Really scary movies for kids....
 

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/asse...arieties/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:

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