10 scary movies that have nothing to do with horror
The spooky, scary month of Halloween is upon us, and while you may be binge watching horror movies, why let the arbitrary boundaries of the horror genre stop you? Some of the scariest movies are actually rom-coms, bawdy comedies and animated features for children. What's scarier than teenagers making bad decisions before prom or not being able to get over your ex? We picked the movies that scare us most, none of which involve ghosts, ghouls or grisly murders.
Pretty in Pink
It's poorly advised to watch this on the night before senior prom, but even so, the alleged teen classic is utterly chilling. Andie (Molly Ringwald) makes a series of poor decisions that end up with her breaking her best friend's heart, wearing an ugly dress and choosing to date a total creep.
Where to watch: iTunes, YouTube, GooglePlay, Netflix DVD
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The Cat in the Hat
Mashable's M.J. Franklin describes this as a film about a home invasion, which is completely accurate. The Cat breaks into Sally and her brother's house with his two goons, wrecks everything, and thoroughly alarms both children and their pet fish. THAT POOR FISH.
Where to watch: You can rent an animated version on YouTube. The 2003 live action is hard to come by, and rightly so.
The Break-Up
Contrary to the marketing of this movie as a "comedy," that's just cute wrapping paper for the package containing your worst relationship nightmares. Gary (Vince Vaughn) and Brooke's (Jennifer Aniston) joint custodial condo becomes a Skinner Box for all the most excruciating parts of a break up: Seeing your ex date other people, trying to win them back, having to see them walk around naked -- you know. Perhaps the most frightening part is the realism; Gary and Brooke eventually part ways and with time and space, they move on.
Where to watch: iTunes, YouTube, GooglePlay, Netflix DVD
An Inconvenient Truth
You can always move if the election doesn't turn out the way you want, but where will you move if we lose THE EARTH??? (Don't say Mars. You're not going). Al Gore's documentary on climate change documentaries the irreversible effects already set in motion, as well as the major cities that will be submerged as the oceans rise. CAN'T WAIT FOR MORE OF THIS.
Where to watch: Nowhere, because the Earth's safety is apparently not a high priority on rental or streaming websites.
The Little Mermaid
A headstrong teenager who runs away from home and sells her body to a witch, all for some dumb boy? To every '90s kid who loved this movie: Your parents were right next to you, covered in cold, fearful sweat.
Where to watch: YouTube screaming, Amazon digital purchase, and Netflix DVD
The Hangover Part III
It's terrifying enough that they made a third Hangover, but if you've seen this movie it has a wealth of fresh hell in store. Where is the line between comedy and psychological thriller -- or between comedy and torture porn? Enough is enough.
Where to watch: Rent or purchase on iTunes, Google Play and Sony Entertainment, and rent-only on YouTube
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
What callow youth didn't have nightmares after this movie of being drowned in chocolate or permanently transfigured into a large version of an otherwise nonthreatening piece of fruit? Those kids deserved it, but who could say that a candy executive somewhere wasn't omnisciently judging the rest of us to determine that we deserved the same fate?
Where to watch: Rent or buy on iTunes or Google Play, rent-only via YouTube or Netflix DVD.
What Women Want
If you watched this at a formative age, you may have spent years petrified that random men (or just people in general) could hear your thoughts due to their own inability to safely use household electronics. Honestly, it's still a concern. How much are Occlumency lessons?
Where to watch: Netflix
(500) Days of Summer
To quote Mashable's own Elvie Mae Parian, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is "stuck in some horrifying time loop" for the duration of this movie. Like The Break-Up, this film zeroes in on the horrors of not being able to let go of an ex, of seeing them in every weird black-and-white foreign film and imagining the possibilities that are never remotely close to how things work out.
Where to watch: iTunes. You have to rent or buy it. Sorry.
The Revenant
Horrible things certainly happen in this movie, but the most frightening part is that it's approximately 26 hours long and everyone is cold all the time. Leo, didn't you learn the first time around that people get upset when you're covered in ice?
Where to watch: Stream on YouTube, rent from Netflix DVD, purchase on iTunes or Google Play.
Proma Khosla is a Senior Entertainment Reporter writing about all things TV, from ranking Bridgerton crushes to composer interviews and leading Mashable's stateside coverage of Bollywood and South Asian representation. You might also catch her hosting video explainers or on Mashable's TikTok and Reels, or tweeting silly thoughts from @promawhatup.
