Horror for kids!

Yeah, I liked Gremlins when I was 11 or 12 but for my kids, it's off limits for now. The character literally says quote "that's how I found out there was no Santa Claus." I'd prefer my kids not find out that way, in a tongue-in-cheek horror type movie in the context of a girl's father dying and rotting in a chimney.

I saw Poltergeist around that age in the theater with my parents. It was utterly terrifying and I would never show it to my kids until they were older. Every now and then I hear tough guys on the net claim that the film isn't scary, but if Poltergeist isn't scary, then no movie is scary. At least for kids under 12.

I think The Simpsons had a theory that Casper was the ghost of Richie Rich... Lisa believed that RR's realization of “how hollow the pursuit of money really is” caused Richie to take his own life. I'll never think of Casper the same way again!

 

Michael Jackson's Ghosts

 

Do ya' think this 1963 Boris Karloff classic..."Black Sabbath" is appropriate for your friend's kid's? I saw it in the theater at around the age of 6 0r 8.
Here's the original trailer for it...



Others made right around the same time I saw at that age were...
"Die, Monster, Die"
"Planet Of The Vampires".

I was terrified out of my gourd when I saw all three of these and I'm still fairly well adjusted at 61.

 

Don't underestimate kids' ability to accept being scared.
Being scared by a movie is fun no matter the age.
When my kids were still quite young we made some popcorn , turned all the lights off and put on one of the Friday the 130th movies , you know , the ones with pizza-face Freddie Kruger.
I can't remember which one it was but there was a dream sequence where some young children are skipping rope while saying : " One , two..Freddie's coming for you". I looked over at my youngest daughter and she was jammed right up next to her Mom just shaking with fear.
When the movie was over she wanted to watch it again.

There's a good clip too on YouTube where a young family is watching ' Star Wars ' and the daughter is caught right up in the scene where Darth Vader is telling Luke he is his father. The girl can't believe it and she keeps saying ; " No .No. It's the Dark Side.".

 

Carpenter's "The Fog".

 

Child of Glass (if you can find it) is a good kids haunted house/ghost story by Disney

 

Speaking of Disney, Return to Oz (1985) is their production. It's fantastic like its prequel but contains nightmarish elements.

This is funny though:

 

Well, if you scare em a little, put on the classic[The Wolfman-1941] sleep tight kiddies, hehehehehe!!!

 

Excellent choice!

Disney's 'Return To Oz' ( 1985 ) is another gem suitable for family viewing around Halloween.
Plenty of spooky, strange , and mildly unsettling moments.
The Wheelers shown above, along with Princess Mombi and the Knome King are all wonderfully deranged elements.

The sequence near the beginning of the film where Dorothy is sent to stay with a 'Doctor of alternative treatments' in a spooky medical 'hospital' is also slightly unsettling.
The climax of the film, when Dorothy faces the evil Knome King is also a spooky highlight.
Might be a little intense for young children, but there is plenty of humour and likeable characters present.

This film is a good one and worth seeing.

-

 

Or Island of Lost Souls (1932)...

 

How about Night Of The Creeps?

 

Saturday the 14th

 

My 11 year old daughter HATES horror, however she loves the following:

The Ghost and Mr. Chicken
Beetlejuice
Coraline
Carnival of Souls
House on Haunted Hill (original)
Mad Monster Party
The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T
Creature From The Black Lagoon
Ghostbusters
Gargoyles
Killer Klowns from Outer Space (use your discretion on this one)

 

I love Roger Ebert’s original review of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. I’m sure those kids turned out fine.

Night of the Living Dead movie review (1969) | Roger Ebert

 

How 'bout "FREAKED", the weirdo comedy by Alex Winter!

 

Yet some parents will allow their young children to watch 'Pinocchio ' which is actually a terrifying film.
Kidnapping , imprisonment , boys turning into donkeys , characters being swallowed by a whale , a talking cricket. A talking cricket !
But it's alright ; it's a Disney movie!

 

Trying to think back on what I watched. The Universal monsters, but I imagine those might be a little “old” for kids these days. I used to love a Warner Brothers cartoon special that had the Hansel & Gretel story and the Charlie Brown special. Being different, I got into monster makeup and Fangoria, so I escalated pretty quick into the occasional heavier fair.

Maybe the original Ghost Busters would be a good starting point or perhaps Monster Squad. Oddly, I never saw Monster Squad until many years after its release. A shame, as I assume I would have liked it at the time it came out as well.

 

When Good Ghouls Go Bad

highly recommended!