Non Gory Horror films that work

[Ed, Ego and Superego]

My lack of love for splatter is pretty well known.  I was chatting with my wife about really scary stuff thats not just painting the walls with intestines and splat.  The two that immediately came to mind are the original Wicker Man and Shadow of the Vampire.  Can anyone help me find a couple more?
-Ed

[Pilgermann]

Halloween (1978) - It's a bit bloody here and there, but as a slasher film there's nothing too vivid.  Just good old atmosphere and suspense.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) - It's certainly horrifying but there's hardly any blood or graphic violence.  From what I understand, Tobe Hooper was aiming for a PG rating.
The Haunting (1963) - One of the scariest movies I've seen!

[Jim H]

The Black Cat, The Body Snatcher, and the Raven.  Yeah, I like Boris Karloff. 

There's also Changeling (1980).  It has some violence (brief but horrifying), but no gore. 

[Couchtr26]

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is a silent case study that works nicely and plays with the mind kind of horror.  No gore that I remember. 

Wind Chill has little gore if I remember correctly.  It is also a nice play on conventions and is frightening in the lack of initial understanding. 

The Fog, original seems to be little gore if I remember correctly.  More or less, it is similar to Halloween on the gore factor. 

The Duel.  Trucker chasing driver.  It is pretty minimum of gore but lots of tension. 

White Zombie. 

[Mr. DS]

Actually the first Saw movie I thought was a wonderful theater of the mind movie without much gore. 

[ulthar]

Do the classics count?

FRANKENSTEIN comes to mind as a movie with little gore (not Andy Warhol's version, haha).

GHOST STORY (1981) is an adaptation of a Peter Straub novel that is very creepy and if I recall correctly, has very little gore.  It instead relies on classic horror elements.

There are MANY 50's era ghost story movies that come to mind...stuff like THE BLUE ROOM, for example. It seems like it relatively easy to film a ghost story on a low budget, since what did you need in the way of fx?

The first OMEN movie had horrific elements with little actual gore.

Finally, I second the recommendation of Carpenter's THE FOG (another traditional ghost story).

I agree, though..true horror should not rely on gore to be horrific.  The theme is more one of psychology, and gore is easily "ignored," whereas the horrified emotion is not.

[RCMerchant]

Agree 100% about the HAUNTING.
NOSFERATU (1922) is real creepy!
Bava's BLACK SUNDAY.
Bava's KILL,BABY,KILL! Sounds like the title to a slasher film,eh? NOT! It's an excellent-and dam scary ghst story!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wp95rIJEffc

[retrorussell]

Night Of The Living Dead (1968).
Ssssss (1973).

[claws]

The Others (2001)
Paranormal Activity (2007)
Long Weekend - original and remake.

[RCMerchant]

The OTHER (1972)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMmMqWkudgA

LETS SCARE JESSICA TO DEATH (1971)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cX4eZD3GiL0

BLOOD AND ROSES (1961)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOvO7aG-65g

1960's EYES WITHOUT A FACE has some very clinical surgery scenes...but the whole film is so beautifully done...it's a classic

You may also want to try...
DIABOLIQUES (1955)
REPULSION (1965)
DONT LOOK NOW (1973).
All very scary!  

[Jack]

Just about all the old Hammer Horror films.  I absolutely love those - Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, don't get no better than that.  Then there's all those great Vincent Price movies as well.  The Haunted Palace is a personal fav'.

[Trevor]

The South African feature film Jannie Totsiens [Johnny Farewell] is an immensely scary psycho-thriller with very little blood and no gore but haunts you for days. 

[The Burgomaster]

ROSEMARY'S BABY

[Hammock Rider]

Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?


If you've never watched this before, this clip features a great scene that you might want to save for when you actually view the movie for the first time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=648-2RE4XAk&feature=related

[Ed, Ego and Superego]

Thanks guys, I have seen a lot of these, but some real good ideas have come up.  Someone esle said Saw 1 was excellent without being a splat fest, Now I have confirmation.

And RC... The Shadow of The Vampire is is about the making of Nosferatu, excellent film if you haven't seen it.  But I like Malkovitch.
-Ed