For the past two weeks in our How To Start Getting Into Horror series, we took a look at both old and new slashers, pointing out that they can be a great place to have fun while still getting a good amount of scares. I wrestled with myself on what I felt would be the next best place to go in terms of sub-genres, battling between “gore” and “psychological”, weighing the pros and cons of each.
As you can tell by the headline, I ultimately decided upon going with psychological. Head on in to see why and to check out a few film suggestions to kick things off!
Psychological horror films have always been some of favorites. They’re usually the ones that terrify me the most because, in many cases, they could actually happen. It’s all about the sickness and evil of a mind gone bad, which we see occurring in our society all the time. It’s this knowledge that anyone around me might suffer these thoughts that makes these films so deliciously scary.
Now, as you can see, I inserted the trailer for Saw above. Many people might think that it’s the perfect marriage of gore and psychological horror. However, if you rewatch the film, you’ll see that nearly all the gore is offscreen, hidden just far enough away to keep it immediate and visceral but near enough that it feels immediate and real.
But what Saw DOES offer is a fascinating descent into the minds of its characters. Instead of focusing on the traps and gore that every sequel of the franchise had a tendency to do, the original was all about the story and expanding it, one sneaky little clue or revelation at a time. I remember seeing it in theaters and, when the twist at the end came, I was so blown away my jaw actually dropped and I grabbed my head to keep it from exploding Scanners-style. After the credits finished rolling, I immediately bought a ticket to see it again because I had to make sense of what I’d just seen.
However, I would be remiss to suggest that Saw is a great place to start with the psychological horror sub-genre. Rather, I think it’d be good as a lead in to gore, when we get there. While I did mention that the gore in this film is off camera, it’s still a rather shocking film with some terrifyingly “meaty” deaths.
If we want to go full on with psychological, I recommend kicking off the The Shining. It’s in my list of my top horror films of all time and Kubrick’s direction is nothing short of masterful. It’s a terrifying film that doesn’t need gore or jump scares. Instead, it builds tension so thick that even a knife couldn’t stab it. Each new scene adds layers of uncomfortable unease, the madness of Jack Torrance spiraling faster and faster out of control, until it all comes crashing into a climax that challenges the viewers own sanity.
Afterwards, you can go to another film that I absolutely adore: Session 9. I bought this film from Best Buy one day on a whim because it had a cool cover and I had a gift card. It’s possibly the best blind purchase I’ve made and it’s a film that I revisit with great enthusiasm. I’d tell you about the film but, in my opinion, it should be seen as I saw it, completely unaware of what’s in store.
There’s always the classic The Silence Of The Lambs that can be brought to the table. With Academy Awards under its belt, a stellar cast, and a notorious character in the form of Dr. Hannibal Lecter, this film is a must for any fan of film, regardless if they like horror or not.
Additionally, and this film opens the doors to all sorts of interesting sub-genres, you can go with another Stephen King story: The Mist. While there are tons of monsters in this movie, the real villains are the people inside the supermarket. The divide that occurs after only a few days is a fascinating example of how people react in life-or-death situations.
So, there you have it. There’s a list of several films that I feel would be a fantastic choice for diving into the world of psychological horror. There’s obviously a great deal more, such as Se7en or Rosemary’s Baby, the latter of which, just like The Mist, opens the doors to many sub-genres.
If you think of some that people need to check out, let me know in the comments below!
Check out the rest of our How To Start Getting Into Horror series.
