The 10 best movies to get kids into horror

❘ Published: 2023-10-31T12:43:00

Monster picks up a little girl in Monsters Inc.

Disney/Pixar

It’s Halloween, and if you are looking for scary movies to show your kids, you could do a lot worse than the following 10 classics.

October 31st is a day for dressing up, and a night for partying hard, if you are an adult.

If you are a kid, it’s also a great day to don a costume and scare a friend. Or neighbor if you are out trick or treating.

After they’ve collected and eaten all that candy however, the little ones might be looking for something (a little bit) scary to watch. If so, we’ve got you covered, with the following 10 of the best movies to get children into horror…

The 10 best movies to get kids into horror

Ask any grown-up horror fan how their genre journey began, and chances are it was watching an R-rated movie during childhood. Films like The Exorcist, Alien, and Nightmare on Elm Street, some babysitters or elder siblings screened without considering the consequences.

That’s not what this list is about. Instead, we’re counting down movies that were made for kids, with some picks outright horror flicks, and others having fun with the genre from a safe distance. Making the following 10 of the best movies to get kids into horror.

10. Monsters Inc. (2001)

What’s it about: A city filled with monsters is powered by the screams of human children. But when one such kid stumbles into that city, a pair of “scarers” named Sulley and Mike see the error of their ways, and help the young girl – whom they call Boo – return home.

Why it’s great: Monsters Inc. takes the idea of a monster hiding in your closet or under the bed, and uses it as the jumping-off point for one of the very best Pixar movies. It’s filled with creatures of every size and shape imaginable, while as voiced by John Goodman and Billy Crystal, Sulley and Mike are as hilarious as they are lovable. Making this a relatively harmless introduction to the world of scary monsters.

How scary does it get? Very few scares.

9. Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)

What it’s about: Confectionary king Willy Wonka invites a group of children to his chocolate factory, where they are put through a series of tests to decide who should take the business over when he retires.

Why it’s great: Author Roald Dahl loved scaring kids. And this musical movie – based on his 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – seems like a wish-fulfillment fantasy. But it’s actually a pretty intense horror movie. Willy Wonka is disconcerting throughout, Slugworth is as creepy as they come, the ‘Tunnel of Terror’ sequence is a waking nightmare, and to cap it all off, most of the kids in question end the movie in seriously bad shape. Or dead.

How scary does it get? Quite scary.

8. Coraline (2009)

What’s it about: Unhappy in her own world, Coraline Jones finds a portal that transports her to an ‘Other World,’ where doppelgängers of her parents have buttons for eyes, but are much nicer and kinder. Coraline considers staying, but soon realizes that all is not as it seems in this alternate reality.

Why it’s great: Writer-director Henry Selick is responsible for another great gateway horror in the shape of The Nightmare Before Christmas. But if you’re after scares, Jack Skellington’s story pales in comparison to Coraline. Based on a novella of the same name by Neil Gaiman, the book was frightening, but this stop-motion animation is terrifying, both because of those button eyes, and also due to the evil villain of the piece, Coraline’s other mother, aka The Bedlam.

How scary does it get? Very scary.

7. The Witches (1990)

What’s it about: A young boy finds himself slap-bang in the middle of a witch convention, and endeavors to expose their dastardly plans, even after they turn him into a mouse.

Why it’s great: More Roald Dahl, this time via an adaptation of his 1983 bestseller where witches are real, and plotting to turn the children of the world into rodents. It’s a fun film, and superior to the recent Robert Zemeckis version in pretty much every way, shape, and form. But this one is on the list for two reasons – Angelica Huston’s bone-chilling performance as the Grand High Witch. And the work of Jim Henson’s Creature Workshop when she removes her skin to reveal the character’s true – and truly disgusting – form.

How scary does it get? Pretty scary.

6. Monster House (2006)

What it’s about: An old man terrorizes the kids in his small town. Then when he seemingly dies of a heart attack the day before Halloween, his sentient house starts bumping them off.

Why it’s great: Featuring state-of-the-art computer animation, and a voice cast that includes Steve Buscemi, Catherine O’Hara, Fred Willard, and Kathleen Turner, Monster House is a perfect comedy-horror. That’s because the laughs come thick and fast. While the scares are plentiful, thanks to the titular residence being filled with memorable frights.

How scary does it get? A bit scary.

5. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)

What’s it about: An eccentric inventor makes a flying car, and uses it to embark on a magical adventure with his children in a far-off land called Vulgaria.

Why it’s great: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang isn’t a horror movie. But one character is pure horror, and that’s the Child Catcher. With his long nose and pointy shoes, he dances through the streets, offering goodies like lollipops, cherry pies, cream puffs, ice-creams, and treacle tarts. But it’s all a ruse to trap the “kiddy-winkies,” whom he locks up and whisks away to a Vulgarian prison. As played by ballet dancer Robert Helpmann, The Child Catcher is an alarming presence, who preys on the most primal of childhood fears.

How scary does it get? Whenever the Child Catcher is onscreen? Very scary.

4. Frankenweenie (2012)

What’s it about: When a boy’s beloved Bull Terrier dies, he uses electricity to bring him back to life. But following the experiment’s success, his friends want to bring their own dead pets back to life, resulting in chaos erupting all over their small town.

Why it’s great: Tim Burton has spent much of his career crafting creepy movies and twisted fairytales, with the likes of Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, and Corpse Bride all warranting a place on this list. But we’re plumping for Frankenweenie because it’s so infused with his love of horror, the film paying homage to the classic Universal monster movies, as well as the Toho Godzilla flicks. It’s a love letter to the genre, brought to life in beautiful stop-motion, and the perfect primer before progressing to scarier fare.

How scary does it get? Not very scary.

3. Gremlins (1984)

What’s it about: Teenager Billy Peltzer is given a cute creature called a ‘Mogwai’ for Christmas, and issued three simple rules – avoid bright light, steer clear of water, and do not feed after midnight. Billy promptly breaks all those rules, his new pet spawns an army of monsters, and all hell breaks loose.

Why it’s great: Gremlins is the most violent movie on this list. Which is a problem, as the Mogwai – whom Billy names Gizmo – is absolutely adorable, and was very cynically marketed towards kids in 1984. Meaning a generation of children got the fright of their lives when the evil gremlins emerged, and murdered townsfolk in shocking and bloody fashion.

How scary does it get? Very. Only show it to kids who don’t mind nightmares.

2. Ghostbusters (1984)

What’s it about: When spirits start emerging all over New York, who ya gonna call? The Ghostbusters of course; a rag-tag team of scientists who clean up the town, because they ain’t afraid of no ghost.

Why it’s great: Ghostbusters is great because it harnesses the comedic powers of Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Harold Ramis, and sticks them in the middle of a beautifully crafted supernatural story. But it also kicks off with one of the greatest scares in all of cinema, when a librarian reveals herself to be an angry ghost, and flies towards the camera in terrifying fashion. There are more decent frights through the rest of the movie, but nothing compares to that ghastly ghostly introduction.

How scary does it get? Pretty scary.

1. The Monster Squad (1987)

What’s it about: When fantastical creatures invade their hometown, it’s up to a group of kids – who call themselves The Monster Squad – to fight back.

Why it’s great: The children in Monster Squad are likeable and relatable, which is a good start. While the monsters themselves are just the right side of scary. All the classics are there, too, as the gang battle with Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, the Wolf-Man, the Mummy, and Gill-Man (though we all know it’s really from the Black Lagoon). Stakes are high, with the future of the world at stake. While superb practical effects mean the creatures in question look as good today as they did back in 1987. Making The Monster Squad the perfect movie to get kids into horror.

How scary does it get? Dracula is pretty creepy, but that’s about it.

Those are our picks for kid horror, but for more about the genre, check out Halloween coverage below: