There are all types of movies: comedies, horrors, romance, westerns, and fantasies. But here are also movies for kids, which are supposed to be educative. We all expect movies for kids to be a mixture of fantasy, reality, and comedy, with a lesson in the end, that will teach something the kids.
However, some producers don’t see things like this, and they created some movies that are not appropriate for our children. They are scary movie for kids, and here is the top 10 of them:
10. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1988)
Do you remember one of the most important childhood rules? Never accept candies from strangers! This is what happens: The Child Catcher lures two kids into his car, promising them sweets. All for free, including ice cream. The children become his prisoners, locked in a cage. You will hear a lot of screaming in this movie, who can terrify not only kids, but grown-ups as well. The main character, the Child Catcher, is really a monster!
9. Beetlejuice (1988)
Yeah, it is Tim Burton, and we love him. His semi-scary family fun style is present in Beetlejuice, just like in Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow, The Nightmare Before Christmas, or Corpse Bride. Beetlejuice is played by Michael Keaton, and he is extremely unpredictable. He has the ability to do anything, to any person, right in your face. He is fabulous and fantastic, but for kids, it can be scary as well.
8. Coraline (2009)
Harry Selick brought to the screen the novel by Neil Gainman. This cartoon was supposed to be for families, but it is actually more for adults. Coraline enters a new world, where she enjoys everything. However, after 24 hours, she needs to give her eyes, and replace them with buttons. It is disturbing not only for kids. The other world is also enchanting, but the weird things that happen there could scare any child. We still like the movie, but it deserves to be on this list!
7. The Witches (1990)
Nicolas Roeg managed to create a dark, twisted movie. Kids that will watch it will tend to think everything is true, because of the characters that are very well played. The costumes and the decors are incredible as well, creating a world that could be real. A young orphan find himself in England, stuck in land of witches. They have a plan to transform the entire land into nibbly rodents, and the kid decides to stop them. Is that really possible?
6. Spiderwick Chronicles (2008)
Based on the series of books written by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi, this scary movie for kids presents the adventure of Jared Grace. Together with his family, he discovers a land of faeries and goblins, and other magical creatures. The problem is that all of them are in the middle of a war, and Jared wants to stop it. Fights, disappearances, accidents and many more will happen in this movie, and all of these can scare any child.
5. Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)
This scary movie for kids is also based on a Sci-Fi novel, written by Ray Bradburry. The action happens in a small town in America, presenting two boys, Will Halloway and Jim Nightshade, and their adventure. When a carnival comes to their town, the boys decide to check it. They found Mr. Dark, who terrifies them instantly. The boys get lost in the Mirror Maze and they get scared by the Fat Man. They discover all the freaks and weird stuff involved in the carnival, while they lose their innocent souls.
4. Monster House (2006)
If there is a haunted house, there should be a monster as well, right? If you want your children to stay awake, let them watch this scary movie. This animated horror is considered a family movie, but it is more than that. It is scary, and it delivers spooks every minute. Produced by Robert Zemeckis (The Polar Express) and Steven Spielberg, this movie got extremely good reviews from the critics, so you must watch it. But let some years pass before showing it to your kids.
3. Gremlins (1984) / Gremlins 2 (1990)
Just like E.T., this is not a horror, but a black comedy. However, that doesn’t mean that you can watch it relaxed, with popcorn, because it has its own scary scenes, and even violence. For example, there is a scene where a monster explodes in the microwave. Not for tea time, right? Also, it could scare any child, due to its very realistic make-ups and decors. Actually, producers were concerned that kids will start to defrost their pets after watching this movie. We don’t want that!
2. Tower of Terror (1997)
This Disney movie, made especially for TV, presents a journalist named Buzzy, who writes horror stories for a weekly world newspaper. Once, he starts to investigate an old woman’s story, involved in the disappearance of five people. One of them is Shirley Temple, a loved actress, who disappeared in 1930s, at the Hollywood Hotel. This is actually the Tower of Terror, which is haunted. The special effects are great, and the movie is perfect for a family evening.
1. Ghostbusters (1984)
Venkman, Zeddemore, Stantz, Cuul, Spengler, and the minions, are all very cool to watch, if you are an adult. But as a kid, everything changes, and all the funny stuff, risk to become surreal and terrifying. There are many scary moments in Ghostbusters that are not for kids, and this movie shouldn’t be watched by children alone. On the other hand, nobody should miss it!