40 Scary Movies for Kids Who Want an Intro to Horror Films
For a family-friendly scary movie night, these are the best flicks to watch with kids of all ages.
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While research says it's OK for parent to expose their kids to frightful things, they should do so under the right conditions. Whether your child wants to go to a haunted house, read scary stories or watch a horror movie, it's important to find age-appropriate options. When it comes to the best scary movies for kids, you might pick a family-friendly Halloween movie or one of the many Disney Halloween movies.
We have plenty of those on our list, including animated options with cartoons just ghoulish enough for dipping a toe into the scary waters. Others are classic horror films that may evoke nostalgia in adults who want to relive those childhood thrills. Most of our selections are PG, but we included a few PG-13 choices so tweens and teens can enjoy jump scares that are more in line with their age.
No matter the case, any of these movies will give kids goosebumps in the best possible way. Choose one as a family, dim the lights and get ready for a frightfully enjoyable time.
Still looking for more great things to watch with your family? Check out our lists of the best kids' movies of all-time and the best animated movies.
Hotel Transylvania (2012)
Have you ever wondered what happens when Count Dracula tries to do something, well, human? This movie is the prime example of that, where the famed vampire (portrayed by Adam Sandler) decides to open up a hotel for all monsters to relax on what could only be described as a spooky vacation. And if you love this movie, you can always continue on in the franchise with three sequel movies.
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The Haunted Mansion (2003)
Based on the famed scary Disney World attraction, Eddie Murphy plays a realtor whose family gets stuck in the haunted Gracey Manor. As the group tries to make a grand escape, they find themselves encountering ghosts, skeletal horse-drawn hearses and a psychic whose head is encased within a crystal ball. If this doesn't scare you, then you can always watch the 2023 remake and find yourselves getting all sort of goosebumps.
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
When Jack Skellington, the king of Halloween Town, discovers there's another world that's all about the holiday of Christmas, he decides he wants to bring holiday joy to his own people. But this comes with an unexpected plot, one that may just instill a bit of fright on a cold, dark autumn night.
RELATED: Is 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' a Christmas or Halloween Movie?
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)
Based on the popular children's books, this movie follows a trio of orphans as they are sent to live with their distant relative Count Olaf (played by Jim Carrey) after a tragic accident. As they figure out Count Olaf's true intentions, the kids try to make an escape. But just as things stabilize, they realize Olaf is always close behind ...
The Little Vampire (2000)
When an eight-year-old boy named Tony moves with his family to Scotland, he becomes friends with Rudolph, a young vampire around his age. When Tony learns his new friend and his family are in grave danger, he must help them in order to make sure they're note destroyed by a vampire hunter looking for their demise.
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.
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 musician of average intelligence 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 behind it.
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).
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.
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!
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!
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.
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).
Muppets Haunted Mansion (2021)
The Haunted Mansion ride in Disney is notable because it's kind of 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.
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.
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 keeps it from getting too terrifying.
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 the new sequel, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.
RELATED: How to Watch All the 'Ghostbusters' Movies in Order
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.
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.
Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; previously, she wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother. She lives with her toy-collecting husband and daughter in Brooklyn, where she can be found helping out her team at bar trivia or posting about movies on Twitter and Bluesky.
As the entertainment and news associate editor for Good Housekeeping, Adrianna (she/her) writes about everything TV, movies, music and pop culture. She graduated from Yeshiva University with a B.A. in journalism and a minor in business management. She covers shows like The Rookie, 9-1-1 and Grey's Anatomy, though when she’s not watching the latest show on Netflix, she’s taking martial arts or drinking way too much coffee.
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