I am a horror fanatic whose goal is to watch every horror movie there is to see… well, kind of. While horror movies are my passion, there are a few that I just won’t see for many different reasons. Perhaps the subject matter is too dark. Or maybe I don’t like a certain actor or director. Perhaps I’m just not interested. Here is a list of movies that I won’t watch — and why.
Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021)
I don’t like Chris Rock, so this was an easy choice. Sometimes I feel a certain way about comedians getting into horror; it feels like an “easy” way to get into filmmaking, not because they love the genre. Otherwise, I am completely lost on the Saw series. I have seen them all up until Jigsaw, but it’s been a long time and I really only remember stuff from the first four or so. Will I catch up with the series? Of course! I just won’t add Spiral to the mix.
Nope (2022)
Same thing with Chris Rock: comedians getting into horror. I will say though that Jordan Peele seems like he genuinely loves horror (and this is proven by his many films and television episodes in the genre), so I don’t mind him doing it. Nope is more along the lines of “I’m not interested.” And from what I hear about every Peele movie since Get Out, the movies are good, but there are diminishing returns in terms of story or scares.
Scream 2-5 (1997-2022)
While I haven’t seen a big chunk of this franchise, I’ve seen enough recaps that I don’t need to. I get the story. I get the hype. But in my humble opinion, Scream should have ended at 3… or better yet, just remained a standalone film. Are we not tired of these characters? Are we not tired of retconning and reiterating the “scary movie rules” that we all know? It feels like we’re beating a dead horse and I refuse to be part of that. Plus, I don’t think they’re really that great of movies in the first place.
Happy Death Day (2017)
When this movie came out, I was the leading “movie recommendation person” at work, especially for horror movies. I was constantly asked what I thought about Happy Death Day. Welp, I never got around to actually seeing it! Usually spoilers don’t deter me from seeing movies, but at this point I already know what’s going to happen. On top of that, this was probably a movie better seen in a theater with a crowd. My loss, not theirs.
A Quiet Place 2 (2020)
Another case of “should have been a standalone movie” syndrome. I find that production companies often will do money-grabs when one of their properties is profitable. I get it, but that doesn’t mean we should actually make any continuations. The first one was fine, but I didn’t like it enough to need to see the second. Same for A Quiet Place 3.
Martyrs (2008)
I can hear it now: “You call yourself a horror lover and haven’t seen Martyrs?!” That is correct. I have not seen Martyrs. The trouble with fandoms is that people feel the need to see each and every movie there is and if you don’t, you’re not a real fan. Horror is no different. So while I don’t care to see this (one of the few incredibly violent films I don’t want to put myself through), I have seen plenty of others that I could easily say the same about those who haven’t watched.
Anything after Romero’s Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Zombie movies aren’t my favorites to begin with, so this shouldn’t come as a shock. I have seen plenty of snippets from the Romero “of the Dead” movies that I can safely say I’m not missing very much. Honestly, they are indistinguishable to me. Could that change in the future? Yes, but it’s unlikely.
Don’t let “must-sees” get in the way of what you actually want to see. I believe Horror is one of the most accepting genres out there, as well as the most expansive. There are so many movies to see and not see, to love and to utterly despise. That’s the beauty of the genre! So while I haven’t and probably won’t ever see these picks, I’m still a die hard horror fan.
Are there horror movies you don’t plan to ever see? Tell us about it in the comments!
