Despite the contradiction that may arise from the phrase “horror movies for kids,” there are numerous entertaining and scary films that are perfectly fit for kids.
Horror movies for kids can do more than just provide a thrill. They can ignite their creativity, teach them valuable lessons, and even help them overcome their fears in a safe environment.
Switch off the lights and get some popcorn. Brace yourselves to wander through the exciting world of horror movies for kids!
The appeal of horror movies for kids
Horror movies for children might seem a bit unorthodox. They access the instinctual inquisitiveness of a kid’s mind concerning the unknown.
As much as we might not like to admit it, kids love the excitement that controlled fear gives them, such as riding a roller coaster.
The scary scenes and scary creatures provide a secretly pleasing end for adrenaline and tension.
Most of these films are designed to be both terrifying and funny so as to ease the children’s fear.
Moreover, most horror movies for kids also include ethical themes of good versus evil, with the protagonists rising to highly improbable challenges.
This might be thrilling for the kids as it would enable them to learn the most important skills of dealing with fears.
When there is a world that is sometimes confusing, horror films for children can offer another happy way to feel emotions and to understand fear.
Should you let your kids watch horror movies?
Whether or not to let the kids watch horror movies is a matter of choice that needs balanced consideration since the movies have both good and bad effects.
Here are some points to ponder about:
Benefits of watching horror movies for kids
The positive effects of watching horror movies for kids include the following:
- Inspires imagination and creativity. In horror films you have fictional places, beings, and stories that will undeniably affect the creative ability and imagination of kids.
- Teaches life lessons. Plenty of kid-friendly horror movies teach lessons of friendship, courage, and dealing with fear as well as adaptability and problem-solving which help kids to develop these traits.
- Encourages critical thinking. With horror movies children can learn the tool of plot analysis, discerning the motives of the characters and make a distinction between the real and the unreal.
- Bonding experience. Families can enjoy a movie together and have fun when watching “Scary” films as they share memories and discuss the issues and feelings portrayed in the movie.
- Introduction to the genre. Appropriate horror movies for young ages could be an agreeable and nice way to introduce the genre, letting the children feel the excitement of these stories
The disadvantages of watching horror movies for kids
Here are some of the negative effects of watching horror movies for kids:
- Nightmares and fear. Many children are much more easily affected by the horrifying scenes they have watched, which leads to nightmares, persistent fears, or anxiety.
- Desensitization to violence. Violence or disturbing material encountered in a fictional or real-life environment could have an impact on children. It may lead to them losing the ability to empathize with real-world violence.
- Difficulty separating fiction from reality.A lot of small children, particularly those under the age of 7 or 8, have difficulty differentiating reality from fiction. This may lead to confusion or anxiety.
- Inappropriate content. Many horror films, some even rated PG, may be deemed inappropriate and unacceptable for minors, mainly due to their content.
- Sleep disturbances. The horror movies might have children develop poor sleeping patterns or difficulties of falling asleep which is a hindrance to their health.
The decision to allow your children to watch horror films should be based on your knowledge of your child. It is important to consider their temperament, level of maturity, and sensitivity.
Watching some of them and reading the description beforehand will help you to understand if they fit your family’s ethical/ moral values as well as the comfort level of your family.
How to prepare your child for watching horror movies？
The way to prepare your kid to watch a horror movie involves a careful, thoughtful, and gradual approach.
Providing an experience that kids can relate to according to their age as well as how much they can comprehend is of great importance.
Here are some tips to help make the process smoother:
- Age and maturity assessment. Consider your child’s age and emotional development before he/she watches horror movies. Children under the age of seven or eight can find it hard to distinguish fiction from reality. Therefore, adults are usually advised to wait until their children are a little older.
- Start with milder content. It is befitting to begin with less scary, child-oriented comedies that are more fun and fantasy rather than horrifying scenes. This will familiarize your child with the style and help them eventually cope with suspense.
- Discuss the movie. Before and after viewing the film, discuss the plot, characters, and themes with your child. Get them to convey their thoughts and emotions and tell them that it is only make-believe.
- Set ground rules. Establish the rules; for example, they must watch the movie when the sun is bright to allow them to be stopped if they are afraid and provide comfort and distraction if they are too scared.
- Utilize parental control tools. Consider parental control apps such as FlashGet Kids, which can help you limit media content your kids watch and block them from inappropriate content.
With FlashGet Kids, you can:
- Track your child’s location. This gives you the assurance that your child is safe, especially if he’s at home watching a movie with his friends at the neighbor’s house.
- Monitor device usage. Watch closely how much time are they spending on the screens, and if the time exceeds the restricted period, then effect the needful changes.
- Check and disable apps. If the movie is too intense to be watched, the FlashGet Kids remotely blocks the movie app or the streaming platform that to be used.
The best horror movies for kids
Here are some of the best horror movies for kids:
- “Monster House” (2006). A haunted old mansion starts to become a real-life monster and ends up with a bunch of kids being trapped in it. They have to devise a strategy to put a stop to it.
- “Coraline” (2009). A teenage girl discovers a concealed cover that leads to another world that seems like heaven at first glance but later turns out to be a hellhole.
- “The Nightmare Before Christmas” (1993). The Pumpkin King of Halloweentown, Jack Skellington, mistakenly learns about Christmastown and deliberately intends to invade It.
- “Paranorman” (2012). A boy who can talk with spirits and has the power to break the ancient spell must hurry before it’s too late and the entire town is destroyed.
- “Goosebumps” (2015). Teenagers who first move into a new town accidentally let out all the monsters from the Goosebumps books in the real world.
- “The Haunted Mansion” (2003). The family moves into a haunted house, and for the rest of the movie, they meet both welcoming and hostile spirits.
- “Frankenweenie” (2012). A young child’s dog is resurrected through a scientific experiment, but not everything goes smoothly. This Tim Burton stop-motion animation is an offbeat, creepy, and heartwarming tribute to traditional monster movies.
- “The Addams Family” (1991). The weird and slapstick Addams family stumble upon a grifter trying to trick them into letting him stay in their house. This film version of the popular TV show is a humorous and oddball rendition of a “spooky” family.
- “Casper” (1995). A small yet friendly ghost tries to be helpful and build a lasting friendship with a family haunted by the supernatural.
Conclusion
Horror movies for kids are generally seen as an unusual proposition. However, these films provide an amusing and creative opportunity to introduce young people to the genre.
These horror movies for kids, especially those that are age-appropriate, offer thrills, chills, and laughs to children in equal measure.
They challenge the young audience to face their fears in a protected and controlled environment. This promotes creativity, imagination, and courage.
Through the right guidance and preparation, these movies can be treasured as childhood memories and may even spark a lifetime love for the horror genre.
FAQ
What is a good first horror movie for kids?
An excellent introduction to horror movies for kids is “Coraline” (2009). It creates the balance between the scary and the funniness by blending this with the creative and age-appropriate storytelling.
At what age can kids start watching horror movies?
There isn’t a definite age when kids should watch horror movies, although scholars usually recommend that children watch slightly frightening movies as they get older, around 7-8 years old, because little kids can struggle to tell fantasy from reality.
What is the most kid-friendly horror movie?
“Monster House” (2006) is known as one of the scariest but kid-friendly horror movies due to its combination of humor, animation, and kid-friendly scares that cater to families.
Why is my child obsessed with horror?
Children are curious about the unknown and relish the momentary tension that winning over fear brings to them through scary movies and stories.
