5 Movies That You Can Get Your Scaredy-Cat Friends to Watch

If your friends are anything like mine, it's an extreme challenge to get them to watch any sort of horror movie. I always seem to get roped into watching some type of slap-stick comedy or superhero-flooded action flick. The movies on this list should be spooky enough for the horror fan to enjoy while sane enough to keep the peace between your friends.

1. The Shining

This classic film is as much of a thriller as it is an actual horror. While the movie steers away from an abundance of blood and gore, it still gets under your skin. Through the work of Stephen King and cinematic excellence of Stanley Kubrick, this film allows you to delve into the fragile mind of a family put into isolation. Your friends that have issues with demonic movies or paranormal entities may be able to stomach this one.

What to tell your friends: "It's a movie about a family that gets snowed into a hotel where they begin to become entrapped in their own minds, leading the father to become overtaken by some type of presence. No paranormal stuff I promise!"

2. Zodiac

This true-crime thriller is an interesting watch for anyone. It dramatizes the true story of the Zodiac killings in Northern California that disturbed the country during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Since this case is still currently unsolved, it will allow you and your friends to further theorize who you think did it. Is the Zodiac still out there? Maybe he had children that are secretly carrying out his work?

What to tell your friends: "It's a true story about a serial killer that left behind puzzles that made the police chase him around in circles. It's super interesting to see how he evaded law enforcement for so long! You should see the types of letters he sent, it's like he had his own language- let'swatch and try to solve it!"

3. The Uninvited

While this movie isn't super scary, its plot twist leaves the viewer baffled and ashamed that they didn't expect it sooner. The underlying tension between Anna, our main character, and her new stepmom makes you wish you knew the whole story. New revelations about her new stepmother and the fire that changed Anna's family life completely come to light and shock you for the better.

What to tell your friends: "It's about a family whose boathouse went up in flames, and Alex and Anna, two sisters and best friends, are still trying to fit all of the pieces together. No blood, no gore!"

4. The Silence of the Lambs

Yet another classic to make the list, this movie gets the viewer's attention early on. Clarice, the young FBI agent yearning to further advance her career, finds herself grasping for a former psychiatrist-turned-serial-killer-turned-cannibal's trust in order to solve a different set of murders by another serial killer.

What to tell your friends: "It's a classic! She tries to get inside the head of one serial killer in order to catch another. No ghosts, no demons."

5. The Others

This 2001 thriller tells a ghost story from another perspective. Instead of constant knocking or poltergeist happenings, this movie shows paranormal activity from a whole new angle. Between the children of the house being allergic of sunlight and the lack of electricity of the time period, there are a couple of 'jump-scares' here and there, but nothing of nightmare-ish proportion. The revelation of the house's hauntings is sure to leave you stunned.

What to tell your friends: "It's about a family that lives in a beautiful mansion. While waiting for the man of the house to return from war, the mansion begins to go bump in the night for reasons that you might not expect. No blood, no gore, guaranteed."