Are you an adult who is eager to introduce your child or tiny-human relative to the horror genre?
Well, it may surprise you to find out that their love of horror movies won't develop from you placing their backside down in front of the television to watch Freddy Krueger pull a young Johnny Depp into the deep pits of a bloody hell from the comfort of his own bed.
While Nightmare on Elm Street is indeed a great movie, the best way to ensure that your tiny human has emotional maturity larger than a teaspoon when they are older when it comes to horror movies, it may be better to take it slowly with their exposure to the horror genre.
Here is a list of television shows and movies that should slowly increase your tiny-human's love for spookiness until they become a full-blown horror movie obsessed adult!
Of course, you will know how much spookiness your tiny human can handle better than I, so as always, it's suggested that you watch these shows and movies first before deciding if you think these are appropriate to show your children.
A Series of Unfortunate Events
I personally recommend the Netflix series over the movie adaptation of this book series. While not typically considered 'horror', the story makes children confront a lot of their darkest fears; losing their parents, being stuck with a horrid guardian and frequently having to confront death. The Netflix series undercuts these dark themes with enough humorous tones to keep your young ones entertained enough for you to gage if they will be strong enough to stomach the stabbings of Michael Myers in the Halloween movies.
Addams Family
The 1991 Addams Family movie, and its sequel, 1993 Addams Family Value are great comedic family movies. That being said, the movies do contain some spookier themes that may be a little shaky for very little children (those who are of the age that Morticia makes cry in the library perhaps).
Beetlejuice
I remember being around the age of 8 when I first watched this movie. However, I am what my dad refers to as a "freak" so it may not be a good indicator for the age in which to show this movie to your tiny-human. Beetlejuice is very funny, which is how it tends to get away with its more scarier themes and lower age rating.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Seasons 1 and 2)
I have only put the first two seasons of Buffy as after that more adult themes come into it and you may deem it more inappropriate for your tiny-human. But the early seasons of Buffy are filled with comedic moments to undercut the tension, and the vampires are more-often-than-not very cartoonish rather than scary. Plus, Buffy Summers is a great bad-ass role model for young girls.
Coraline
Commonly misunderstood to be a Tim Burton movie, Coraline is a beautiful yet spooky movie that is bound to determine your tiny-human's boundaries with the spooky and unusual. It is well worth a watch, but I would say that you shouldn't assume that just because this is an animated feature that this is appropriate for all children to watch, as the Other Mother's transition is quite frightening. I would recommend this for older children to watch.
Corpse Bride
Corpse Bride comes from the wonderful mind of Tim Burton and has some wonderful musical numbers by Danny Elfman that undercut what might scare younger viewers. My only warning is that watching this film young may inspire a 'goth' phase that will never end, like it did with nearly all my friends.
Frankenweenie
Just be warned, while your tiny human will be able to handle the spooky element of this, they may not be able to handle the emotional state of this movie, it's very sad!
Goosebumps
The great thing about the Goosebumps television series is that it is an anthology series, so each week covers a different story. So in theory, there is bound to be some episodes more palatable to your tiny-human than others. But another great thing about this series, is that if the child enjoys it then you can encourage them to read the books! It's a win-win!
Ghosts
Ghosts is a show that is currently ongoing on the BBC (it's about to air its third series in 2021). It stars most of the cast from the CBBC adaptation of Horrible Histories, and is a generally light-hearted comedy series that is safe for kids to watch (as any adult humour is subtle enough to go over tiny-human heads).
Hotel Transylvania
Hotel Transylvania is a GREAT kids movie. Actually, it's a great movie in general, and it most definitely isn't scary for anyone in any age. But the reason I placed it on this list is that it can act as a great introduction for children to many of the iconic characters in Horror, and therefore may soften the blow later down the line when you introduce them to other spooky movies.
Labyrinth
David Bowie in fabulous backcombed hair, gothic looking puppets and banging tunes... need I say more? This movie is amazing. If you haven't seen it, go watch it. I mean it, go watch it right now. It's on Netflix. Go.
Little Shop of Horrors
If your tiny-human loves musicals, then look no further than Little Shop of Horrors. While certain aspects may be too scary for the tiny bairns, the campiness of the movie, should offset that for the older children. Plus 'Feed Me, Seymore' is really catchy.
Mona the Vampire
I LOVED this show when I was younger. In fact, scratch that, I STILL love this show. It explores the creative imagination of children infused with spooky elements in cartoon form- what's not to love?
Monster House
For an animated film, this can be really frightening for children. I have friends who are grown adults who still refuse to watch this film after seeing it in the cinema when they were younger. So even though I recommend this for tiny-humans, I would definitely say this is one you should watch on your own first and make the call before introducing it to the child to prevent any unnecessary nightmares from taking place!
Nightmare Before Christmas
This movie is filled to the brim with spooky imagery, but the bad guy, Oogie Boogie can be quite scary for the little ones. My mum used to resolve this side by turning the video off (yes I am that old), before Jack Skellington went into Oogie's lair and yelling THE END. I know, the approach is very Phoebe's mom from Friends, but in this case, it worked!
Pinocchio
Now hear me out, parts of this movie are straight up terrifying. If your kid can get through the donkey scene where the chap is crying out for his mama, they can fight of Michael Myers, no issues.
Scooby Doo, Where Are You
The original Scooby Doo series cannot be beaten. I read a horror encyclopaedia book that said that this show was making little kids hide behind their sofas when it was first aired. Now either they were exaggerating, or kids were major wimps in the 1970s.
Sleepy Hollow
This has a dash of gore in it, so if you know that your tiny-human will not cope well with blood visuals, this is one to avoid. But, I often get so wrapped up in the costume design and Johnny Depp that I cannot find time to be scared by the spookiness.
Spiderwick Chronicals
Spiderwick is a very mystical film that has some very creepy looking monster that may freak out some of the younger children in the group. But the more fantastical elements will be a sense of wonderment that may make them forget about the more scary areas of the movie.
The Lost Boys
Possibly the most risky addition to this list, according to my own parents. I was around 10 years old when I saw this movie for the first time (I LOVED it). The soundtrack alone is the stuff of legends. It is definitely what I would call a teen-horror, but if your younger one is mature for their age and has learned not to repeat the language they hear on the TV, then this movie could be a good shout for them.
The Munsters
SO WHOLESOME! The Munsters is an old TV show from the 60s that has some light-hearted spooky elements. It is devastating that this was so short lived.
The Witches
I personally will only ever recommend the original movie and not the new one with Anne Hathaway, like no disrespect to Anne Hathaway, I think she's great but there are some things you just don't touch, you know? Anyway, most Roald Dahl books have quite dark tones in them, and The Witches is definitely know exception.
Young Dracula
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