I’ve seen so many horror movies, it’s ridiculous.
In fact, when we came up with our list of the 50 best horror movies of all time, I actually had to mentally check off the horror movies that I hadn’t seen, and it was only two (that would be Hush, and Gerald’s Game, which I still haven’t watched for some reason).
However, even though horror is my favorite genre of film, there are actually a few horror movies that even I’m too scared to watch. And, that’s only because what truly scares us is purely personal. So, while I can watch slasher movies all the live-long day and not lose a bit of sleep, these next five films have concepts that are so creepy to me that I don’t have the courage to watch them. Don’t laugh!
Smile (2022)
I’m going to tell you a funny story. I’ve seen a number of full-length movies that made me sleep with the lights on. That said, I’ve only seen one COMMERCIAL in my entire life that kept me up all night, and that was for the horror movie, Smile, which I probably wouldn’t have watched anyway, since I don’t like unsettling faces (and, in case you’re wondering, it was the pendulum head scene that haunted me).
I think it all goes back to my childhood when I watched Twilight Zone: The Movie, which ironically featured a character who couldn’t smile because she didn’t have a mouth.
The segment in Twilight Zone: The Movie that spooked me came from an adaptation of one of the show’s best episodes, “It’s a Good Life.” The episode itself is an unnerving half hour, to be sure, but that no mouth scene from the movie traumatized me as a kid.
So, ever since then, l can’t look at a face that is even slightly off, let alone a whole MOVIE with that concept.
Which really sucks, since I’ve heard so many good things about Smile (and even better things about its sequel). Many people call it one of the best horror franchises that we currently have. And, as somebody who loves a good horror franchise, believe me when I say this, but it physically pains me that I can’t drum up the courage to watch Smile. But, here’s the thing. I made a New Year’s resolution to get more sleep in 2025, and I can’t go a whole week without shutting my eyes at night. I just can’t. So, I’m pretty sure I will never watch what I like to call Unsettling Faces: The Movie. It’s just…*shivers*.
Goodnight Mommy (2014)
I’ll tell you what. The only time I’ve ever audibly cursed in a movie theater was when I first saw the trailer to Goodnight Mommy, to which I definitely said something to the likes of, “Oh, F– this!” and covered my eyes with my hands.
And, I am not kidding you. Me, the guy who has watched every movie in the Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Friday the 13th series, was literally covering his eyes like a little kid in the movie theater. So, of course my friends made fun of me.
But, I don’t care! Goodnight Mommy, which apparently (I say “apparently” since, again, I never watched it) is about two boys who suspect their mother may not be who she seems, is yet another, “I can’t” movie, just like Smile.
First off, it has the whole “perpetual grin” thing going for it that is keeping me away from it. But, another off-putting thing for me is the whole mistaken identity plot, which creeps me out. Especially when it pertains to children questioning whether the woman in their house is actually their mother.
However, being that I’m interested in the film since it creeped me out so thoroughly with the trailer, I read some of the YouTube comments, and a lot of people said that it’s more “tense” than scary. I’ll just have to take their word for it, though since I am not watching this movie. Maybe I’ll check out the 2022 remake with Naomi Watts since it might not be as terrifying. Oh, and speaking of remakes with Naomi Watts…
Funny Games (2007)
Have you ever watched The Purge movies? I like them, for the most part, but I often think the first movie, which was pretty much a home invasion flick, is probably the most effective.
And, that’s because the concept of people coming to my house to kill me is a very real one that I don’t take lightly.
So, the idea behind Funny Games, which is about some guys who take a family hostage and make them participate in “funny games” if they want to live, does not seem like something I want to watch on a Saturday afternoon… or any afternoon for that matter.
The 2007 movie is actually a shot-for-shot remake of the 1997 film, and both of them were directed by Michael Haneke. And though I know both movies are labeled as “satirical psychological thrillers,” I do NOT find the concept funny.
In fact, more realistic horror usually unnerves me. Like, I’ve actually seen The Strangers, which has a sort of similar premise. But, for some reason (Maybe it’s the obvious horror movie masks), it didn’t really scare me. However, some random psychopaths who look perfectly normal but actually want to make me beg for my life?…THAT gives me the goosebumps.
So, I’ve never seen the remake or the original, and I likely never will.
The Human Centipede (First Sequence) (2009)
Weird faces, mistaken identities, and home invasions all bother me, in movie form. But, do you want to know what scares me in real life? Centipedes. I hate, hate, HATE those disgusting things!
I know I mentioned it once in one of my articles on this site, but my fear stems from an incident that occured when I was younger (as most fears originate, of course). My sister and I used to share a bed, and I woke up one morning to find a centipede in her mouth while she slept! So, I’m sure you can sympathize with why spiders don’t scare me, but centipedes truly horrify me.
I mean, I don’t even like the word centipede. I know it just roughly means a hundred legs, but even just writing it out and looking at the word makes me squirm. So, the idea of people being stitched butt to mouth (and crawling on their hands and knees) is just way too much for me to handle.
And, it’s not like I’m bothered by body horror, as David Cronenburg–the king of the sub genre–is one of my favorite directors.
That said, I know there are two more movies in the series, and in each film, the actual “human centipede” gets bigger, and bigger, and bigger, and I just can’t take that idea.
A Tale Of Two Sisters (2003)
Lastly, I’m kind of cheating with this one because I’ve actually watched A Tale of Two Sisters… well, sort of.
You see, I started the movie, but there’s a scene that was so scary that I actually asked my friend if we could turn it off, and he agreed that we could, because he was terrified, too. In fact, my exact words were, “I’m scared,” and he replied, “I’m scared, too.”
Mind you, we watched this movie in broad daylight in his living room. And, to this day, A Tale of Two Sisters is still the only movie I’ve ever started that I’ve never finished. Even after watching that scene over again, I just don’t have the heart to see the rest of the film through.
From what I did watch, the story is about two sisters (One of whom has recently left a mental institution), who go to their new home, only to deal with their new stepmother, who might not be all there herself.
Asian horror already chills me to the bone (Especially South Korean horror like The Wailing), but for me to give up completely on a movie because I’m literally too scared to watch another second of it? Well, that’s something that only A Tale of Two Sisters has ever done for me.
But, how about you? Has there ever been a scary movie that you’ve never finished?