Looking for a really scary movie for a 7 year old, almost 8.

Last year, my niece begged for Tim Burton's "Nightmare Before Christmas" and then, about halfway through, walked out of it, completely bored and uninterested.

She's begging for me to let her watch "Bram Stoker's Drakula", but I'm afraid mother and father would be cross with me, especially the "Lucy" scene.


So, I'm looking for something to give her a good scare- I'm guessing anything that would scare a 12 year old, she'll be able to handle.

But nothing that's gonna give her nightmares.

Just enough to spook her good, and enough to make her want the nightlight on that night.

I'll also juice her up on a dunkin' Donuts Frappachino- the kid loves those things- been sneaking 'em since 4 or 5...

Fahrenheit 911 is pretty damned scary.

sorry to hijack your thread BTW...

I once challenged my son and his friend Paul (they were 9 years old at the time) to watch Mario Bava's "Planet of the Vampires." It's a very creepy, eerie and atmospheric film and purportedly was an influence for Ridley Scott's "Alien." They were pretty creeped out by the movie...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planet_of_the_Vampires

The movie that scared ME the most when I was that age was the original version of "The Haunted," esp. the breathing doors.

So 8 with a fright level of 12, hmmmm

I was going to recommend Wallace and Gromit Curse of the WereRabbit.

OK, she's tough, but how critical is she?

I grew up watching scary movies, I'd say Spooky but no blood and guts or swearing. As a kid I never throught I'd grow up to be the guy who would be as picky about what I allow my kid to watch as I am. (diagram that sentence)

If she can handle old?

The classics are great. If she can get past the dated acting, the original Frankenstien or if she can get past the acting, the original War of the Worlds.

The original Werewolf (actually had pretty good acting).

28 Days Later

That it ends on a happy note should mitigate everything that comes before; mostly.

http://www.totalfilm.com/__data/assets/thumbnail/250191/varieties/4.jpg

However, there is some mild sexual content towards the end.

No images, discussion only.

I'd suggest going with the classics... It's hard to beat Lugosi's Dracula, Karloff's Frankenstein, or Lon Chaney Jr's Wolfman. Scared the crap out of me when I was 8.

Of course, if she's really scare jaded: The only thing that might actually scare her are things she has no business watching. My wife's brother took her to see Friday the 13th when she was 6 or 7 years old (he was just a teenager himself). She still remembers the nightmares.

I just watched one from 1958 called "The Return of Dracula"
It's essentially a Horror remake of Hitchcocks Shadow of a Doubt.

Low budget and kind of campy but still atmospheric and spooky enough it might scare a 7 year old and it's entertaining enough that you might like it too.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052131/

The Innocents with Deborah Kerr or The Haunting with Julie Harris are great at *implied horror*. Both did a good job of creeping me out as a kid. Kids nowadays may find them too tame and/or boring. Fotno's suggestions are excellent too. Can't beat the classics. :yes:

They have got to watch ... clownhouse ...... :banana::banana::banana:

Looking for a really scary movie for a 7 year old, almost 8.

Any episode of "Leave it to Beaver" where the kids are polite, do chores and have homework and play outside. That'll scare any modern kid and give them nightmares forever ....

Then there's "Killer Klowns from Outer Space" :yes: but it's rated PG-13.

"The Lost Boys" is told from the point of view of the younger brother, has some gore and tense vampire scenes, as well as humor.

The original "Fright Night" is a good kid movie...a bit scary and a lot funny.

Poltergeist is scary, rated PG, and Netflix says it is suitable for 13 year olds +.

Also second The Lost Boys, a lot of action, but it is rated R. May not be suitable.

28 Days Later is a great movie, but too intense for a kid, IMHO.

Good luck. Mark

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045917/

As the first reviewer writes -- I saw it when I was about 7 and it haunted my dreams for quite a while...

Steve A.

Any episode of "Leave it to Beaver" where the kids are polite, do chores and have homework and play outside. That'll scare any modern kid and give them nightmares forever ....

Being a soph in high school, all thru elementary school I had homework, but PLAYING OUTSIDE???? WHAT IS THAT? When I was 3 I could correctly record tapes on a Sony TC-K670 Cassette Deck and correctly run a linear turntable (maybe this is why my mother threw my father's records out...still fuming about that:tears::no::nono:). Record handling...nothing, but I coud even run the LaserDisc player/5 Disc Changer (Pioneer CLD-M90) and Sony Receiver (AV-1070X). That is not normal, I know, but that i just a real life example..:rockon:

The Haunting (1963 Version)

good choices so far. Well, most. "28 Days"?!?

She's a great kid, so I don't want to give her nightmares, but a bit of "I'm-spooked-and-I-demand-a-nightlight-at-bedtime" thoughts are okay.

When I was 4 or so I caught a bit of Jaws and was quite scared by it. To the point of staying away from open drains... might be scary enough for her at twice the age.

I caught The Fly at her age and had nightmares for years.

Ravenous is pretty safe and kind of spooky/kind of funny, might be disturbing yet safe as well as engaging enough to keep a young kid involved in it.

The Zombie movies? Funny and creepy at the same time.

Id second Poltergeist.The Ring is PG-13.Would that be too much for her?How about one of M. Night Shyamalans flicks,like Signs or The Sixth Sense?

28 days later bit scary for an 8 yo, feck, I'm 33 and it scared the shit out of me (and my brother, and my mate Dan, and my other mate Dan) had me looking in the back of the car when I left the cinema. I was gunna suggest Gremlins, but sounds like you really wanna mess this kid up, bust out some Silence of the Lambs or somethin' . I can tell you're an uncle and not a parent. Sheeeesshhh!

I also reckon there are parrallels b/w Silence of the Lambs and 101 Dalmations. Considering the puppies are analogous for the audience (kids) and Cruella DeVille is making a puppy skin coat join the dots people, it's buffalo bill all over again

it puts the lotion on its skin or it gets the hose again

The only movie that has ever given me the creeps is IT. Hated it when I saw it, won't watch it or have it on in the house today.

Sorry I don't have any other suggestions Paul. Van Helsing is kind of creepy but I can't remember if it has any sex in it. More than likely.

Although I wouldn't let any 7 or 8 year old watch most of the movies that have been suggested so far, including the following two. . .

If you're going for the SCARE/FEAR factor, without the heavy gore of ripped off heads and limbs constantly pulsing blood all over the place, Halloween is a near perfect fit.

If she has religious beliefs (heaven and hell, good and evil), one of the best FEAR inducing movies out there is The Exorcist. However, this one is really intense and would most likely be way over the top with the crucifix scene and vulgarity in certain scenes.

. . Falcon

Doesn't the first Halloween usually do the trick for anyone who watches it, regardless of age?

The 2 movies that scared the crap out of me when I was a kid were Burnt Offerings & the last segment of Trilogy of Terror with the He Who Kills Zuni Fetish Doll. Both were shown on regular TV (Trilogy of Terror was a TV movie), so they're not particularly violent. BTW, when I was real little Willy Wonka kind of scared me.

I dont know about Halloween,since there is at least one sex scene in it,maybe two,now that I think about it.
Jimmy

how long is Salems Lot. The made for TV movie.

Was pretty kreepy when I was a kid, and was for broadcast TV so it can't be too bad. May be a bit long however.

Steve

Some others to consider that

House of Wax
the abominable dr phibes
The Sixth Sense
Shaun of the Dead

Another vote for IT. I rented it to watch when my oldest two girls were 6 or 8 years old, and they made me crazy begging to watch with me. I finally told them to sit down, and fast forwarded to the storm drain scene. I swear their hair stood straight up! They were too scared to scream, and never asked to see something like that again. No, they did NOT finish the movie!

Yeah, I have a bit of a m;ean streak in me....

Ghog

The shinning with good ol Jack or pet cemitary by steven King will havem peein the bed .

Whan the get a bit older give them the un cut The Exorcist and a parker brothers Ouija board this should be good for menny years of counciling.

I think I killed this thread,mabey it will return from the dead and come back to huant me...

Ok, I've got the Ouija out. Maybe I can find out what the OP decided on...

Trilogy Of Terror
The last of the 3 short stories is about a zuni doll that comes to life.
This was a made for tv movie back in he 70's, and I always remember the last of the 3 short stories giving me the creeps.

http://www.amazon.com/Trilogy-Terror-Karen-Black/dp/B000FFJZO2/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-1345843-2301769?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1192793252&sr=1-1

hmmm....how 'bout Darby O'Gill and the Little People? the banshee sequence ruined my sleep for weeeeeeeeks