Boo Without Goo, the full list so far

Scary Movies For the Squeamish, Parts 1 and 2

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!