h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm in need of a couple of good & scary flics suitable for teens 15 - 18, one for girls and one for boys.

Must not have undue drug/alcohol/sex references, nor must it be excessively violent/gory, (think delicious fright, not disgusting horror!)

I'd prefer something humorous, and considered Mel Brooks, 'Young Frankenstein', but decided it was both outdated and too 'campy'

Rocky Horror Picture Show isn't suitable, as it deserves a venue unto itself

If you can convince them to endure subtitles, Guillermo Del Toro's "The Orphanage" is both lovely and scary, and Hideo Nakata's "Ringu"* or another Japanese horror called "Ju-on: The Grudge" are both downright terrifying.
For something a lot more tame but still very good and on-theme, how about "The Others" starring Nicole Kidman?

* So named to differentiate it from the inferior American remake.

Sorry, I think I am thinking of "The Devil's Backbone". It's confusing because they are both Spanish, set in an orphanage, and "The Orphanage" has Del Toro as a producer. If you were to get it wrong though, it would be no disaster, as they are both very good films.

Sleepy Hollow is my go-to spooky film. Burton at his best and a proper spooky story.

Pan's Labyrinth, as well as being one of the best films ever made, has some strong horror elements to it. Maybe too gory though, some of the violence is pretty graphic.

This is something which absolutely no-one should need to hear, and moreover something which I should absolutely not be posting on the internet.

But I had the best sex of my life after watching Halloween.

You want film recommendations? Can't beat Shaun of the Dead in this situation...

B

It may well not be out on DVD yet, but there's a very recent one called "Stitches" that's genuinely hilarious and suitably chillerish. All I need to sell it is this: Ross Noble plays a murderous clown!
Oh, and another couple of good teen horrors: "Ginger Snaps" on the angsty side, and "An American Werewolf in London" on the funny side.

Idle Hands was a good horror comedy and low on the gore as I recall.

Here is one my wife and I have found enjoyable.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091369/

Not really a Halloween story but a fun fantasy, with several puzzles and fun charictors.

No where near as unsettling as Pan's Labyrinth.

FS

The Wicker Man? (the original, not the copy)

Sleepy Hollow is a good suggestion. Blair Witch didn't have sex or gore, as far as I remember?

sprout

Some classic Hitchcock - Psycho, or Vertigo perhaps.

Would Carrie be too gory?

Beetlejuice.

Aw Labyrinth, absolute classic! Beetlejuice is good too.

>The Wicker Man? (the original, not the copy)

Err, there's a lot of bare arses in that film, if we're aiming for a no sex please approach!

The Princess Bride. It doesn't fit the bill, but everybody should see it. I always show it when I have a captive audience of teenagers.

Carry On Screaming was, I'm afraid, the first horror film that came to mind ...

Mol

Another one: 'Scream' is certainly scary, and has a certain amount of blood, but most definitely nothing a modern 15-year-old can't handle. It's also slick, witty and cine-literate, and so won't try a teenager's attention span as might some of the foreign-language or old films we have suggested here. Good as they are, the kids can probably seek most of them out on their own time if they are so inclined.

Thanks for the suggestions

I've chosen 'Fright Night' or 'Snow White & The Huntsman' for the girls, and 'Sleepy Hollow' or 'Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter' for the boys



As it turns out, we may not have time for a movie anyway, as we'll be visiting the local Secondary School's Haunted House, as well as some other party games and activities

Why are you segregating them by gender?

"Little Shop of Horrors" might work, too.

Didn't even think of those, although they are very recent. I have heard good and bad about AL:VH, but mostly good about SW&tH (ain't abbreviations great?). I would worry about Fright Night though: American horror tends to get enough hype for me to hear of it, if it's any good. Look at how many "Paranormal Activity"s there are, still pulling in the publicity. By contrast, "Trick'r'Treat" ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0862856/ ) went pretty much unremarked, AND RIGHTLY SO!

>>Why are you segregating them by gender?<<

The movies, or the teens?

The residential substance abuse treatment centre segregates the genders, for most activities, to allow each resident to participate more fully in their recovery program, without the added distraction/complication/stress of dealing with male/female relationship issues.

See http://www.portage.ca/bc/index.html for more information.

As for the movies, the staff who work primarily on the girls' side thought they would enjoy 'Snow White & The Huntsman' more than would the boys. Both would probably enjoy 'Sleepy Hollow', and the girls would likely consider 'Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter' too silly.

Fright Night had David Tennant in it. It can't be all bad.