror from the inside - us humans.

Fragile. Yikes scary. Lots of bone breaking though.

Ravenous with Robert Carlye is one that stays in my memory.

All and any of the brilliant BBC Christmas Eve ghost stories produced/ championed by Mark Gatiss.

Agree with the PP who suggested the Daniel Radcliffe version of The Woman in Black. Chilling.

Yes I agree! I remember the TV version years ago when I was a kid. Saw it at a special showing at the cinema not long ago and it was just as scary as I remembered!

Both great. A lot of the others on this thread are a bit vanilla.

Rereading after post.

paranormal activity is a bit freaky, as is Blair Witch. The Exorcist, obvs. Anything about the devil tends to freak me out.

scariest ever without gore… hmm…ohh, The Entity freaked me right out, back in the day.

The Ring (the Japanese version)