Help Me Induct a Horror Noob
 

Ok guys - I think I can manage this on my own, but I thought you guys might enjoy giving me a hand anyway.

My girlfriend is about as far as you can get from a horror fan. She has great taste in movies otherwise, but she's never really given horror it's day in court, aside from a couple semi-horror flicks that we watched together: Sleepy Hollow and Burton's Sweeney Todd, both of which she enjoyed.

Well, she is reluctantly willing to give horror a chance, because she knows how much I love it. Only I'm having some trouble deciding where I should start in order to really get her hooked...

I'm thinking I might go for some Universal stuff to start - maybe the big three: Dracula, Frankenstein + The Wolf Man.

She's a HUGE Phantom of the Opera fan, so maybe I'll try the Herbert Lom Hammer version...doubt she'd be ready for the Robert Englund one just yet.

Basically what I'm asking for is help suggesting some fairly light horror flicks that a new-commer to the genre might like. Some basic criteria:

- She's a HUGE romantic, so it would be nice if there were some kind of romantic aspect involved. Nothing major, but it'd be nice to have a bit of mushy stuff hanging around.

- Little-to-no gore. I'm sure she'd be fine with it eventually, but I'd rather ease her into it.

- Not overly heavy on plot....atmosphere is more important. I hope I don't need to explain why ;)


Anyway, thanks in advance! :)

Rosemary's Baby?

If you really wanna induct her to horror you should kidnap her,lock her in your basment and torture her Hostel style.

The Hunger - sexy-time will follow, it's super romantic and sexy
Night of the Living Dead - low on gore high on mood
Hammer's version of The Mummy - really atmospheric and cool
Them (Ils) - very little gore or real violence, just lots of tension

Young Frankenstein.




I bet she would enjoy that.:)

Fido! :)

Shaun of the Dead. Really depends on what you consider gore, the only part I can think of with major gore is the intestines when one of the characters is ripped apart at the bar. And there's the little love story between Shaun and Liz. And it's funny.

I would do as you planned and start with the Universal monsters. Frankenstein in particular, then Dracula. Go from that to maybe Interview with a Vampire. Good segwey, I figure, and it's nice and romantic. Then a zombie movie. Rod mentioned NOTLD and I second that one. A great classic.

Then Massacre Man's suggestion of Shaun of the Dead is a good segwey into gorier movies. It's a comedy so nothing too frightentingly gorey, but it should get her used to the stuff she'll see in most slashers.

Can't go wrong with The Haunting ('63)...

I was thinking that myself...

http://www.uvmagazine.com/store/images/mordumnew.jpg

:D

I'd recommend Ginger Snaps or Near Dark.

She likes classic movies? What bout things like Onibaba or Eyes Without a Face? Is she into foreign stuff like Spoorloos? I've never got anyone into horror films with the classics, generally it takes a sem-seasoned fan of the genre. Interview With a Vampire may be another good one if you're looking for something modern. Like you said, you can do it yourself, and probably will have to because you know her. :)

I was thinking that myself. A black and white classic wouldn't be a good opener for most people under age 25.

Ah, but she's not "most people under 25" :)

Some of her favourite movies are Casablanca and Rebel Without a Cause...we've watched a couple old Hitchcock flicks (To Catch a Thief and Rear Window) and she really liked both...she certainly has an appreciation for the classics :)

Well, that's a horse of a different color!

I agree with whoever said Night of the Living Dead. Maybe the Shining also? Dead Alive has romance, but is just a tad bit bloody!

Hahahahaha - I think you might be trying to get me killed here! :p

Universal Classics--a good idea all around. Throw in a little Creature from the Black Lagoon. Always works.

Some lighter fantasy with horror elements plus romance: Always works. 7th Voyage of Sinbad, baby.

Then, second star to the right and straight on 'til Dawn of the Dead. That oughta rattle her a little. 's good for her.

I really need to track that one down myself...caught bits and pieces of it on TV a couple times and it looks friggin' sweet, but I've never seen it to buy anywhere...

• Psycho
• Final Destination series
• The Omen
• Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
• The Innocents
• The Sixth Sense
• The Others
• Carrie
• Poltergeist
• Child's Play
• Bram Stoker's Dracula

I think she ll dig most, if not all, of em.

I was gonna suggest Cannibal Holocaust ;) but V's list might be more appropriate. Bram Stoker's Dracula was the first film that popped in to my head after reading the first post.

Yeah, I think Psycho's a safe bet.
How about Cat People ('43)?

Last House On The Left :D

Mad Love and Doctor X. Subtly perverse, clever, heartfelt and interesting movies that will help induct non genre afficionados. Also, Argento. Deep Red, Bird With the Crystal Plumage, good bets. Black Sunday and Black Sabbath show what good horror is all about, so do Corman Poe flicks.

Buy a massive tub of mayonnaise at slip in Porn Of The Dead.

-->May
---> Battle Royale
-->The Orphanage
-->The Mist
--> Ils (Them)
--> Frontier(s) ...I saw it with my cousin who haven't seen a horror film for the last almost 10 yrs. and she truly enjoyed it.
--> The 4th floor
--> Cloverfield
--> P2

and you can give a try for the "romantic" slasher All the boys love Mandy Lane:D .

If she likes romance, how about the version of Dracula with Frank Langella?

Grab a cheap used copy off Amazon...if you have VHS, you can get one really cheap. It's a solid entertainer. Very fast-paced.

Start her off with more exciting ones. I've tried to get a few of my friends hooked with Halloween but they get bored waiting for something to happen. When she decides she like it, then spring the more atmospheric ones on her.