8 Halloween films for people who don't really like horror

On 31 October, half the world wants to watch a horror film, and the other half sits next to them holding a cushion in front of their face. If you belong to the second half, this list is for you. It starts with films you will laugh at more than you will shiver, and ends with two films that build real tension without tormenting you with gore.

For laughs

What We Do in the Shadows

2014, 86 minutes. Four vampires share a flat in Wellington, New Zealand, and argue about the washing-up. A camera crew follows them like a documentary. Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement wrote and directed the film together and star in it. Nothing here is scary, and a lot of it is funny.

Shaun of the Dead

2004, 99 minutes. Shaun has a dull job, a fed-up girlfriend and a flatmate who only plays video games. He only notices with some delay that London is being overrun by zombies. Edgar Wright directs it with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as a comedy about friendship and growing up. There are a few bloody moments, but the tone stays relaxed.

A few goosebumps, lots of charm

Gremlins

1984, 106 minutes. A young man gets a cute creature for Christmas, along with three rules that must never be broken. Of course they are broken. Joe Dante directed and Steven Spielberg produced. It is half family film, half monster film, and exactly that mix keeps it worth watching today.

Coraline

2009, 100 minutes. A girl finds a small door in her new home leading to a world where everything seems nicer, her parents included. Only there they have buttons instead of eyes. The stop-motion film based on a story by Neil Gaiman is made for children, but creeps out adults in the good way too.

Tension with a wink

Scream

1996, 103 minutes. A masked killer is on the loose in a small town, and the teenagers there know every horror film and its rules. Wes Craven turns that into a film that pokes fun at the genre and still works. There are knives and jump scares, but plenty of wit too.

Creepy without being gross

The Sixth Sense

1999, 107 minutes. A child psychologist, played by Bruce Willis, looks after a boy who sees things other people do not. M. Night Shyamalan builds the tension quietly, with almost no effects. The film is famous for its ending, so try not to read anything about it beforehand.

A Quiet Place

2018, 90 minutes. A family lives in a world where creatures hunt anything that makes a sound. Every step, every word could be the last. John Krasinski directed and plays the father, Emily Blunt the mother. The film is barely bloody, but so quiet that you catch yourself chewing popcorn and stop immediately.

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