Horror aficionado and Security author Gina Wohlsdorf shares her top 8 movies for horror novices. 

Horror movies aren’t for everyone. Believe me, I know. I couldn’t make it through Gremlins growing up—that hatching scene! It was so slimy, so smoky, like some green-brown incarnation of Satan was going to come exploding out of those pods. Instead, you got two-foot mischievous imps that looked like a cross between tiny dinosaurs and Jack Nicholson.

A serious-injury-cum-near-death-experience cured my fear of Gremlins, as well as most scary cinema (though I never went in for torture porn—the Saws, the Hostels; fear is fascinating, pain is not). But I remain empathetic to those for whom horror simply isn’t their cup of tea. Then again, I’ve also encountered my fair share of people who are curious about horror movies, who would like to dip their toe in, and who don’t know where to begin.

There are a thousand places you can go to get the standard canonical recommendations (Halloween, Psycho, etc.), but I thought I’d compose a list with more obscure titles. As a special favor, I’ve also included caveats, where applicable, about when to cover your eyes in case you want the softer side of scary. They are arranged in order from least to most gory.

Ready? Set? Scream!

8) Don’t Look in the Basement: This no-budget psychological thriller came out the year before Tobe Hooper warped us all forever with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. As such, it represents the last gasp of mostly off-screen violence, as well as a somewhat idea-driven premise. A psychiatric nurse arrives as a new hire at a mental hospital. That’s truly all I can tell you without giving it away.

7) Cry_Wolf: Ignore the underscore in the title—Cry_Wolf premiered when the internet was proving it was here to stay, and the adorable ubiquity of early-aughts tech dates the material terribly. That said, it’s damn well-plotted. A bunch of spoiled kids at a prep school adapt their favorite lying game to spread paranoia about a murderer on the loose, and their sins come back to bite them.

6) Child’s Play 2: See? Nobody else alive would recommend this movie. I’m including it for two reasons. First, if ever you’re feeling frightened of Chucky, you can just remember that if you ran at him and gave him a good field-goal kick, your odds of survival would be excellent. Second, the final showdown in this film is quite unique. Most horror movies end with a dark, dank cellar or a dark, spooky forest. Child’s Play 2 concludes in a toy warehouse full of bright light and primary colors. It’s the cinematography, music, and angles that make it suspenseful. Also noteworthy is Brad Dourif’s voicing of Chucky. No matter how bad this series got—and it got bad—Dourif always delivered.

5) Tucker and Dale vs. Evil: One way to watch horror without the horror is to explore spoofs. A great many of them fail, but this gem—oh, does it succeed. Tucker and Dale are decent, working-class guys headed to their newly acquired fishing cabin for some R&R. Unfortunately, they encounter a group of college kids who’ve watched too many of the movies I’m currently recommending. Hilarity ensues.

COVER YOUR EYES WHEN: Any of the college kids panics, runs, or does something city-stupid (to wit: lighting a cigarette near a bunch of flammable chemicals).

4) The Ruins: Unless you have a deep fear of flowers, you should be fine throughout most of this movie. The cast is working incredibly hard to make the drama feel real, but when the villain is a plant . . . well, it’s like watching an adept baseball batter swing at a frozen chicken. I think it’s a fun couple hours because I imagine I’d make the most of the experience—teach the singing flora to back me up on “Enter Sandman” or “Pour Some Sugar on Me.” Any metal tune, really.

COVER YOUR EYES WHEN: The premed kid decides to do a double amputation of the cute German guy’s legs. It’s a long scene, but just wait for the blood-curdling shrieks to stop. Also, when the blonde is standing there with a knife and lots of little cuts all over her. Pretty self-explanatory.

3) Wrong Turn: Six stranded motorists run afoul of mutant hillbillies in the wilds of West Virginia. What sets the film apart is the would-be victims’ ingenuity. They actually strategize. They’re not cowering victims—except for the prim chick with the perfect manicure, but there’s gotta be one, right? And if you get bored, you can stare at Desmond Harrington for ninety minutes. Time well spent.

COVER YOUR EYES WHEN: The redhead sees an ear on the ground. And when they’re hiding in the cabin, the redhead’s on a table, and one of the mutants gets out a saw. If you’re a redhead, maybe skip Wrong Turn and go straight to . . .

2) . . . Shaun of the Dead: With a ginger-haired hero! This would have been earlier on the list, but it has its share of splatter. As with Tucker and Dale, though, the blood and guts are largely for laughs. Toward the finale, the tone gets serious. That’s the film’s triumph: It’s a send-up of zombie movies that simultaneously encapsulates the thematic significance of zombie movies—i.e., wasted lives.

COVER YOUR EYES WHEN: The only not-obvious moment is when Shaun pushes the girl in his garden. After that, if a living person gets overwhelmed by the numbers of the undead, go make a bowl of popcorn and come back.

1) Freddy vs. Jason: The filmmakers knew what viewers paid to see was how Jason’s unkillable mass would fare against Freddy’s ability to attack his prey’s subconscious. You’ll spend some quality time behind your hands (see below), but the movie provides a surprisingly effective shortcut to the Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street franchises, explaining both backstories without getting bogged down. Additionally, the overall approach of the script is more action than horror—the build is toward the villains’ confrontation—so this movie is, to me, exceptionally horror-lite.

COVER YOUR EYES WHEN: The perk of Friday and Nightmare? It’s easy to know when to look away. Jason’s rampages are preceded by a chih-chih-chih-hah-hah-hah sound. Freddy is not at all shy about announcing his cruel intentions.