What are the best starter horror movies?

If you're someone like me who used to be absolutely terrified by the idea of watching a horror movie there is absolutely a bunch of great films to get you started on the horror train and hopefully since I'm posting this one in the summer, you'll have time to work up to full blown horror films by Halloween!

Starter horror films are categorized by having a few less intense visuals than most full-blown horror films might have and they may cover less heavy topics than some others might cover. I know that personally demonic stuff and religious horror used to absolutely freak me out as I come from a very non-religious household and never really experienced religion to that intensity before in my life but now those types of horror are some of my favorites since that topic of religion isn't very familiar to me still and I still have some fears around heavy religious topics, its enough to give me a great horror experience while still being intrigued. Everyone's different though with their tastes in films and topics so I'll try to add some different topics into the mix.

As with most of my "list" type posts, this is not by any means every single starter horror film ever but just a few that are pretty accessible and well known that might be familiar to folks. These also aren't ranked or anything by my personal preference but I will use a level system to denote the intensity of the starter level.

Level 1 will be a very tame horror - think a mystery type film with a few scarier elements to it and maybe some pg-13 ratings.

Level 2 will be a very low energy horror film. Still with a PG-13 feel to them (not actual rating) but walking the line on R ratings and contain a little more gore.

Level 3 will be an R rated horror film but be a more tame version but include slightly heavier topics, more gore and some more jumpscare elements.

Still image from Alien (1979)

1. Guillermo Del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities (2022) - Level 2

   
   

   Some folks may recognize the legend that is Guillermo Del Toro and his insane work with horror and whimsical oddness with films like Pan's Labyrinth and Crimson Peak but the Netflix anthology series titled Guillermo Del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities, is something very different than the rest of his amazing work! This series follows some famous short stories from horror authors and folktales from generations past and puts them into smaller mini films that can be easily digestible for any beginner and there are many different genres and topics covered in this series. My favorite episode is Dreams in The Witch House which stars Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley from Harry Potter) in a mystery paranormal story with a few tiny more intense moments and scary images that are good to get the blood pumping and dip your toes into the scarier side of this series. This series is also pretty accessible with it on Netflix as one of its original productions.

2. Coraline (2009) - Level 1

   
   

   Coraline is our only animated film on this list but one of the most popular by far. This children's movie gets surprisingly dark in theme and visuals but has a few scarier moments towards the end of the film. This film can open up a can of worms in the viewer as you watch it more and more and find more details and weird hints to darker stories not told to us explicitly in the main story but having this older slightly older children's movie be more accessible as its free on some streaming platforms currently. This is a darker children's horror film but its got whimsical elements and fun elements that are crazy cool in the clay-animation style we know creator Tim Burton for.

   
   

3. Cabin in the Woods (2011) - Level 2

   
   

   Cabin in the Woods is a lot of things but a truly terrifying horror story it is not. It's a really deep dive into the tropes and themes of horror that we know from decades and stories past that make up what we know about horror today. It sort of deconstructs the ideas and tropes of horror stories and that sort of waters down the horror elements to be more explanative than horrifying to the viewer which might make it a better watch for intro to horror sessions. It's funny too and mixes humor with trope debunking and thoughtful criticism of the genre to make it a fun occasionally creepy movie.

   
   

4. Annabelle Comes Home (2019) - Level 3

   
   

   Now don't worry, this one isn't as scary as I think you think it is. Annabelle comes home mixes some levity and family drama stories similar to a sitcom's exploration of these themes and adds in a few different types of horror elements to introduce a few new faces to viewers and never getting boring. Personally, I think this film is boring but I'm also someone who needs constant gore and horror elements in my horror films so it's not my film and that's okay. There's enough creep-factor to satisfy friends and family who might like horror a bit more than you and there's enough gore to be just enough to feel a little grossed out.

5. Beetlejuice (1988) - Level 1

   
   

   Beetlejuice might not strike you as a straight up horror film but believe me it's a horror-comedy in more technical terms. The comedy helps to dull down some of the more horror-esque elements and it helps the scariness feel much less scary. The acting is magnificent especially from Michael Keaton who portrays Beetlejuice himself and the horror elements of the film are very Tim Burton classic and that help with familiar but slightly less cartoony than some of Burton's other films.

   
   

6. Rosemary's Baby (1968) - Level 3

   
   

   What might not seem like such a scary film on the surface can turn really horrifying once you give the film a watch. This horror film about a young woman expecting a child is a very grounded story until her weird neighbors get involved and her husband starts acting weird around her and the thing takes a demonic turn about 3/4 of the way through the film. This one eases you into the very very dark and disturbing themes of the film and that easing you into the crazy scary topics and themes warrants a Level 3 ranking from me.

   
   

7. Blair Witch Project (1999) - Level 2

This level ranking may be a bit more biased on my side as I personally don't think that this film is all that scary. There's one or two really heightened spots in the film that are scary but they are rare. The setup of the film is a good way to ease into places that are crazy scary and then they're calmed down right after. The filming techniques are really what makes this film special and unsettling and I think that subtle creep factor is what is making this such a good starter horror film for me other than it being a classic in the horror genre. The one or two crazy parts of the film and then the ending is a good little spurt of horror experience for a beginner.

8. Children of the Corn (1984) - Level 2

Besides some scary visuals this film I think is pretty boring but has an eerie atmosphere that makes it a great intro into the horror scene. The children aspect I think is the most terrifying part of the film as kids are just freaking terrifying and too adultish for my personal taste but there's no jumpscare moments but one or two bad visuals that make this stand out as a level 2 intro horror film. It's creepy but not overly scary in my opinion.

9. The Conjuring (2013) - Level 3

The Conjuring films are what got me personally into horror films so they often hold a soft spot in my heart and especially the first Conjuring film. This is a level 3 starter due to the heavy topics discussed in the R-rated film and the jumpscares and visuals are bumped up compared to the other films on this list so if you're ready for it, it's a good ending to your starter horror journey or if you wanted to start at the scarier options this one's gonna be your go to and then if you still need a few more on this level, you can stay within the shared cinematic conjuring universe and step up to a full on horror film in the Conjuring 2 (the best Conjuring film in my opinion).

10. Alien (1979) - Level 2

You at be shocked to see Alien on this list but besides being my second favorite sci-fi franchise (only behind Dune), its considered a horror sci-fi film by many and I think that genre crossover is what helps make it more digestible in the horror realm of things due to the sci-fi elements making it feel more familiar and much like Star Wars or another space adventure film and slowly serving you the horror elements with the Xenomorph alien. There's also plenty of humor and humanity to this film that helps make it a great starter horror film and especially if you love sci-fi and already love this film, it's a great starting point.

11. Gremlins (1984) - Level 1

Gremlins is one of the children's films slash horror films on this list and I know that when I was a kid, my mom showed my sister and I this film and I thought it was terrifying in all honesty so I'm putting this here. My at the time 6 year old sister, loved it though so I think that warrants a Level 1 rating on the scare level since she's scared of Jurassic Park like me. This film has a lighter tone to most of it and has some comedy and levity to it that helps the horror elements stand out a bit more and be a bit more easy to consume with the context of the film and you can kind of understand more of the Gremlin creatures and they're freaking adorable so that helps to dull (not in a bad way at all) the horror and scares in the film.

12. A Quiet Place (2018) - Level 3

A Quiet Place is a wonderful and terrifying movie in a unique way with playing with the audio cues and that actually helps make the scares in the film more humanistic and more approachable to most first time viewers and newer horror folks. It's much like Alien with the sci-fi slash horror bits combining really well to be more approachable and less daunting of a watch. If anything, this film to me upon my first viewing wasn't as much scary as it was stressful. It stressed me out so much I couldn't watch it for a bit lol! There's a trope in horror films of the jumpscares usually getting an audio cue before they happen visually and this film doesn't do that and I enjoy that very much since the scares are creeping into frame and you have to rely solely on the visual aspects before you hear anything and that's a great way to approach horror and develop a sense of comfort in the jumpscares before leveling up in the horror game.

As I mentioned before, this list is in no means an exhaustive list of every single starter horror film but rather just some ones I recommend and why I do. I' more than happy to make another edition to this post if folks want me to and by all means, if you've got some great starter horror film recommendations or there's any films you want to see in a part 2, drop them in the comments!