So I have been thinking of entertaining my brother and sister (9 and 11) for a night of good scary movies. My issue has been thinking of what movies might be appropriate.

I definitely want to stay away from the extremes, especially for anything that is very "real-life" - that is, something like Se7en, or Last House on the Left, or Saw. Not only because they are too young for this stuff, but it's also a bit too realistic. (Same goes for any religious horror movies... Constantine, etc.)

I also don't want anything that's too "for kids" --- Scooby Doo and the like. I think they are ready for PG-13 movies (we've seen Pirates of the Caribbean and the first two Lord of the Ring movies).

I would have no problem having stuff that's a bit more out there and/or silly as long as it is well-made. I'd like to have two movies so I want to stay away from super-long ones.

So here are some movies from my collection I am thinking about:

Blair Witch Project
The Fog (1980) (I don't remember why it's R)
The Others
The Ring
Shaun of the Dead
Signs
Sixth Sense (don't own it)
Sleepy Hollow (a bit boring if you ask me)
Tremors

Anyone care to throw other suggestions into the ring? I'd like for them to see good "scary" movies before they see stupid teen flicks in a couple of years.

If I remember, wasn't this extremely gory in parts?

I was going to suggest one of the Universial Monster movies if you think your brother and sister could watch an older movie. How about Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein ? You also get Dracula and the Wolfman in it! Good mix too of scenes that are creepy and comical.

Blair Witch has over 200 f-bombs.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend Shaun of the Dead to nine to 11 year olds - the comical but graphic violence is a tad much and the language is definately R-rated.

howabout

Something Wicked This Way Comes
The Watcher in the Woods
It's Alive (give 'em nightmares)
creep them out with Frogs
The Company of Wolves
The Blob (remake)
Night of the Living Dead (original)
Trilogy of Terror
Nosferatu (original - my mother subjected me to this at age 8 - I'll never let her forget it )

Other than Tremors and Shaun of the Dead, that's a boring list for a 9 year old.

The Lost Boys
Poltergeist
The People under the stairs (Well, my 9-year old cousin loved it)
Lady in White
The Gate
Twilight Zone:The Movie (Last 2 segments)

refresh my memory the last segment was the gremlin one, what was the other one you're referring to.

I think the 2nd to last was the one with the kid who could do anything he wanted.

Been a while since I've seen it, but there was definitely some gore there. I remember a fisherman getting impaled on a sword and some corpse getting up in the morgue with his eyes gouged out.

I can't count how many times I looked under my bed night after night after seeing Gremlins (at the theater) for the first time at around 8 or 9 years old. It was pretty freaky at the time.

Probably more on par for the age than the films you listed.

Goosebumps!

I saw this and alien 2 when I was about 13 and I thought it was fun and scary as hell. Didn't leave any scars or nothing.



Signs would be my second nomination.

Would jumanji be too kiddie?

Another vote for Something Wicked This Way Comes. Here's a few others that I would consider family friendly for the ages you mentioned:

The Mummy
The Mummy Returns
The Ghost & Mr. Chicken (Don Knotts classic)
Ghostbusters
Ghostbreakers (Bob Hope classic)

I was just going to say that...I didn't realize HOW many F-bombs until I watched it with my parents one year!


I would say:

Sleepy Hollow (Tim Burton version)
Psycho (original Hitchcock version)

How 'bout some Buffy epsiodes - like "Hush"...that's pretty spooky!

Arachnophobia
Monster Squad
Young Frankenstein

Track down The Peanut Butter Solution. That movie scarred me for life as a child.

Night of the Hunter

Gremlins

Go with the classics. Dracula. Frankenstein. Creature From The Black Lagoon.

Signs is good for a newer one. The Others may be too intense. These are 9 and 11 year olds!

Shaun of The Dead, Blair Witch, etc... are rated R. By no means are they movies for a nine year old! Look at the ratings!

Beetlejuice

Seriously, it creeped me out as a kid.

I would have to go with Poltergeist (the clown part completely freaked me out as a kid, but I don't think it would be too much), Ghostbusters, Jaws, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (older one, if they go for older movies) or Beetlejuice

What Lies Beneath and Below(can't remember if this is R or not) could be good. For lighter fare check out Ernest Scared Stupid and Hocus Pocus.

Lady in White is a pretty good one for the younger crowd.

actually according to...


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blair_witch


it only has 133 uses of the word fuck...

that one freaked me out when i was a kid, i wish the old Friday the 13th the series was on dvd, that would be great for 9 year old kids, and it was pretty spooky....