5 Really Scary Movies with No Zombies or Monsters

This weekend is Halloween weekend and there are a lot of horror movie fans that will be watching classic scary movies. The big ones like Dracula, Night of the Living Dead, Frankenstein, Creature from the Black Lagoon and other favorites. Lots of zombies and monsters and scary creatures. I like movies that scare me, but not in the way the classic horror films do.

There are movies I remember watching while I was growing up, but they were more Hitchcock Esque. In fact, two Alfred Hitchcock movies made my list of my 5 scary but monsterless films. These films kept me up at night, because they felt relatable. Like it could really happen. I don’t know if these movies are frightening or just disturbing, but they scared the hell out of me, and still do. They’re all from the 1960s with the exception of one which is from the 1950s before I was born.

Psycho

The first Alfred Hitchcock movie on my list. This movie has it all. Embezzlement, a dark rainy night, an old empty motel, a scary house, and a very unhealthy mother son relationship. Don’t let my description throw you. This is a scary freaking movie.

The Birds 

This is the second Hitchcock film on my list. A small town gets invaded by birds, but these are the most aggressive birds ever. I’m not sure this one has stood the test of time because technology has improved so much over the years. But to this little kid sitting there watching, I never wanted to see another bird in my life.

The Bad Seed

I read the book The Bad Seed before I saw the movie. It’s still on occasionally. It’s about the sweetest little blue eyed blonde little girl who has people mysteriously dying around her. She is able to fool some of the people, but not all of them. Really scary and definitely worth a watch.

Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? 

This one still disturbs me. An aging Bette Davis plays a former child actor who has been living with a guilty conscience for years. She is a caretaker for her sister, played by Joan Crawford,. Joan is in a wheelchair after a bad accident years ago. Bette does not so much take care of her sister, she abuses her, and slowly goes mad. There is a really scary beach scene and a twist of irony at the end. It’s a must-see.

Rosemary’s Baby 

Alright, this one does have some demons and devil worship, but it takes place at the Dakota in New York City. What should be the most wonderful time for a young mother-to-be turns into a horrible nightmare for her, and she has no one to turn to.. Pretty scary.

No monsters or zombies, but these movies make you think while scaring the crap out of you. Other newer movies along this line include The Shining, Silence of the lambs, and a couple of really well done Jordan Peele movies.