Ghosts, vampires, demons, witches, possessed dolls, and little green monsters are among the immense amount of terrifying entities to grace motion pictures. Eventually children come across frightening cinematic experiences, and how parents handle each case will vary, depending upon a child’s age. Whether you are a horror dad like me (my three-year-old daughter can identify who Freddy Krueger is) or, as my wife says, a “normal” parent, this experience is inevitable.
Choosing scary movies for kids to watch may be daunting, as it is crucial not to expose them to the brutality of the horror genre. Such films may contain gratuitous gore and sexual situations children should not be exposed to (for example, Saw, Martyrs, Cannibal Holocaust, Nekromantik, and Bram Stoker’s Dracula). But ultimately, it is important to be a realist and know they will eventually encounter at least one scary, horrific movie in their youthful, elementary lives. So why not ease kids into the genre since it’s inevitable?
As the below list of the top ten horror films to introduce to children goes on, it diverges a bit from kid-friendly as the scare factor elevates.
Here’s a piece of advice from experience, especially for the young ones: After watching one of the movies, try searching YouTube and/or the DVD extras for meta commentary. For example, show the child how the gremlins are made via practical effects in Gremlins and instill they are not real (as far as I know). This solidifies reality from fantasy and helps in understanding the film’s apparatus.
The Witches (1990)
The Monster Squad (1987)
Gremlins (1984)
The Gate (1987)
Beetlejuice (1988)
Poltergeist (1982)
Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990)
The Lost Boys (1987)
Child’s Play (1988)
Jaws (1975)