For a Halloween feature, contributors to the Guardian compiled a list of films outside the conventional horror genre that they found most terrifying. The selections range widely in style and period, from animated adaptations to intimate dramas, united by an ability to provoke unease without resorting to genre staples like jump scares or supernatural monsters.
A quiet dread
In his entry, critic Radheyan Simonpillai highlights Lee Chang‑dong’s Burning as a film that conceals menace beneath ordinary interactions. The film opens with the disappearance of a spirited young woman, played by Jeon Jong‑seo, which leaves the narrative suspended between suspicion and ambiguity. A wealthy playboy, portrayed by Steven Yeun, is suggested to have “serial killer vibes,” while Yoo Ah‑in’s performance as Jong‑su — an aspiring, increasingly frustrated writer — gives voice to a simmering, disaffected male rage.
Simonpillai argues that Burning tilts into thriller territory by borrowing the language of horror to articulate a contemporary unease. Jong‑su’s growing desperation — he works odd jobs and maintains the dilapidated farm of his incarcerated father — becomes the film’s engine of anxiety, as small irritations and resentments mount into a far darker tension. The critic situates Chang‑dong’s approach alongside cinematic touchstones such as Taxi Driver, The Vanishing and Michael Haneke’s Caché, suggesting Burning converts social and psychological malaise into something palpably frightening.
Broader resonance
The Guardian roundup places Burning among other non‑horror titles that unsettle through character, tone and implication rather than genre conventions. Contributors point to a broader trend in which filmmakers use the techniques of suspense and disquiet to reflect real‑world fears — from interpersonal violence and online radicalisation to institutional failure — making some of the most affecting scares in contemporary cinema rooted in familiar, everyday realities.
Taken together, the critics’ picks underscore how cinema can generate fear without monsters or gore: by concentrating on human behaviour, moral ambiguity and the slow accumulation of dread, these films deliver a lasting sense of unease that lingers well beyond a single viewing.