These Are the Best "First" Scary Movies to Watch With Your Kids
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Yes, research has shown us that it's okay to let kids get scared by things like spooky films, creepy books or haunted houses — it might even be beneficial — provided you do it the right way, like letting them control factors like whether or not it's bright in the room. So if you have kids who are drawn to scary movies, whether they're looking for the best Halloween movies, a slumber-party activity or just a Friday-night flick — you don't have to try to steer them toward more wholesome fare.
That doesn't mean that every scary movie is good for kids, of course, and our experts advise staying away from movies with extreme violence and blood. And even if you eliminate the goriest movies out there, what's left might still be too extreme for little ones. That's why we made this list of the best scary movies for kids, from elementary school age through teens. Some of them are animated, and the cartoonishness makes those good for those just dipping their toes into the scary waters. Others are films adults may remember from their own childhoods, so they have a nostalgic thrill in addition to the spine-tingling one. Most of them are PG, but some are PG-13 for the older tweens and teens out there. Choose one, dim the lights and get ready to watch them jump.
Still looking for more great things to watch with your family? Check out the best kids' movies of 2023, the best kids' movies of all-time or the best animated movies for kids.
Coraline (2009)
While this Neil Gaiman adaptation is animated, which makes it seem like it would blunt the scares, it actually picks at a primal fear for kids: What if something just isn't right with your parents? In it, Coraline is upset that her mom and dad are too busy to spend time with her. Then she finds a secret door that leads her to a realm where an "other mother" promises her everything she wants — but is it all as it seems? Director Henry Selick's stop-motion animation adds to the eerie feeling this movie has throughout.
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The Amazing Maurice (2023)
Based on a book by Terry Pratchett, the setup to this movie seems not scary at all: A cat joins up with a band of super-intelligent mice and one average-intelligent musician to start a Pied Piper-like con on different small villages. Things get spooky, though, when they come upon a town whose food keeps disappearing, and they have to investigate what's going on behind it.
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Monsters, Inc. (2001)
This movie is all about being scared! Monsters under the bed, things that go bump in the night — yep, it's all in there. Only there's a twist: The monsters are actually scared of the kids. And when one toddler winds up in the city of Monstropolis, it takes two brave monsters to try to bring her back to her rightful place (without getting caught).
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The Witches (1990)
Leave it to Roald Dahl — he never sugarcoats things for kids. So expect this Dahl adaptation, about a kid who accidentally comes across a convention of witches, and has to go up against the Grand High Witch — to not pull any punches. And while there's no holding a candle to Anjelica Houston, there is a recent remake with Anne Hathaway in the main villain role.
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Scooby-Doo (2002)
You could watch whatever scary movies you'd like if it weren't for those meddling kids! But, when those kids are around, this is a good one to throw on, since there's a lot of comedy mixed in with the scares. This time, a broken-up Mystery Inc. gang has to reunite to investigate the paranormal goings-on of the aptly named Spooky Island, a Spring Break hotspot. If the kids like it, you can follow up with Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed or the newer, animated Scoob!
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We Have a Ghost (2023)
Watch this PG-13 flick with your older kids who can't get off their phones: When the Presley family finds out their house is haunted, Frank Presley, the family patriarch, tries to use the ghosts as a way to attain social media stardom. Kevin, his son, wants to find a way to help the ghosts instead. It comes from director Christopher Landon, who has made (way more) adult horror movies, including Happy Death Day and Freaky, so he's got scary bonafides.
Gremlins (1984)
It's hard to believe that Gizmo, the cuddly Mogwai, could create something as terrifying as the nasty, mayhem-causing Gremlins, but he does, and they're pretty terrifying. (The PG-rated gremlins is widely said to be one of the reasons for the creation of the PG-13 rating.) If it's too much, skip to Gremlins 2, which is still scary but also a lot zanier. Either way, don't feed them after midnight!
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Spirited Away (2001)
Widely considered to be one of the best kids' movies ever, scary or no, Spirited Away is a masterpiece from beloved director Hayao Miyazaki. It's about a 10-year-old girl who, while moving to a new neighborhood with her parents, gets pulled into a world of enchanted beings, including witches, spirits and some scary creatures — and yet, this movie is more "dreamlike" than truly terrifying.
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The Secret of NIMH (1982)
Mrs. Brisby, a widowed field mouse, is told her son has pneumonia and must recuperate at home — only to find the farmer has started plowing early, so she must take him somewhere else. She's told to seek the help of a colony of super-intelligent mice, only to meet peril after peril and uncover disturbing truths in this dark story of survival by Don Bluth (who also directed An American Tail).
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Muppets Haunted Mansion (2021)
The Haunted Mansion ride in Disney is notable because it's kinda spooky, but kind of silly. So, how do you give a scary movie the same sensibility? You add the Muppets! In this hourlong special, Gonzo accepts a challenge to stay in the Haunted Mansion overnight, and has run-ins with all its famous grim, grinning ghosts. It's a good one for all those new Muppets fan who tuned in to The Muppets Mayhem.
RELATED: The Best Halloween Movies on Disney+
Return to Oz (1985)
You can tell right off the bat this sequel isn't going to be as bright and fun as the original The Wizard of Oz: It starts with Dorothy getting electroconvulsive therapy for telling "stories" about Oz. But Dorothy isn't just telling stories, and, when she finally returns to Oz, she finds it to be a much darker and more threatening place.
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Frankenweenie (2012)
This movie — from Tim Burton, the master of kid-appropriate horror — is a twist on a classic Frankenstein tale, only about a kid STEM enthusiast instead of a mad scientist. The black-and-white, stop-motion animation keep it from getting too terrifying.
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Ghostbusters (1984)
If you have a prone-to-nightmares kid and want to make them think they've seen a scary movie when they've really seen a comedy, show them this flick — which definitely has ghosts and some intense parts, so it counts, but it has enough silliness to balance them out. If they enjoy it, they might like Ghostbusters: Afterlife even more, since kids get to don the proton packs and fight ghosts themselves. Plus, there's a Ghostbusters: Afterlife sequel due out this year.
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Goosebumps (2015)
Based on R.L. Stine's kids' book series, Goosebumps may be about ghouls, werewolf puppies and living dummies, but the action is really more antic than terrifying. Like The House With a Clock In Its Walls (more on that below), it stars Jack Black, who's quickly becoming the Vincent Price for kids today.
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Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
This movie is rated PG-13, for obvious reasons (namely the carnivorous plant, and the murders it requires for food), but the songs by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken basically make it a Disney movie, right? Well, maybe not, but the upbeat, oldies-inspired songs and the B-movie vibe make the whole thing less disturbing.
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The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)
Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow gets gorgeously animated by Disney, with narration by Bing Crosby. If the Headless Horseman is too frightening, the other half of the feature is a romp based on The Wind in the Willows that should make kids forget all about their fears.
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The Addams Family (2019)
Calling all Wednesday fans! This is a perfect starter scary movie for kids, because it looks macabre, like the old cartoons, but most of the ghoulish elements are played for laughs. And, in the end, there's a not-so-scary message about acceptance. A sequel came out in 2021 and, of course, you can always opt for the old, live-action The Addams Family and The Addams Family Values from the '90s.
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Hocus Pocus (1993)
With all their talk of eating children, the trio of witches from 17th-century Salem in this cult classic might send some chills up the spines of your little ones — but the goofiness will offset any scares. If they like the original, be sure to check out the sequel, Hocus Pocus 2, which debuted on Disney+ last year.
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The Dark Crystal (1982)
The Dark Crystal is more fantasy than horror, set in a world of magical creatures like Gelflings and Skeksis locked in eternal struggle over the universe. But even without ghosts, man are those Skeksis horrifying! If your kids enjoy it, a prequel series is available on Netflix, and the advances in special effects make it look spectacular.
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The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008)
A family moves into a creepy old house in the middle of nowhere, only to discover a world of fairies, goblins and other unseen creatures. The scares come from suspenseful run-ins with goblins and ogres
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Beetlejuice (1988)
This trends on the edgier side of PG, but it has a mix of horror and comedy that helps mitigate the grotesque parts. This is a haunted-house movie from the point of view of the ghosts who want a family to leave, and who get a misbehaved demon (Michael Keaton) to help them.
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Cruella (2021)
"Scary" is an interesting word to describe this movie. It's PG-13 and definitely has its intense moments, but it isn't full of ghosts, ghouls or even much horror. Instead, it's about a psychological duel between two career-oriented fashion designers. It's perfect for those tweens and teens with an edgy sensibility (and it makes for a great Halloween costume inspiration).
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Labyrinth (1986)
A young girl wishes her baby brother would be taken away by the Goblin King, and immediately regrets it and goes on a quest to get him back. There's a lot of fantasy (and Jim Henson puppets!), and David Bowie makes the Goblin King equal parts alluring and frightening.
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Corpse Bride (2005)
This stop-motion animated movie — another Tim Burton flick — is about a groom who accidentally marries a corpse and has to travel to the Land of the Dead to set things right. With all the focus on ghosts and skeletons, the vibes are right for scary movie night.
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Paranorman (2012)
This stop-motion animated movie follows a boy who has the ability to speak to the dead, and must use it to save his town from an ancient curse. It's like a kids' version of The Sixth Sense, without the twist.
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Nightbooks (2021)
This movie isn't just a scary story — scary stories are integral to the plot. In Nightbooks, a kid is abducted by a witch who demands he write her a new horrifying tale every night. He obliges, but only so he can plan his escape with another prisoner.
The Boxtrolls (2014)
This movie follows a clan of trolls, with their snarling faces and their wrinkled skin, who find an abandoned baby boy and raise him as their own. But the real monsters in the movie are the gentlemen in the society above the trolls, as the boy finds out when he tries to live among the humans again.
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Arachnophobia (1990)
This is another PG-13 film — and it's incredibly gross if you don't like creepy, crawly things, so judge for yourself if your kids (or you) can handle it. If they can, they'll be treated to John Goodman and Jeff Daniels starring as an exterminator and a doctor trying to save their town from a (really, really gross) infestation of killer spiders.
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Into the Woods (2014)
This Sondheim musical adaptation — from the director of this year's version of The Little Mermaid — isn't scary in a traditional way, but it does take fairy tales kids are familiar with (and the witches and giants contained therein), turns them around and doesn't necessarily give everyone a happy ending. Meryl Streep gives a memorable performance as the witch.
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Dracula (1931)
Again, depending on the sensitivity of your child, Dracula might be a good start for classic monster movies — much of the gore is implied or kept off-screen.
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Monster House (2006)
Lots of movies are about ghosts who haunt a house. With Monster House — a motion-capture animated film directed by City of Ember's Gil Kenan — the house is the ghost, and three kids must stop it from destroying the neighborhood.
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The Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)
Big-name directors like Steven Spielberg, John Landis and Joe Dante (the director of Gremlins) teamed up to direct segments of an anthology movie based on The Twilight Zone. Some remade famous episodes, others came up with new material. It's not a kids' movie specifically, but your older ones might enjoy it.
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Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)
For older tweens and teens (it's PG-13), this visually spectacular film takes the Snow White story and turns it into a dark, moody action film. Snow White goes on the attack to save her kingdom from the evil Queen Ravenna (Charlize Theron), and the scares come from the visceral battles.
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King Kong (1933)
When your kid is ready to get into the big-monster-attacks-city genre, start at the beginning, with the groundbreaking 1933 King Kong. Even if they already know about Kong's climb up the Empire State Building, there are a lot of scares to be had on Skull Island, before he even gets to New York! Then you can move on to more recent fare, like Godzilla vs. Kong.
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Wendell & Wild (2023)
This is another stop-motion animated movie (surprisingly rated PG-13), and it combines the sensibilities of both of its creators: writer Jordan Peele (who made Get Out and Us), and director Henry Selick (who did Coraline and ParaNorman). In it, a 13-year-old girl gets involved with two demons — played by Key and Peele — which has gruesome consequences for her town that she has to set right.
The House With a Clock in Its Walls (2018)
When a newly orphaned boy is sent to live with his eccentric uncle, it stirs up and ancient paranormal rivalry between witches and warlocks that unearths family secrets. The movie is based on the excellent YA novel by John Bellairs and maintains some of its witchy spirit.
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Jaws (1975)
The terrors of Jaws may feel so visceral and adult, it's hard to remember that it's only rated PG (though, to be fair, PG-13 didn't exist at the time), and lots of the scariness comes from what isn't shown on screen (so there's blood, but not a ton of gore). Tweens and teens can likely handle it — so long as you don't plan on taking them to the beach right after. (Note: There's also some brief nudity in this.)
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Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
It's a classic that's been remade many times over, but the 1956 version keeps it PG. In it, a small-town doctor figures out his community is being invaded by aliens, so it's horror and sci-fi rolled into one.
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