Horror movies are supposed to be scary, that's the law of the genre, right? That doesn't mean any other breed of film can't have intense or frightening moments. That's why the MPAA rating system exists. Be that as it may, there are still several films in different genres that use these elements so much that their genre bends to pure horror film.
Several famous features are guilty of this, yet they remain in their respective genres and themes. Have a look at these ten films that should be considered horror flicks, but aren't for some reason.
Hocus Pocus
To be fair, Beetlejuice, it's silly with just enough scares to be eligible for the horror category. Think about it, a film about a trio of witches who feed on the souls of children during a black-magic ritual on Halloween night? That sounds like the plot to a gothic horror movie if ever there was one.
The Black Cauldron
This film puts the dark in dark fantasy, and there's no argument about that. This was the film that almost killed the Disney animation studio.
Why? Because its visuals and sequences were deemed too scary for their young viewers. So much material was cut for being too graphically horrifying that it almost warranted the film an R rating. With zombies, dragons, and gory mutilations, it's hard to believe this was made by Disney.
I, Robot
This film might have a more complex angle to its plot about robots being a threat to humanity, but there's something oddly familiar about the way the rogue robots behave. From the way they hoard up in groups to their weird hive-mind under an evil A.I.'s influence, visions of a zombie apocalypse start coming to mind. Replace the mechanical monsters with undead and the sci-fi flick becomes a George Romero movie.
Joker
Though it's a critically acclaimed psychological exploration into one of the most famous comic book villains of all time, if the setting of Gotham City were changed to somewhere like Chicago or New York, this would be an artsy horror film about a killer clown who takes out his hostile aggressions on rich, ivy-league victims.
It's a dark delve into the psyche a truly disturbed individual. Arthur Fleck might not be John Wayne Gacy, but he can be just as unhinged.
Venom
In a perfect world, Venom would have been much more violent and visceral than the film fans received. That being said, Tom Hardy's interpretation of the character is still quite frightening. He's ghoulish, carnivorous, predatory, and the effects of symbiotic control sound vaguely like demonic possession, even in this PG-13 version. Even the line "We are Venom" never fails to chill fans to the core.
Buried
Who said a movie needs monsters, massacres, or masked men to be considered a horror flick? In this claustrophobic thriller, a man is buried alive with only a cell-phone and a lighter after being attacked by terrorists.
Though the film is billed as suspense, the fear in this feature is 100% palpable. As the film goes on, the audience can practically feel the world closing in as the movie's lead runs out of time.
Pan’s Labyrinth
Guillermo Del Toro and monsters go together like popcorn and Raisinettes, and this beautiful dark fantasy film is quite possibly the director's best work. With its use of magical creatures and horrifying entities both human and nonhuman, the film has just as much horror as it does enchantment. Honestly, who didn't lose sleep over the Pale Man?
Jurassic Park
Many viewers are on the fence about this Stephen Speilberg classic being a horror film, but why don't we take a closer look at its elements. The film, like many slasher films before it, features a gaggle of victims in a place they probably shouldn't be, trying to escape carnivorous creatures after messing with forces they should have left alone.
Replace the T. Rex with a demon or a vampire and it's the standard plot of most monster movies. Case closed.
The Terminator
Consider the following plotline, an indestructible monster with unnatural strength and abilities stalks a young woman and her companion with murderous intent. Isn't it strange how much James Cameron's The Terminator sounds like a Jason movie? While the cyborg killer from the future might lack traditional slasher methods, his body count is unmistakable. Plus, like all movie maniacs, he came back for sequel after sequel.
Coraline
It might be animated, it might be aimed directly at kids, it might be written by one of the greatest fantasy authors of all time, but Coraline is a horror movie, pure and simple. There's no getting around it, a young female protagonist moving into an old house with a history of strange events with a mysterious door screams paranormal horror. Throw in creepy dolls, ghosts, and a monster that eats children and it starts getting into Stephen King's territory.
