My son (7) is a fan of scary stuff. He likes really spooky Halloween decor and doesn't typically get frightened by the kind of stuff that might send other kids under the covers. Recently he has expressed interest in watching horror films but I'm not a huge fan of the genre and don't really want him watching contemporary or even 90s horror thrillers (Scream is apparently known around his school and is now a classic). Seeking recs for classic, foundational, scary movies. Weird is okay, black & white is great, blood & guts fine in moderation. Extra points for scary but also a little funny.

Question

amy · Answer

Monster Squad: As long as you’re okay with the 7-year-old introducing “Wolfman’s got nards” into his vocabulary, Monster Squad is a very fun intro to the classic universal monsters.

More recs from my horror-loving husband for introductory, not traumatizing: Tremors, Gremlins, The ‘Burbs.

Clara · Answer

Fargo (1996): I don’t even want to say anything about this film to not spoil it for anyone who happens to have not seen it yet. If that’s you: you should watch it.

Kat · Answer

Are you afraid of the dark: My son (8) is similar - he also likes goosebumps and most recently Ghostbusters. Little Monsters is also good!

ProutyProuty · Answer

Goosebumps: I’m a little biased because my uncle did the illustrations for the original series but these are a classic children’s book rec.

giselle hart · Answer

I didn’t know Jaws was a horror movie: Might make your son afraid of swimming in the ocean for the rest of his life, but you can’t beat a classic! 🌊🦈🚤

Have been watching and rewatching the series Widow’s Bay lately also.

Happy Halloween! 👻

Kara · Answer

Mars Attacks! It's so silly and you forget what a wild cast it is.: It's so silly and you forget what a wildly stacked cast it boasts.

Lizzie · Answer

Christine: possessed car. Scary and campy. John carpenter score. 80s horror heaven.

Krissie · Answer

Try the kids podcast “origins unknown” or “grim grimmer grimmest”: my daughter loves scary stuff and these are perfect.

Eric F · Answer

Ghostbusters (1984) & Ghostbusters II (1989) 👻: I loved the Ghostbusters as a kid. My Halloween costume was either them or the Ninja Turtles for quite a few years. A fun mix of scary and funny, the proton packs are cool af, and the puppets and practical effects rule. Note: Venkman is a creep and it’s a little mature at times, in a humorous ‘80s PG kind of way.

Spines, Flicks, and Wax · Answer

The Phantom of the Opera (1925): A great classic to show the effectiveness of horror without words (Nosferatu is another great one).

I believe it was Tom Savini (famed horror makeup/special fx artist) who said his mother told him the audience freaked out when the phantom's face was revealed!

A groundbreaking horror film with a lead who often did his own makeup 😊

Ginny Branch · Answer

Sixth Sense: Showed this to my daughter because I too am always trying to find age-appropriate scary movies. I also showed her Jaws when she was 4 but because I’m a prop stylist I’ve always told her how all of its fake and how cool that a bunch of artists get together and make these things together. Sixth Sense was also fun to say, “Ooh he’s about to say the most famous line of the movie” right before Haley Joel Osmond said, “I see dead people”

Ginny Branch · Answer

Widow’s Bay: My 9 year old is such a fan! It’s spooky and funny and each episode is a nod to a horror classic with tons of Easter eggs. The ensemble cast is superb and there’s a reason this show swept the Emmy’s! Also lots of good Halloween costume ideas!

Ginny Branch · Answer

Coraline: If he likes Nightmare Before Christmas, this is a level up if he hasn’t seen it already. It doesn’t have a lot of humor but it definitely is creepy but visually masterful!

Annie Pontarelli · Answer

Frankenweenie (1984): i babysat a kid around the same age that carried a fake severed head around with him. He liked this when i showed him although it’s def more fun than scary but imo a must watch for young horror heads.

Annie Pontarelli · Answer

The Blob (1958): Campy as heck. Tried to do the double feature with the 1988 version in high school but it was too violent for me then and might still be, but this one is pretty tame and a classic.

Rachel · Answer

Are you afraid of the dark?: It’s free on Tubi! It hits the right balance for our 7 year old.

Chalice · Answer

Watcher in the Woods: Disney horror - literally. Made by Disney. My sister and I watched it at every single sleepover we had as kids. It's spooky, but no blood/guts onscreen. And it has Bette Davis!

Amy · Answer

Invasion of the Body Snatchers: This might be one to check out!

eva h · Answer

Them! (1954)

eva h · Answer

The Fly (1958): then in 10 years he can watch the cronenberg version lol

eva h · Answer

Addams Family Values (1993): horror adjacent and definitely foundational!