12 Horror Movies That Weren’t Actually Scary
Fear is subjective. While horror movies may leave some viewers shaking as they leave the theater, others might walk out with an eye-roll.
But then there are some horror movies that are marketed as nightmare inducing when in reality, they’re jumpy at most.
Based on audience reviews, these 12 horror movies were not actually scary.
So, if you’re looking for something to keep you up at night, you might want to skip these ones.
The Others (2001)
The Others was created to combine suspense and drama. And while the film has a subtle eeriness, it lacks any jolting scares.
The movie takes place in a far-away, scary-looking mansion, but that’s about as good as it gets. Raw terror remains completely untouched.
Cruise/Wagner Productions, The Others
The Village (2004)
While The Village may be eerie and unsettling, it certainly is no horror film. The movie circles around a mysterious entity lurking in a creepy forest, which certainly adds suspense.
But as we learn about their symbolism, any genuine fright diminishes and the audience quickly realizes it’s more of a dramatic-thriller than a horror.
Touchstone Pictures, The Village (2004)
A Cure For Wellness (2017)
A Cure for Wellness has a mysterious nature to it, as it transports viewers to a secluded sanatorium in the Swiss Alps.
And while it does give viewers a constant feeling of unease, reviews claim the “heavy aesthetic approach” diminished any horror aspect to it.
New Regency Productions, A Cure for Wellness
The Boy (2016)
The Boy is more of a psychological thriller than a horror. And while sporadic scary moments do occur, the terror stems from solitude, fixation, and the vulnerability of the human psyche.
The movie has a more profound psychological essence rather than a bloody setting.
Lakeshore Entertainment, The Boy
The Witch (2015)
The Witch is certainly scary for those who are affected by the supernatural world. In the film, a family is banished from their community and suddenly experience deep paranoia and an eerie despair.
And while the film has a fair share of supernatural events, tense character interactions, and creepy historical accuracy, reviews claim it leans more towards “atmospheric dread” than terror and fear.
Arachnophobia (1990)
Of course, for those who suffer from arachnophobia, this is probably one of the scariest movies they can ever see.
But for anyone else, this movie is more like an adventure story than a scary one.
Not only does it lack terror, the movie actually has some comedic relief that relaxes the audience after any mildly creepy scenes.
Hollywood Pictures, Arachnophobia
The Cabin In The Woods (2012)
The Cabin in the Woods was marketing as a gory slasher movie, but within the first few minutes the biggest plot twist occurs and immediately breaks the tension from then on.
The changes between the control lab and the group of people in the woods removes the audience’s fear. Reviews say if they only knew about the group in the woods, it would have been scarier.
Lionsgate, The Cabin in the Woods
Crimson Peak (2015)
Crimson Peak is said to be a great gothic tale for Halloween, but reviews consistently agree that it is not scary.
While there may be some bloody scenes, they are few and far between. Not to mention the ghosts in the movie are unable to actually harm the protagonist, which greatly takes away any fear.
The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)
Many people thoroughly enjoyed The Silence of the Lambs. But most agree that it was marketed as a horror when it should have been marketed as a psychological thriller.
Even though the movie is an intense, bone-chilling experience—it doesn’t necessarily leave the viewer scared. There is a difference between thriller and horror:
thrillers create suspense, horrors create terror.
Orion, The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Don't Look Now (1973)
According to reviews, Don’t Look Now is a great movie that certainly builds up a nightmarish tension. But the haunting feeling is said to be more of a thriller or suspense than a horror.
It’s simply another movie that viewers claim is in the wrong genre.
El Dorado Films, Don't Look Now
Mother! (2017)
Reviews are calling out Mother! for being one of the most mis-marketed movies with one of the most misleading trailers.
It was advertised as a horror flick but it apparently doesn’t leave viewers feeling scared. Uneasy and exhausted at best, the story is a factual and philosophical take on religion and climate change that uses imagery to create discomfort in the audience.
While some viewers enjoyed it, they all admit that it really wasn’t that scary.
Nope (2022)
The teasers and trailer for Nope made it seem like a terrifying alien horror film. But reviews claim it had a more fun and silly approach.
They say the narrative is “entertaining,” and the “characters are compelling,” but apart from one scene, the movie is simply not scary and was a let-down to many Jordan Peele fans.
