my dad's church is having a movie night for the kids ages 7-12 and they want to watch a scary movie. He asked me for reccomendations and I drew a blank. Anybody with kids this age have any good ideas?

Thanks

Something Wicked This Way Comes is a pretty spooky movie especially at that age since the two kids in the feature are right around that age. No nudity, cursing, or extreme violence.

The Sixth Sense - pretty spooky but there is a little violence but no major bloodshed.

If I think of any others that might be good, I will post. I know your dilemma b/c my Dad is a pastor & we always wanted scary movies when I was growing up. Nowadays it is hard to find a decent scary movie for kids.

poltergeist is a good, scary rollercoaster, if they havent already seen it.

boy, didn't realize how hard it is to come up w/ something besides vulgar slasher flicks
: (

2nd recommendation for Somthing Wicker This Way Comes, that was the first one that came to mind. Nightmare Before Christmas would be another that might go over well, not really scary though. Another one they may enjoy, and parts may be scary for some, is The Dark Crystal.

Who are you gonna call?
 

Ghostbusters!!

Given that this is (a) a church group and (b) has children as young as 7...

I don't think that films like POLTERGEIST (language, drug use, graphic violence) or THE SIXTH SENSE (pretty intense violence) are really appropriate. Just my opinion, though.

Something Wicked This Way Comes is an excellent choice.

Wow, this is a tough one... the only two that immediately come to mind are Gremlins and Tremors -- both have a bit of innappropriate language and some gross violence, but it's all done in a very fun, cartoonish manner. Seems like these might work.

But, when you're dealing with kids as young as 7, this can be tricky. I know some seven-year-olds who refuse to watch Disney's "Dinosaur" because the trailer scares them.

You may be better off going to the "classics":

* Universal horror films (Creature from the Black Lagoon, Dracula, Frankenstein/Bride of Frankenstein, Invisible Man, The Mummy, The Wolf Man)
* Sinbad movies (The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger)
* Other "oldies but goodies" (The Fly 1958, Invasion of the Body Snatchers 1955, The original Godzilla movies)

Seems like you're almost better off leaning towards sci-fi rather than straight horror... good luck -- and let us know what you decide!

thank you all so much for your help, I'll make a little list and let you all know what we come up with.

What is scary to a 7 year old will most likely not be scary to a 12 year old. Just my 2 cents.

Gremlins would be a good choice for children in that age group. It was one of 2 Spielberg films in 84( Temple of Doom being the other) that brough about the PG-13 rating.

Yeah, I agree, Gremlins all the way

Night of the Hunter!
 

Great scary B&W film from the 50s.

How about the Dark Crystal? Although it may not be scary for the 12 year olds.

Something Wicked This Way Comes is a great choice. Flicks like Poltergiest are too much for little kids (remember the guy's face w/the maggots, rotting and falling off into the kitchen sink?. Man, some kids watching that movie wouldn't sleep for weeks.

What about something like "House of Wax" w/Vincent Price? (or maybe that's too "old" for little kids?)

Gremlins might be an okay choice too, but I think "Wicked" is a better movie-- definitely creepier, and without the bloodshed; the Gremlins exploding in a microwave or getting torn about in a blender (but I guess kids might go for that stuff). Plus there's a scene in Gremlins where Phoebe Cates tells of how here dad dressed up as Santa and gets stuck in the Chimney and dies. Merry Christmas.

Dave

That's the one that took place in Pier 1?

:lol: I didn't even notice that, DOH! :o :p

Jaws (it's pg.)
Jaws 2 (also pg.)

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory scared me though.

maybe "the lady in white?" that was a PG horror film that was pretty good, although again 7 is a very tricky age, i would go maybe for fantasy more "7th voyage of sinbad"...maybe "King Kong?" Of course I saw "Jaws" when six or seven and survived, so who knows!

Lady in White is one of my all time favorites but I wouldn't recommend it for kids as it deals with violence towards children...for the rest of you if you've never seen it check it out..very well done...almost Spielbergish...

What about Arachnophobia?

Thought of another one...

Flowers in the Attic is kinda spooky. No cussing or violence that I remember. The kids will definitely remember it since it deals with children being looked away by their evil grandmother.

Isn't that the one where the kid's own mother locks them in an attic and poisons/kills them? And don't the sister and brother start an incestuous relationship? Seems a bit much for 7 year olds! ;)

If you want to not only scare them but give them nightmares, try Salo (if you can find it), or Faces of Death.

Of course, the Exorcist would work, as would Friday the 13th, Halloween, or Nightmare on Elm Street. Just be sure to explain to the kids that the stories were real and happened in a church just like the one they are in...

Fiend Without A Face!

Fantastic! As long as you don't mind killer brains being splattered over the walls with axes.

Beetlejuice!

The Neverending Story has some scary parts to it...

I think "Return to Oz" is a great childrens "scary movie". Not only is it the follow up to one of the most beloved childrens films of all time, it really was an interesting and at some points very scary film. I remeber being freaked out by that movie as a kid! The woman who has all the different heads gave me nightmares! This isn't just scares, though. It has great characters (Tic Tock was my favorite), a great story, and most importantly, it's OZ!

The movie Believe came out last year. It works really well for a horror film for kids that age. It was designed as a scary film for younger children and would probably be exactly what you are looking for. Ghost story set in a haunted house, but not too scary for the kids.