Wholesome horror movies lol
April 22, 2024 3:19 PM Subscribe
Looking for scary / horror movies without gore or dead bodies and relatively progressive values for kids. Horror movie fans - your advice would be so welcome!
I'm looking for horror movies that are okay for kids. I have an 8yo kid who loves scary things. He is really pretty impervious to feeling scared -- in the middle of a scary scene recently, he deadpanned "the CGI on this is pretty bad." (Previous questions: Age 4, Age 7)
I'm wanting the movies to not be too "real world." My ideal movie would be people walking around a dark house with a bunch of jump scares by ghosts. I don't want people actually dying, drug or alcohol abuse, real world "serial killer" types, more than very sparse use of weapons (specifically not guns), or sexual stuff. But I imagine the line will shift over the years so if you want to recommend something with a little warning about a bit I need to fast forward, that's fine.
If possible, I'd also like them to promote progressive values or at least not be racist, xenophobic, sexist, transphobic, fat-phobic, etc. (The most recent example is that yesterday, we watched The Conjuring, which wasn't too scary but was far from being feminist, so we had to talk about that.)
I know the horror movie genre is large and diverse and full of deep cuts, so I'm hoping some of MeFi's movie buffs might have some good ideas. Thanks in advance!
I'm looking for horror movies that are okay for kids. I have an 8yo kid who loves scary things. He is really pretty impervious to feeling scared -- in the middle of a scary scene recently, he deadpanned "the CGI on this is pretty bad." (Previous questions: Age 4, Age 7)
I'm wanting the movies to not be too "real world." My ideal movie would be people walking around a dark house with a bunch of jump scares by ghosts. I don't want people actually dying, drug or alcohol abuse, real world "serial killer" types, more than very sparse use of weapons (specifically not guns), or sexual stuff. But I imagine the line will shift over the years so if you want to recommend something with a little warning about a bit I need to fast forward, that's fine.
If possible, I'd also like them to promote progressive values or at least not be racist, xenophobic, sexist, transphobic, fat-phobic, etc. (The most recent example is that yesterday, we watched The Conjuring, which wasn't too scary but was far from being feminist, so we had to talk about that.)
I know the horror movie genre is large and diverse and full of deep cuts, so I'm hoping some of MeFi's movie buffs might have some good ideas. Thanks in advance!
I was going to say Five Nights at Freddy's as relatively kid-friendly and not politically problematic, but it does have people dying. It's PG-13 so it's not too gory, mostly cartoonish. Child abduction is a theme but nothing sexual is stated. It is a lot of walking around a dark place with jump scares. It's OK.
posted by demonic winged headgear at 3:48 PM on April 22 [2 favorites]
posted by demonic winged headgear at 3:48 PM on April 22 [2 favorites]
I don't know what your kid's aesthetic tolerances are, but my kids were watching The Twilight Zone at that age, and there are a few episodes that go into horror. A lot of the episodes exhibit values that are progressive even today.
posted by 2N2222 at 4:13 PM on April 22 [6 favorites]
posted by 2N2222 at 4:13 PM on April 22 [6 favorites]
Response by poster: This thread is off to a great start, thanks. I almost mentioned Monster House as another counter-example, and FNaF was fine since that part was cartoonish and off-screen enough that I almost forgot about it. (The opening to Conjuring 2 where she has a vision of seeing people get shot up close is more the kind of thing that I really don't want.) The Twilight Zone is an interesting idea. I'll be quiet and listen now, thanks! Just wanted to let everyone know how on point all of this is so far.
posted by slidell at 4:42 PM on April 22
posted by slidell at 4:42 PM on April 22
Coraline and The Boxtrolls
posted by Barbara Spitzer at 4:56 PM on April 22 [6 favorites]
posted by Barbara Spitzer at 4:56 PM on April 22 [6 favorites]
Not a movie, but has your kid ever watched modern Doctor Who? Doctor Who has a lot of episodes that are genuinely scary — to me, as an adult — but it's also warm-hearted, deeply humanist, and progressive, especially in recent seasons: xenophilic, feminist, and, depending on who wrote the episode, even queer-friendly or explicitly antiracist. Oh and it's also just great and there are seasons and seasons of good TV there!
The Doctor is anti-gun, and because in the UK folks of all ages watch it with their families, there's no sex, violence, drug or alcohol use. Occasionally someone dies or is in peril of death, but it is treated with emotionality, and not just violence for thrills. Doctor Who does have problems with fatphobia, IIRC.
Some episodes are just a fun romp, but there's a plethora of Monster of the Week episodes and it has very strong horror DNA mixed in with all of the scifi. Even when the CGI or the costumes are a bit silly it can be quite unnerving on a story level.
It's built to be the sort of episodic show that you can skip in and out of, so you can pick the scariest ones out of each series and skip the rest.
Some recs for horror episodes, off the top of my head: The Girl in the Fireplace, Blink / The Time of Angels / Flesh and Stone (all three are related), The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances (two-parter), The Waters of Mars, The Beast Below, Hide, Heaven Sent / Hell Bent (two-parter). I'm sure each Doctor Who fan has their own personal list of the best horror episodes, though!
I think the "silliest" Doctor is Ten and the "scariest" Doctor — or, shall we say, the one least likely to break the tension with a grin and a quip — is Twelve, so choose according to your kid's mileage.
posted by fire, water, earth, air at 5:09 PM on April 22 [10 favorites]
The Doctor is anti-gun, and because in the UK folks of all ages watch it with their families, there's no sex, violence, drug or alcohol use. Occasionally someone dies or is in peril of death, but it is treated with emotionality, and not just violence for thrills. Doctor Who does have problems with fatphobia, IIRC.
Some episodes are just a fun romp, but there's a plethora of Monster of the Week episodes and it has very strong horror DNA mixed in with all of the scifi. Even when the CGI or the costumes are a bit silly it can be quite unnerving on a story level.
It's built to be the sort of episodic show that you can skip in and out of, so you can pick the scariest ones out of each series and skip the rest.
Some recs for horror episodes, off the top of my head: The Girl in the Fireplace, Blink / The Time of Angels / Flesh and Stone (all three are related), The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances (two-parter), The Waters of Mars, The Beast Below, Hide, Heaven Sent / Hell Bent (two-parter). I'm sure each Doctor Who fan has their own personal list of the best horror episodes, though!
I think the "silliest" Doctor is Ten and the "scariest" Doctor — or, shall we say, the one least likely to break the tension with a grin and a quip — is Twelve, so choose according to your kid's mileage.
posted by fire, water, earth, air at 5:09 PM on April 22 [10 favorites]
The Sixth Sense is what I immediately think of as a kid-level horror movie--there's a lot of suspense and some of the ghosts can be pretty scary initially, but no gore, and it's mostly about accepting yourself.
Coraline is also quite scary!
posted by The Elusive Architeuthis at 5:21 PM on April 22 [4 favorites]
Coraline is also quite scary!
posted by The Elusive Architeuthis at 5:21 PM on April 22 [4 favorites]
Monster Squad (not Monster House) is a bunch of kids confronting a gang of classic monsters. I especially enjoyed their versions of Frankenstein's Monster, the Wolf Man (both the Lon Chaney and Michael Landon versions), a great Dracula (that combines elements of Bela Lugosi and Christopher Lee), a really well done Mummy and an updated Creature From The Black Lagoon. Wow!
posted by SPrintF at 5:38 PM on April 22 [4 favorites]
posted by SPrintF at 5:38 PM on April 22 [4 favorites]
Nightbooks
Spirited Away (not exactly horror, but involves spirits and has some scary moments)
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 5:52 PM on April 22
Spirited Away (not exactly horror, but involves spirits and has some scary moments)
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 5:52 PM on April 22
Nightbreed, although you should look it over first. It's probably on the edge.
ParaNorman / Coraline
Hocus Pocus, The Witches, and Bedknobs & Broomsticks are likely fine.
Maybe Fright Night, but possibly too violent.
Maybe Signs or The Innkeepers? Might just be boring for a young person, though.
The Changeling, The Devil's Backbone, and Tigers Are Not Afraid are progressive and mostly free of violence and sex. They're pretty sad, though, and might be boring if you're not an adult capable of reading between the lines.
The TV Show Reginald the Vampire.
Maybe some of the musicals? Little Shop of Horrors? I'm sure Rocky Horror is too much sexuality wise, but Phantom of the Paradise is similar and tamer in most ways.
Found Footage stuff tends to not be very explicit. How do you feel about 4th Kind, Blair Witch, Paranormal Activity, Butterfly Kisses, etc? Not much in the way of messages or values in most of them, though.
J-Horror is also usually not that explicit and focuses on ghosts, but often not very progressive either. Think The Grudge, The Ring, Pulse, etc
posted by forbiddencabinet at 6:19 PM on April 22 [1 favorite]
ParaNorman / Coraline
Hocus Pocus, The Witches, and Bedknobs & Broomsticks are likely fine.
Maybe Fright Night, but possibly too violent.
Maybe Signs or The Innkeepers? Might just be boring for a young person, though.
The Changeling, The Devil's Backbone, and Tigers Are Not Afraid are progressive and mostly free of violence and sex. They're pretty sad, though, and might be boring if you're not an adult capable of reading between the lines.
The TV Show Reginald the Vampire.
Maybe some of the musicals? Little Shop of Horrors? I'm sure Rocky Horror is too much sexuality wise, but Phantom of the Paradise is similar and tamer in most ways.
Found Footage stuff tends to not be very explicit. How do you feel about 4th Kind, Blair Witch, Paranormal Activity, Butterfly Kisses, etc? Not much in the way of messages or values in most of them, though.
J-Horror is also usually not that explicit and focuses on ghosts, but often not very progressive either. Think The Grudge, The Ring, Pulse, etc
posted by forbiddencabinet at 6:19 PM on April 22 [1 favorite]
Dr Who:
Occasionally someone dies or is in peril of death
I agree with almost everything above ve about Dr Who, except no, someone dies or there are dead bodies in allllmost every episode. 😅There's lists online of episodes where "no one dies" because it's unusual...
posted by Elysum at 6:30 PM on April 22 [1 favorite]
Occasionally someone dies or is in peril of death
I agree with almost everything above ve about Dr Who, except no, someone dies or there are dead bodies in allllmost every episode. 😅There's lists online of episodes where "no one dies" because it's unusual...
posted by Elysum at 6:30 PM on April 22 [1 favorite]
The 5000 fingers of Dr T
posted by brujita at 6:32 PM on April 22 [2 favorites]
posted by brujita at 6:32 PM on April 22 [2 favorites]
Time Bandits. It’s not explicitly a horror movie but it has many scary parts and aspects. There are deaths, but not really of the main characters,* and they’re not gory. It’s almost pure fantasy, and thinking back I don’t recall anything anti-progressive despite the year it was made.** Been a while since I’ve seen it though.
*One does, but he gets better.
**The main characters are thieves, liars, and swindlers, so not role models, but I don’t recall them being racist, misogynist, fat-phobic, etc.
posted by ejs at 9:14 PM on April 22 [4 favorites]
*One does, but he gets better.
**The main characters are thieves, liars, and swindlers, so not role models, but I don’t recall them being racist, misogynist, fat-phobic, etc.
posted by ejs at 9:14 PM on April 22 [4 favorites]
I think The Others fits your description very well. It's not a "kid's movie", but it is largely told through the experiences of the children. While it very much feels like a horror movie, and is often very tense, there are no jump scares, violence, or scary monsters. At its heart it is just a beautiful and moving story. It has a famous twist ending, so don't read too much and spoil it for yourself.
Gosh, I watched Time Bandits (mentioned above) when I was 10 years old – but this was when it came out in the 1980s – and it gave me nightmares for years. I still loved it though, it's so visually imaginative and anarchic, but it really messed with my head – especially the ending. Kids growing up with today's movies would probably not be fazed.
Same with Poltergeist (1982) – when I watched it in my teens it was the scariest thing I ever saw, but by today's standards it's pretty tame. It's a great movie – I'd put it on your list too. Your kid will enjoy critiquing the dated SFX.
posted by snarfois at 3:07 AM on April 23 [4 favorites]
Gosh, I watched Time Bandits (mentioned above) when I was 10 years old – but this was when it came out in the 1980s – and it gave me nightmares for years. I still loved it though, it's so visually imaginative and anarchic, but it really messed with my head – especially the ending. Kids growing up with today's movies would probably not be fazed.
Same with Poltergeist (1982) – when I watched it in my teens it was the scariest thing I ever saw, but by today's standards it's pretty tame. It's a great movie – I'd put it on your list too. Your kid will enjoy critiquing the dated SFX.
posted by snarfois at 3:07 AM on April 23 [4 favorites]
Seconding the recommendations of Coraline, Monster Squad, and The Sixth Sense. (I love Time Bandits, but consider it more funny than scary.)
One of my go-to movies for showing my kids' friends who wanted to watch a monster movies was The House on Haunted Hill, starring Vincent Price. It's pretty much exactly "people walking around a dark house with a bunch of jump scares by ghosts," but it was made in 1959 -- although pretty much intended for a kids' matinee program. There is (spoiler!) death, though very much of the "they had it coming" variety. If memory serves me correctly, it's also in the public domain and so can be pre-viewed on YouTube or any of several streaming services like Kanopy to see if you think it'd be their cup of tea.
posted by Gelatin at 7:25 AM on April 23 [2 favorites]
One of my go-to movies for showing my kids' friends who wanted to watch a monster movies was The House on Haunted Hill, starring Vincent Price. It's pretty much exactly "people walking around a dark house with a bunch of jump scares by ghosts," but it was made in 1959 -- although pretty much intended for a kids' matinee program. There is (spoiler!) death, though very much of the "they had it coming" variety. If memory serves me correctly, it's also in the public domain and so can be pre-viewed on YouTube or any of several streaming services like Kanopy to see if you think it'd be their cup of tea.
posted by Gelatin at 7:25 AM on April 23 [2 favorites]
it's also in the public domain and so can be pre-viewed on YouTube or any of several streaming services like Kanopy
(Or, it turns out, in the linked Wikipedia entry!)
posted by Gelatin at 7:41 AM on April 23
(Or, it turns out, in the linked Wikipedia entry!)
posted by Gelatin at 7:41 AM on April 23
This is not a direct answer, so I apologize in advance. But...
You are starting off the correct way, looking for movies that are good starting points. But the very best thing you can do when helping a child acclimate to horror is something you specifically mention you are already doing (in The Conjuring example): talk to the kid. THAT'S the trick.
My kid and I have always talked so much about what we watch. Not just about elements that are problematic (though we do that), or even just about what is scary (though we definitely do that). But we talk about why things are scary. We talk about genre theory. My kid, since they were in single digits, could explain to you why Frankenstein movies are about fear of science run amok, zombie movies are about fear of other people, werewolf movies are about fear of inner nature, etc.
We talk about narrative economy. My kid is apt to state fairly early on that "_________ is obviously the killer, because his character serves no other purpose." Identifying "Chekhov's ________" is a particular enthusiasm for them. (This has only gotten funnier as the movies we watch have gotten scarier. "Chekhov's bread slicer!" for instance.)
We talk about screenplay structure. Kiddo not correctly calls out act breaks, but often correctly uses understanding of story models to predict what will happen next.
We talk about special effects, about how scary things are achieved.
When you do the work to help a kid situate a horror film not as bad things happening, but as a story someone is trying to tell, with scares yeah, but certain signifiers for why they want things to scare people and what they mean to communicate by it, that's when you are doing the right thing.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 11:03 AM on April 23 [3 favorites]
You are starting off the correct way, looking for movies that are good starting points. But the very best thing you can do when helping a child acclimate to horror is something you specifically mention you are already doing (in The Conjuring example): talk to the kid. THAT'S the trick.
My kid and I have always talked so much about what we watch. Not just about elements that are problematic (though we do that), or even just about what is scary (though we definitely do that). But we talk about why things are scary. We talk about genre theory. My kid, since they were in single digits, could explain to you why Frankenstein movies are about fear of science run amok, zombie movies are about fear of other people, werewolf movies are about fear of inner nature, etc.
We talk about narrative economy. My kid is apt to state fairly early on that "_________ is obviously the killer, because his character serves no other purpose." Identifying "Chekhov's ________" is a particular enthusiasm for them. (This has only gotten funnier as the movies we watch have gotten scarier. "Chekhov's bread slicer!" for instance.)
We talk about screenplay structure. Kiddo not correctly calls out act breaks, but often correctly uses understanding of story models to predict what will happen next.
We talk about special effects, about how scary things are achieved.
When you do the work to help a kid situate a horror film not as bad things happening, but as a story someone is trying to tell, with scares yeah, but certain signifiers for why they want things to scare people and what they mean to communicate by it, that's when you are doing the right thing.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 11:03 AM on April 23 [3 favorites]
[shifting gears from unsolicited advice and back to the topic]
Lady in White, currently free on Tubi would be a great choice.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 11:07 AM on April 23
Lady in White, currently free on Tubi would be a great choice.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 11:07 AM on April 23
This is going to sound weird, but depending on your kid's tolerance for gore (and subtitles), maybe try One Cut of the Dead.
Spoilers beyond this.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 11:25 AM on April 23 [1 favorite]
Spoilers beyond this.
It's a Japanese film that begins with a single shot zombie film with fairly standard (but voluminous) comic gore. The film lurches and wobbles a bit at points. It has weird digressions that are hard to square up, even as they're funny. It's watchable and fun in a mild way, but not the greatest. It's actually about a film crew, so it plays pretty meta.
Then it gets double meta. The film goes back in time, to when the film-within-the-film was being planned. You meet the writer/director, a dad whose kid admires him, but is starting to do her own thing and doesn't always relate to him. You see him develop the film and plan it, then get ready to shoot the film which won't just be in one take, it will be broadcast live. Then, just as the film is about to start, everything goes wrong. They're down an actress and an actor. The director of the actual film will have to play the director in the film-within-a-film. His wife will need to take over a part. And his daughter will need to pitch in to help save the day. The entire first "movie" is replayed out with all of the behind-the-scenes scamrbling and comedy included and it's a hoot.
It's both hilarious and heartwarming and the behind-the-curtain aspects might help defang horror even more for the kid.
Plus, it's freaking delightful. Heartwarming even.
Then it gets double meta. The film goes back in time, to when the film-within-the-film was being planned. You meet the writer/director, a dad whose kid admires him, but is starting to do her own thing and doesn't always relate to him. You see him develop the film and plan it, then get ready to shoot the film which won't just be in one take, it will be broadcast live. Then, just as the film is about to start, everything goes wrong. They're down an actress and an actor. The director of the actual film will have to play the director in the film-within-a-film. His wife will need to take over a part. And his daughter will need to pitch in to help save the day. The entire first "movie" is replayed out with all of the behind-the-scenes scamrbling and comedy included and it's a hoot.
It's both hilarious and heartwarming and the behind-the-curtain aspects might help defang horror even more for the kid.
Plus, it's freaking delightful. Heartwarming even.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 11:25 AM on April 23 [1 favorite]
If Netflix is an option, I'd recommend Dead End: Paranormal Park. It's aimed at tweens and teens, is very LGBTQ+ positive and body positive, the main character is trans. It's lots of cartoony demons and a little bit of that kind of no-blood, no-gore, cartoonish violence. It's wholesome and shows how important found family can be.
Netflix canceled it, because they cancel everything good, but what we have of it is great.
posted by xedrik at 3:04 PM on April 23
Netflix canceled it, because they cancel everything good, but what we have of it is great.
posted by xedrik at 3:04 PM on April 23
If anime is an option, consider A Letter to Momo. It's a very mild ghost story, with some great haunted house moments mainly during the first half, but changes more into a family drama for the rest of it. But it's a beautiful story, dealing very well with themes of loss and regret, something ghost stories are well suited for.
I watched House on Haunted Hill as a result of this thread and it's a hoot. Soooo many tropes on display, it would be fun to discuss its influence on later films.
Fantastic summary of One Cut of the Dead above, one of my favourite movies, and a really heartwarming love letter to the medium of cinema. Definitely suitable unless subtitles are a no-no.
posted by snarfois at 1:59 AM on April 24 [1 favorite]
I watched House on Haunted Hill as a result of this thread and it's a hoot. Soooo many tropes on display, it would be fun to discuss its influence on later films.
Fantastic summary of One Cut of the Dead above, one of my favourite movies, and a really heartwarming love letter to the medium of cinema. Definitely suitable unless subtitles are a no-no.
posted by snarfois at 1:59 AM on April 24 [1 favorite]
I'm going to go with Dave Made a Maze. A guy makes a cardboard maze that's bigger on the inside. (A LOT bigger.) There's one on screen death (a beheading, with confetti blood), and a minotaur which chases everyone. There's one disturbing scene ("Hey guys! High Five!"), and a lot of comedy chases. The climax is oddly beautiful.
And if you watch the end credits, the minotaur escapes the maze, and joins everybody (including the woman who "died") for drinks. I've seen it described as a horror movie that isn't a horror movie.
posted by Spike Glee at 7:12 AM on April 24 [1 favorite]
And if you watch the end credits, the minotaur escapes the maze, and joins everybody (including the woman who "died") for drinks. I've seen it described as a horror movie that isn't a horror movie.
posted by Spike Glee at 7:12 AM on April 24 [1 favorite]
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posted by Suedeltica at 3:40 PM on April 22 [3 favorites]