October is a time for Halloween, and with Halloween comes a desire to watch scary movies. It's a popular practice, and unsurprisingly, new-release horror movies like to target the month of October for release, while some viewers might choose to watch an old favorite in the horror genre to celebrate the spookiest time of the year.
That said, if you want true horror movies, you're in the wrong place. The following 10 films may have you believing they're horror-related, based on their titles, but by watching them, you'll soon realize they belong to other genres altogether. Undoubtedly, some of these films are tense, dark, or could be classified as thrillers, but none of the following are true horror movies, despite their somewhat spooky-sounding titles.
'Parasite' (2019)
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A groundbreaking and nail-biting mix of social satire, thriller, and tragedy, Parasite made waves for being the first film not in the English language to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. It tells the story of one lower-class family's attempts to deceive an upper-class family for profit, which goes well until they find that the rich family's mansion hides a secret.
Despite the tension and consistently suspenseful second half, Parasite doesn't ever become a horror movie (maybe besides one somewhat creepy scene around the halfway point). While what its title refers to may be up for interpretation, one thing's for sure: it doesn't refer to any sort of creature or lifeform that feeds on humans which you might find in horror B-movie.
'Elevator to the Gallows' (1958)
Given the title contains the word "Gallows," it's safe to assume Elevator to the Gallows might be death-focused, or otherwise somewhat morbid. Even the word "elevator" conjures up mild feelings of claustrophobia, and combining that with something as death-focused as a gallows could give viewers the idea they're in for a horror movie.
Turns out, no, as this stylish, simple, and expertly entertaining French film from the 1950s is actually part romance, part heist movie, part film noir. The film does contain death, and one character does get stuck in an elevator for a good portion of the movie, but this grim-sounding title is not attached to an actual horror film.
'The Wages of Fear' (1953)
Truth be told, The Wages of Fear is about as tense as thrillers get, before becoming stomach-churning enough that they become horror movies. The plot sees several men embark on a well-paid but potentially deadly assignment to transport incredibly dangerous explosives through rough terrain.
There's tension throughout the entire journey, and given the movie's about two-and-a-half hours long and spends a great deal of time with the men on this journey, there are a ton of nerve-wracking scenes. The "fear" in the title is warranted, as some may well find this as horrifying to watch as an average horror movie. And given the danger the main characters put themselves in, the "wage" part of the title is justified, too.
'Flee' (2021)
The title Flee might conjure up a horror movie premise that sees the main characters on the run from an unstoppable killer, whether it be supernatural or more grounded in nature. There are so many classic horror movies with one-word titles (Jaws, Psycho, Halloween, etc.) that you could be forgiven for assuming Flee might be trying to capture a similarly direct vibe for a horror movie title.
Of course, that's not what 2021's Flee is at all, but the strikingly simple and evocative title still sums up the film perfectly. It's actually an animated documentary that tells the story of how Afghan refugee Amin Nawabi fled his homeland in the late 1980s, all the while coming to terms with his sexuality, and feeling the struggles of needing to suppress it out of fear in certain parts of the world. It's an emotional and riveting film about needing to flee... albeit not from a fictional boogeyman or horror movie creature.
'The Sword of Doom' (1966)
The Sword of Doom may make some people instantly that it's a samurai film, given the use of the word "sword." And sure, those people would be right, as this is a classic samurai (one of the most famous of those not directed by Akira Kurosawa) about a ruthless samurai who lacks a moral code, and the death and destruction he leaves in his wake.
The second key part of that title - "Doom" - could be seen as implying horror, though. And given the horror and samurai genres have crossed over before (most notably in the classic 1964 film, Kwaidan), it turns out The Sword of Doom doesn't really do that. Gory, bleak, and unnerving? Yes, but not quite in the way you could describe as belonging to the horror genre.
'In Cold Blood' (1967)
A film adaptation of the classic non-fiction novel by Truman Capote, In Cold Blood is a dark, downbeat movie about two men who commit a terrible crime, and then are forced to reckon with the fallout of their actions after they're sentenced to the death penalty.
The crime at the heart of In Cold Blood is horrific, but that doesn't make this crime film a horror film at the same time. The murderers here are explored in far greater depth than the killers at the heart of your average horror movie too, of course. Regardless of how you ultimately classify it as a film, one thing's for sure: it's a far cry from the other iconic Capote story that got a famous film adaptation in the 1960s: Breakfast At Tiffany's.
'The Great Silence' (1968)
One of the darkest westerns of its time - or maybe even all time - The Great Silence has a title that hints at the haunted, ominous mood that the film will contain, and also references the fact that its main character - a gunslinger who tries to protect a small town from bounty hunters - is mute.
With its snowy setting and brief bursts of shocking violence, The Great Silence may well come close to being a horror movie if it wasn't first and foremost a western, and also if it wasn't so sad. It's rare for horror to make the viewer miserable and scared at the same time, after all, and even with its title, setting, monstrous villain, and tone, it's hard to consider The Great Silence a true horror movie.
'Before the Devil Knows You're Dead' (2007)
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead works both "Devil" and "Dead" into its fairly long title. Two out of six words there are arguably pretty closely linked to the horror genre, at least when they're found in titles.
Like many non-horror films with ominous titles, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead can accurately be described as a thriller, and a dark one at that. Centered by two great lead performances from Ethan Hawke and Philip Seymour Hoffman, the film ends up being a tense and tragic crime film about one heist going wrong and spiraling out of control. A fun watch it's certainly not, but a great movie? It sure is.
'City of Ghosts' (2017)
Certainly not a horror film about an entire city that's literally plagued by spirits or the undead, City of Ghosts is instead a hard-hitting and very disturbing war documentary about the rise of ISIS in Syria in the early to mid-2010s, and the journalists who risked their lives to try and spread what was happening to the world at large.
It doesn't shy away from some horrifying sights, given that the journalists wanted the full extent of the violence to be known, and so the danger of ISIS could be better understood. It's disturbing and hard to watch, but not like a horror movie might be. The fact it's about real events and shows real footage makes it more terrifying than most horror films could ever dream of being.
'The Act of Killing' (2012)
The Act of Killing is indeed a film about murder. So too are horror movies frequently concerned with killing and death, but in this case, we have a documentary that aims to expose the extent of a horrific genocide that took place in Indonesia in the 1960s, and to make the perpetrators of those killings come to terms with the despicable nature of their crimes.
This is done by getting the killers - now old men - to dramatically recreate and re-enact their actions, as if they were themselves creating those scenes for a film. It's a fascinating and unique concept for a documentary, but due to the subject matter, an intense and harrowing one that's likely not for everyone. A horror film with the same name would almost certainly be an easier watch.