The countdown to Halloween has officially begun! With spooky season clear in our sights, kids will soon be thinking about what scary movies they’ll want to watch this year. But it can be tricky as a parent to figure out which films they can handle as youth and which are too childish for them.
There’s also a fine line between delightfully scary and traumatizing. Most of us grew up seeing movies that we were way too young for. Seeing The Exorcist at age 11 was probably the reason why I had so many nightmares, after all.
That being said, if your child is at the age where they want more than a cute black cat sidekick and a friendly ghost, here are a handful of scary but kid-friendly movies that they’ll love.
'Return to Oz' (1985)
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Fans of The Wizard of Oz may know about the fever dream that is the sequel, Return to Oz. Based on a couple of the L. Frank Baum's Oz novels from the Oz series, this sequel is bizarre, to say the least. As the title suggests, it’s time for Dorothy to return to the dream-like land of Oz, to help save its inhabitants from the evil Princess Mombi, who has turned several innocents into stone. It’s not a horror film, but it does have a few horror elements to it that make it quite nightmarish — a villain who changes heads as if they’re wigs, creepy rollerblading minions, and a general dark "something isn’t quite right" feel about the whole movie. Not to say the original movie didn’t have its creepy parts, but imagine the “Fly, my pretties!” scene times 10 and that’s Return to Oz.
'The Witches' (1990)
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Despite being a kids film, The Witches, based on the Roald Dahl book of the same name, picks at a fear that all children have — getting turned into a mouse. No, actually, the fear of strangers and getting lost. So in some way, the story is a PSA about the importance of staying near your guardian in a safe place. While vacationing at the seaside, our hero Luke explores the hotel to discover a convention of witches, leading to several tense mishaps. Jim Henson produced the film, so throughout the story we see countless disgusting and intriguing special effects — such as freaky witch faces, a girl getting sucked into a painting, and kids being turned into mice. There was also a modernized remake back in 2020 that is just as spooky.
'The Babadook' (2014)
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Unlike most of the films on this list, The Babadook isn’t actually aimed at children; it’s just surprisingly child-friendly. Maybe avoid it for young kids below the age of 12, but it really depends on what kind of media your kids are already consuming. Sam and his mother, Amelia, are being stalked by a nightmarish creature wearing a top hat, the Babadook. At first Amelia believes the strange noises and slamming doors are done by Sam, but soon they realize the pop-up storybook Mister Babadook has a disturbing connection. The movie touches on themes such as grief, mental health, and the difficulties of being a single parent. The Babadook itself is a manifestation of things we fear, feel, and suffer through. There isn’t much blood or strong language, but it is on the more frightening side of movies compared to The Witches or Oz, so we would recommend this as a family watch with older children and teens.
'Beetlejuice' (1988)
A comedy horror from the mind of Tim Burton that packs more of a punch than The Nightmare Before Christmas. Beetlejuice is a gross-out horror, with wonderful puppetry and special effects. Our heroine Lydia is also a goth teen’s dream. A recently deceased couple watch as a new family moves into their home — a pair of snobs and their budding photographer daughter. The dead couple hire the grotesque and untrustworthy Betelgeuse to “bio-exorcise” Lydia’s parents out of the house, but misadventures take place in the process. Despite the crude humor and freakish snake creatures, the film shares a pretty heartwarming message about found family. With some catchy musical numbers and wonderfully bizarre visuals, you’ll never forget it.
'Coraline' (2009)
Stop-motion classic Coraline is not what it seems. After finding a hidden door in her home, our heroine Coraline finds a world nearly identical to her own. All seems perfect at first, much better than her own world … but something sinister is lurking. As well as some patented Neil Gaiman imagery, the creepiest aspect of this film is how horror can always be hidden behind innocence. People who seem flawless always have something to hide, and Coraline teaches kids the importance of staying aware of your surroundings. Stop-motion movies are a rarity these days, so it’s good to see such a tense and imaginative movie be such a cult classic among kids and adults alike.
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