[Music]
believe us when we say that kids love to
get scared as much as anyone welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’re counting
down our picks for the top ten gateway
horror movies for kids for this list
we’re ignoring those films that feature
sexuality and extreme violence and are
instead focusing on those films your
parents reluctantly agreed to let you
watch that got you hooked on horror
[Music]
movies like goosebumps are not
contenders here since they are intended
for a younger audience
[Music]
number 10 poltergeist
the classic and iconic depiction of a
haunted house poltergeist may be a film
by tobe Hooper the mind behind the Texas
Chainsaw Massacre
but it clearly takes most of its
influence from producer Steven Spielberg
his family-friendly style can be felt
throughout as we get lots of
heartwarming scenes and dramatic
character building among the footage of
ghosts skeletons and demonic televisions
watching the Freeling family be
terrorized by this poltergeist as its
energy is drawn to their small kids taps
into some seriously traumatizing
childhood fears including clowns weird
noises at the window and monsters in the
closet
[Music]
okay
[Music]
although violence in the film is
practically non-existent prepare to be
up all night
number nine Little Shop of Horrors look
you’re a plant does this look inanimate
to you Paul this bizarre musical horror
hybrid maybe more slapstick comedy than
a scare field thrill ride but this may
trick adults into letting the younger
kitties watch keep in mind that this was
the 80s and a PG rating was easier to
get the Audrey too is not a healthy girl
strictly between us neither is the
Audrey one adapted from the Broadway
musical which was adapted from the Roger
Corman dark comedy Little Shop of
Horrors follows the story of Seymour and
his mysterious bloodthirsty musically
talented plant who grows to enormous
sizes and requires more and more people
to feed on feed me all night long that’s
right miss emo well most of the violence
and sexy comedy is implied in hilarious
musical numbers this is still a classic
monster movie I don’t know anyone who
deserves to get chopped up and fed to a
hungry plant number 8 an American
Werewolf in London
another 80s horror classic seeing a
pattern here an American Werewolf in
London
finally delves into r-rated territory
alright already
the film rental industry played a huge
part in getting kids hooked on horror in
the 80s this entire generation of
children had access to films like Friday
the 13th and this werewolf shocker maybe
it was director John Landis his
reputation for comedies like Animal
House and Blues Brothers that tricked
families into showing this violent film
to their kids but this nightmarish story
of a young traveler who’s attacked and
turned into a werewolf was revolutionary
in its special effects and gruesomely
violent dark humor this is Gerald
Brinsley Gerald’s the man you murdered
on a subway we thought it best for you
not to see him as he’s a fresh kill and
still pretty messy number 7 The Lost
Boys look this isn’t a comic book saving
these guys a boo-boo killers the 80s
were a strange time for horror with many
of its teen centric efforts becoming
classics despite their our ratings your
creature of the night Michael just like
out of a comic book
your vampire Michael one such teen
horror film sees a young Jason Patrick
being seduced into joining some no-good
bad-boy gangsters but this isn’t your
ordinary gang of la hooligans
it’s a streetwise group of young
vampires where you going star for a ride
this is my
let’s go The Lost Boys may have some
over-the-top 80s violence but it’s
clearly geared towards young teens the
majority of the film is shown from the
perspective of preteens Corey Haim and
Corey Feldman and there’s no shortage of
teen heartthrobs who make an appearance
including a brilliant early performance
by Kiefer Sutherland as the leader of
the pack I think some of this might come
be one of us
number six The Sixth Sense mama Oh
dinner is not ready
while the late 90s were becoming
oversaturated with increasingly violent
and repetitive slasher films breakout
director M night Shyamalan brought the
world a tense calculating ghost story
that revitalized
the horror genre for a new millennium
with an eleven-year-old protagonist how
scary could a movie be the affliction
that young Cole suffers from is no
laughing matter
and although kids of the 90s would
snigger while repeating the iconic
revelatory line we can assure you that
nobody was laughing during that tent
scene in theaters
[Music]
with the violence at a minimum but
tension high Shyamalan knew how to scare
the pants off both young and old you
don’t see each other they only see what
they want to see they don’t get number 5
it makes our wounds and of choosing this
Stephen King adaptation has the
distinction of being a miniseries made
for commercial broadcast television and
therefore the filmmakers had no choice
but to keep the blood swearing and
sexuality to a minimum kiss me that boy
for this reason it’s become a cult
favorite among kids trying to scare each
other daring each other to watch the
film or walk close to sewers hi Georgie
the story follows the victims and
survivors of an otherworldly being who
terrorizes and kills children from the
small town of Derry Maine taking on the
form of Pennywise the clown it is
responsible for nightmares around the
world and instilling a fear of clowns in
millions of underage viewers pili Hall
number four child’s play hi I’m Chucky
wanna play Chucky the good guy doll has
become an easily recognizable horror
icon and nearly every kid can identify
him these same kids can probably also
identify the exact moment they were
traumatized for life by this 1980s
classic hi I’m Chucky and I’m your
friend to the end
hi-dee-ho ha ha ha possessed by the
spirit of serial killer Charles Lee ray
Chucky seeks out a young innocent body
that he can transfer his soul into and
mercilessly kills anyone and everyone
who gets in his way
thanks to its subject matter featuring a
killer doll targeting a preschooler
protagonist the film has become a rite
of passage horror film for kids hello
Andy
number three
jaws Jamar’s the fourth of July that we
will be open for business Steven
Spielberg’s first masterful blockbuster
success is a testament to his talent as
a visual storyteller this is not a code
acident it wasn’t any propeller it
wasn’t any coral reef and it wasn’t Jack
the Ripper the simple story of a great
white shark that terrorizes a quiet
seaside town built up one of the most
tense and suspenseful cinematic
experiences ever to grace the big screen
Oh boys I think he’s come back for his
noon feeding an entire generation of
moviegoers was afraid to swim in the
ocean thanks to this flick even though
filmmakers kept the horror and violence
at a PG level
instead of relying on Gore jaws uses
cinematography music and dialogue to
create a film that has kids covering
their eyes the second the theme music
comes on you’re gonna need a bigger boat
number two arachnophobia dreaming
although the fear of spiders is not
limited to young people there’s a
childlike Glee with which this throwback
monster movie plays out come on we live
in the country now it’s time to work
through this irrational paralyzing
terror it’s not irrational produced by
Steven Spielberg this dark comedy
imagines what would happen if a large
and deadly spider from another country
ended up in a quiet little town large
spider webs appearing in farmhouses
overnight mysterious deaths aggressive
jumping spiders don’t bother calling the
local exterminator they won’t be much
help rock and roll the film relies
heavily on our natural aversion to the
creepy crawlies and successfully creates
a feeling of nauseating dread without
needing to resort to extreme violence a
moment’s peace before we unveil our
number one pick here are some honorable
mentions
[Music]
Oh Patricia you kill her Oh watch number
one gremlins what are they doing
watching Snow White and they love it
spielberg strikes again with another PG
rated classic of 1980s for his influence
can surely be felt throughout the decade
and especially in the filmography of
director Joe Dante
although Dante created many horror
classics that walk the line between
family-friendly and adult dark humor
like matinee and the burbs gremlins is
undoubtedly his best effort at a
drive-in inspired monster movie the
teaches children a valuable lesson about
taking care of your pets
his name’s gizmo get he’s a Mogwai kids
may be drawn to gremlins lulled into a
sense of security by the cute Furby
looking gizmo but they’ll come out
entertained and afraid of innocent
looking animals
with enough humor to balance out the
horror gremlins shouldn’t cause too many
sleepless nights do you agree with our
list
what movie got you into horror films did
you hear that
I heard that what was it gonna be a lot
of things for more entertaining top 10s
published every day be sure to subscribe
to watchmojo.com
you
[Music]
believe us when we say that kids love to
get scared as much as anyone welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’re counting
down our picks for the top ten gateway
horror movies for kids for this list
we’re ignoring those films that feature
sexuality and extreme violence and are
instead focusing on those films your
parents reluctantly agreed to let you
watch that got you hooked on horror
[Music]
movies like goosebumps are not
contenders here since they are intended
for a younger audience
[Music]
number 10 poltergeist
the classic and iconic depiction of a
haunted house poltergeist may be a film
by tobe Hooper the mind behind the Texas
Chainsaw Massacre
but it clearly takes most of its
influence from producer Steven Spielberg
his family-friendly style can be felt
throughout as we get lots of
heartwarming scenes and dramatic
character building among the footage of
ghosts skeletons and demonic televisions
watching the Freeling family be
terrorized by this poltergeist as its
energy is drawn to their small kids taps
into some seriously traumatizing
childhood fears including clowns weird
noises at the window and monsters in the
closet
[Music]
okay
[Music]
although violence in the film is
practically non-existent prepare to be
up all night
number nine Little Shop of Horrors look
you’re a plant does this look inanimate
to you Paul this bizarre musical horror
hybrid maybe more slapstick comedy than
a scare field thrill ride but this may
trick adults into letting the younger
kitties watch keep in mind that this was
the 80s and a PG rating was easier to
get the Audrey too is not a healthy girl
strictly between us neither is the
Audrey one adapted from the Broadway
musical which was adapted from the Roger
Corman dark comedy Little Shop of
Horrors follows the story of Seymour and
his mysterious bloodthirsty musically
talented plant who grows to enormous
sizes and requires more and more people
to feed on feed me all night long that’s
right miss emo well most of the violence
and sexy comedy is implied in hilarious
musical numbers this is still a classic
monster movie I don’t know anyone who
deserves to get chopped up and fed to a
hungry plant number 8 an American
Werewolf in London
another 80s horror classic seeing a
pattern here an American Werewolf in
London
finally delves into r-rated territory
alright already
the film rental industry played a huge
part in getting kids hooked on horror in
the 80s this entire generation of
children had access to films like Friday
the 13th and this werewolf shocker maybe
it was director John Landis his
reputation for comedies like Animal
House and Blues Brothers that tricked
families into showing this violent film
to their kids but this nightmarish story
of a young traveler who’s attacked and
turned into a werewolf was revolutionary
in its special effects and gruesomely
violent dark humor this is Gerald
Brinsley Gerald’s the man you murdered
on a subway we thought it best for you
not to see him as he’s a fresh kill and
still pretty messy number 7 The Lost
Boys look this isn’t a comic book saving
these guys a boo-boo killers the 80s
were a strange time for horror with many
of its teen centric efforts becoming
classics despite their our ratings your
creature of the night Michael just like
out of a comic book
your vampire Michael one such teen
horror film sees a young Jason Patrick
being seduced into joining some no-good
bad-boy gangsters but this isn’t your
ordinary gang of la hooligans
it’s a streetwise group of young
vampires where you going star for a ride
this is my
let’s go The Lost Boys may have some
over-the-top 80s violence but it’s
clearly geared towards young teens the
majority of the film is shown from the
perspective of preteens Corey Haim and
Corey Feldman and there’s no shortage of
teen heartthrobs who make an appearance
including a brilliant early performance
by Kiefer Sutherland as the leader of
the pack I think some of this might come
be one of us
number six The Sixth Sense mama Oh
dinner is not ready
while the late 90s were becoming
oversaturated with increasingly violent
and repetitive slasher films breakout
director M night Shyamalan brought the
world a tense calculating ghost story
that revitalized
the horror genre for a new millennium
with an eleven-year-old protagonist how
scary could a movie be the affliction
that young Cole suffers from is no
laughing matter
and although kids of the 90s would
snigger while repeating the iconic
revelatory line we can assure you that
nobody was laughing during that tent
scene in theaters
[Music]
with the violence at a minimum but
tension high Shyamalan knew how to scare
the pants off both young and old you
don’t see each other they only see what
they want to see they don’t get number 5
it makes our wounds and of choosing this
Stephen King adaptation has the
distinction of being a miniseries made
for commercial broadcast television and
therefore the filmmakers had no choice
but to keep the blood swearing and
sexuality to a minimum kiss me that boy
for this reason it’s become a cult
favorite among kids trying to scare each
other daring each other to watch the
film or walk close to sewers hi Georgie
the story follows the victims and
survivors of an otherworldly being who
terrorizes and kills children from the
small town of Derry Maine taking on the
form of Pennywise the clown it is
responsible for nightmares around the
world and instilling a fear of clowns in
millions of underage viewers pili Hall
number four child’s play hi I’m Chucky
wanna play Chucky the good guy doll has
become an easily recognizable horror
icon and nearly every kid can identify
him these same kids can probably also
identify the exact moment they were
traumatized for life by this 1980s
classic hi I’m Chucky and I’m your
friend to the end
hi-dee-ho ha ha ha possessed by the
spirit of serial killer Charles Lee ray
Chucky seeks out a young innocent body
that he can transfer his soul into and
mercilessly kills anyone and everyone
who gets in his way
thanks to its subject matter featuring a
killer doll targeting a preschooler
protagonist the film has become a rite
of passage horror film for kids hello
Andy
number three
jaws Jamar’s the fourth of July that we
will be open for business Steven
Spielberg’s first masterful blockbuster
success is a testament to his talent as
a visual storyteller this is not a code
acident it wasn’t any propeller it
wasn’t any coral reef and it wasn’t Jack
the Ripper the simple story of a great
white shark that terrorizes a quiet
seaside town built up one of the most
tense and suspenseful cinematic
experiences ever to grace the big screen
Oh boys I think he’s come back for his
noon feeding an entire generation of
moviegoers was afraid to swim in the
ocean thanks to this flick even though
filmmakers kept the horror and violence
at a PG level
instead of relying on Gore jaws uses
cinematography music and dialogue to
create a film that has kids covering
their eyes the second the theme music
comes on you’re gonna need a bigger boat
number two arachnophobia dreaming
although the fear of spiders is not
limited to young people there’s a
childlike Glee with which this throwback
monster movie plays out come on we live
in the country now it’s time to work
through this irrational paralyzing
terror it’s not irrational produced by
Steven Spielberg this dark comedy
imagines what would happen if a large
and deadly spider from another country
ended up in a quiet little town large
spider webs appearing in farmhouses
overnight mysterious deaths aggressive
jumping spiders don’t bother calling the
local exterminator they won’t be much
help rock and roll the film relies
heavily on our natural aversion to the
creepy crawlies and successfully creates
a feeling of nauseating dread without
needing to resort to extreme violence a
moment’s peace before we unveil our
number one pick here are some honorable
mentions
[Music]
Oh Patricia you kill her Oh watch number
one gremlins what are they doing
watching Snow White and they love it
spielberg strikes again with another PG
rated classic of 1980s for his influence
can surely be felt throughout the decade
and especially in the filmography of
director Joe Dante
although Dante created many horror
classics that walk the line between
family-friendly and adult dark humor
like matinee and the burbs gremlins is
undoubtedly his best effort at a
drive-in inspired monster movie the
teaches children a valuable lesson about
taking care of your pets
his name’s gizmo get he’s a Mogwai kids
may be drawn to gremlins lulled into a
sense of security by the cute Furby
looking gizmo but they’ll come out
entertained and afraid of innocent
looking animals
with enough humor to balance out the
horror gremlins shouldn’t cause too many
sleepless nights do you agree with our
list
what movie got you into horror films did
you hear that
I heard that what was it gonna be a lot
of things for more entertaining top 10s
published every day be sure to subscribe
to watchmojo.com
you
[Music]
Please follow and like us: