By Gina Rich | Contributor
When my children began showing an interest in scary movies, I wasn’t surprised. According to a 2025 study in Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 93% of kids enjoy recreational fear activities, or activities that provide a mix of fear and enjoyment. Examples might include walking through a haunted house, listening to a ghost story around a campfire, or watching a horror movie at a sleepover.
Frightening entertainment, like a scary movie, can have drawbacks: It may cause anxiety or sleep disturbances in children, the study noted. But provided they’re not too intense and kids are participating voluntarily, recreational fear activities can help children learn through play.
Wondering whether your kids should watch scary movies? Here are some tips for navigating the issue.
Consider Your Child’s Readiness
Before introducing scary movies, think about your child’s preferences and personality. For instance, does your child find creepy stories interesting, or would they rather read or listen to something more pleasant? Do they mind being alone in the dark or prefer some light at bedtime?
Children may show an interest in horror movies at different ages, or they may want to avoid them altogether. It’s also possible for a younger child to feel ready for scary movies sooner than an older child, as I observed with my own kids. Though my youngest began enjoying scary movies around age nine, my oldest, then 11, found them upsetting. My daughters are teenagers now, and their preferences still differ: While my youngest enjoyed Wednesday, a horror television series featuring grisly mysteries and scary supernatural creatures, my older daughter gravitates toward romantic dramas.
Know What Your Kids Are Watching
If your kids want to watch a scary movie you haven’t seen, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with it so you can prepare for any questions that arise.
With younger children, you could plan a family movie night or afternoon to watch the film together. One benefit of this approach is that your child can observe how you cope with those scary moments on-screen. In addition, your child can watch the movie when it works best for them. Watching a scary movie right before bedtime can be overwhelming for some kids, but a midday viewing may help reduce the fear factor.
To learn more about a movie, you can also view its trailer or read reviews online. Or research the film using a resource like Common Sense Media, which provides detailed reviews along with ratings from both parents and kids.
Encourage Follow-Up Conversations
After your kids watch a scary movie, you can help them process their experience by encouraging discussions. Ask kids what they thought of the movie and if they had a favorite character. If they felt scared during the film, you can help normalize the emotion by reminding them that plenty of grown-ups get frightened during horror movies, too. For instance, even though the animated film Coraline is rated PG, as an adult I thought it was too disturbing to watch more than once!
With my children, I’ve also found it helpful to get curious about what made a movie or television show so spooky, and to learn how those jump scare moments were created. For example, to produce the sounds of the fearsome monster in season 3 of the Netflix horror series Stranger Things, the show’s sound supervisor Craig Henighan did something that might look silly: He put on rubber boots and recorded himself stomping around in his muddy backyard. Knowing this background information can help kids process a scary movie by offering a different perspective.
If your child recently watched a scary movie and is struggling with increased anxiety, nightmares, or other sleep disturbances, the film may have been too intense. Continue to support your child by listening and validating their feelings. Remember that while scary movies can be thrilling, it’s okay if your child isn’t ready for them yet.
Scary Movies to Consider
Planning to watch a scary movie with your kids? Here are a few suggestions, ranging from mildly scary to more frightening.
The Nightmare Before Christmas (PG)
Jack Skellington, who rules Halloween Town, decides to try delivering Christmas cheer instead – and the results are disastrous.
Beetlejuice (PG)
When newlyweds Adam and Barbara realize they’ve perished in a car accident, they enlist the help of a naughty spirit. The film’s sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is rated PG-13 and includes both gory and silly moments.
Five Nights at Freddy’s (PG-13)
Based on a video game, this film has plenty of jump scares and features sinister animatronic monsters that begin attacking people.
M3GAN (PG-13)
An engineer builds a lifelike doll with amazing capabilities, but the creation has a devious mind and dark ambitions of its own. The sequel, M3GAN 2.0, is rated PG-13 and leans into action more than horror.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy (All PG-13)
While these movies might not look like traditional horror films, they include intense battles with gruesome creatures, and characters live in fear of a villain who radiates evil and darkness.
The Others (PG-13)
In this spine-tingling film, a woman and her two children are unsettled by strange intruders in their home.