Boo Without Goo, the full list so far

Depending upon the availability of the movie, links are either for purchase (those support me and independent bookstores when linked to Bookshop, thank you) or Letterboxd. The movies based upon novels are noted and also linked, but of course.

These two episodes have been reuploaded to the feed, and are available wherever you catch your podcasts, or ad-free for subscribers here on Substack: Part 1 and Part 2. Working on part 3 right now!

So here’s the list; join me and listen for all the gore-free spooky details, so you can enjoy this Halloween season without all the Things You Wish You Hadn’t Seen.

1. 1408 (2007), the first Stephen King on the list–original story from the collection Everything’s Eventual: 14 Dark Tales
2. Abandon (2002), directed by Stephen Gaghan, based upon the novel Adam’s Fall by Sean Desmond
3. The Awakening (2011), directed by Nick Murphy
4. The Bad Seed (1956), directed by Mervyn LeRoy/The Bad Seed (1985), directed by Paul Wendkos, based upon William March's novel of the same name
5. The Blair Witch Project plus the short Curse of the Blair Witch (1999)
6. The Caller (2011)
7. The Changeling (1980), with the amazing George C. Scott
8. Clue (1985), directed by Jonathan Lynn
9. The Craft (1996), directed by Andrew Fleming
10. A Dark Song (2016), directed by Liam Gavin
11. Dark Water: both the original (2002), directed by Ringu and Ringu 2 director Hideo Nakata, and the American remake (2005) with Jennifer Connolly; based upon the short story Floating Water (浮遊する水; Fuyū Suru Mizu from the collection From the Depths of Dark Water Honogurai mizu no soko kara (Kanji: 仄暗い水の底から) by Koji Suzuki
12. Don't Leave Home (2018), directed by Michael Tully
13. Edward Scissorhands (1990), directed by Tim Burton
14. Emelie (2015)
15. The Endless (2017), directed by Aaron Moorhead, Justin Benson
16. Flatliners (1990), directed by Joel Schumacher
17. Frailty (2001), directed by Bill Paxton
18. The Good Son (1993), script written by novelist Ian McEwan (famous for Atonement)
19. Gone Girl (2014), directed by David Fincher, based upon Gillian Flynn's novel of the same name
20. Gossip (2000), directed by Davis Guggenheim
21. Gretel & Hansel (2020), directed by Oz Perkins
22. The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992)
23. The Haunting (1963), based upon Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House
24. Horror in the High Desert (2018), directed by Dutch Marich
25. House on Haunted Hill (1959), directed by William Castle
26. The Houses October Built (2014)—this is a remake of the 2011 original by the same filmmakers, I have not seen the original. This is one of those movies that you will finish watching and swear it was gory. I promise you—no gore. None.
27. The Innkeepers (2011), directed by Ti West
28. Insomnia (2002), directed by Christopher Nolan
29. It Follows (2014)—warning for the opening scene, as with others in this movie, the violence happens off-screen, but the result is grotesque
30. Jessabelle (2014)—warning for one dead goat carcass shown
31. Lady in White (1988)
32. Lake Mungo (2008), directed by Joel Anderson
33. The Lodgers (2017), directed by Brian O’Malley
34. Marrowbone (2017), directed by Sergio G. Sánchez
35. New Best Friend (2002), directed by Zoe Clarke-Williams
36. One Hour Photo (2002)
37. The Ones Below (2015)
38. The Others (2001)
39. Paperhouse (1990), based upon the young adult novel Marianne Dreams, by Catherine Storr
40. Paranormal Activity (2010)
41. Paranormal Activity 2 (2010), directed by Tod Williams
42. Paranormal Activity 3 (2011), directed by Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman
43. Paranormal Activity 4 (2012), directed by Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman
44. Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension (2015), directed by Gregory Plotkin
45. Return to Oz (1985), based upon the second, third and fourth books in the Oz series: The Marvelous Land of Oz, Ozma of Oz, and Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz
46. Rose Red (2002), lookee, Stephen King again
47. Rosemary’s Baby (1968), based upon the novel by Ira Levin
48. Run (2020), directed by Aneesh Chaganty
49. Searching (2018), directed by Aneesh Chaganty
50. Skeleton Key (2005)
51. Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983), based upon the novel by Ray Bradbury
52. Spider Baby (1967), directed by Jack Hill
53. Storm of the Century (1999), and there’s the second Stephen King (screenplay)
54. Summer of Fear, sometimes also known as Stranger in Our House (1978), based upon the young adult novel by Lois Duncan
55. Unfriended (2014)
56. Veronica (2017), directed by Paco Plaza
57. The Visit (2015)
58. Wait Until Dark (1967), directed by Terence Young
59. The Ward (2010)
60. The Watcher in the Woods (1980)
61. We Have Always Lived in the Castle (2018), directed by Stacie Passon, based upon Shirley Jackson's novel of the same name
62. What Lies Beneath (2000), with Harrison Ford and Michelle Pffiefer
63. The Wicker Man (1973), directed by Robin Hardy—warning for nudity
64. Willow Creek (2013), directed by Bobcat Goldthwait
65. Winchester (2018), directed by Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig
66. The Witch (2016), warning for one brief breastfeeding scene involving blood, lasts seconds
67. The Woman in Black (2012), based upon the novel by Susan Hill of the same name

(The images are from Return to Oz (top) and Run.)

New Part 3 episode coming pronto! Happy spooky season!