What can make your blood rush and your heart race, cause sweat to form on your forehead, and compel you to scream at the top of your lungs? Your own kids. But if having kids isn’t enough to fill your cup of horror, dark and scary flicks can also do the trick. Oh, wait you have kids. That means if you want to watch, or do anything peaceful for that matter, you have to do it with them. And as horror and suspense movies are usually not appropriate for young viewers (what with their graphic content, sensitive topics, and foul language), you can sate your appetite for the otherworldly with subdued yet still haunting horror movies you can watch with your kids.
ParaNorman (Chris Butler and Sam Fell, 2012)
Norman Babcock feels misunderstood, emotionally detached from his family, and socially alone if not for his only friend Neil. That may be typical for a boy in his tweens only his behavior is not because of pre-pubescent hormones. Norman has an uncanny ability to speak with the dead and even prefers their company instead of the living (Could you blame him? Almost no one believes in his ability). Then, his estranged uncle comes along telling him he’s the only one who can stop a witch’s curse over their town. Soon after, the uncle died and Norman must overcome his fear and go on a mission to unravel the mystery and save the town.\
Frankenweenie (Tim Burton, 2012)
In 2012, Burton remade his 1984 short film Frankenweenie as a full-feature 3D animated black-and-white film. Inspired by Frankenstein, the movie tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a kid scientist who used electricity to resurrect his pet dog Sparky after losing him in a car accident. His genius inspired others to do the same which results to chaos that threatens the whole town, and Victor has to stop it.
Coraline (Henry Selick, 2009)
Adapted from Neil Gaiman’s book of the same name, Coraline tells the adventure of a young girl who found a passage to another dimension which mirrors her own but so much better. Coraline is happy with her discovery until the Other mother wanted her to stay there forever. Coraline must use her wits and courage to save herself and find a way to return to the real world and family.
Corpse Bride (Tim Burton, 2005)
The conflict in Burton’s Corpse Bride starts with a grave misunderstanding. Nervous about his coming wedding with Victoria, Victor practices his wedding vow alone in a forest and puts the wedding ring on a gnarly upturned tree root. As it turns out, it was the hand of the dead Emily. Delighted with the idea of marriage, Emily drags Victor into the underworld leaving Victoria pining for him. With Victor gone, the living worry about whom to marry Victoria off. Victor, meanwhile, has to find a way to escape from his corpse bride and return to his true and living bride.
The Nightmare Before Christmas (Henry Selick, 1993)
What Santa Claus is for Christmas, Jack Skellington is for Halloween. Jack, the Pumpkin King, stumbles into Christmas Town, Santa’s domain, and because he’s tired of his annual duty of creeping the hell out of people, he decided to usurp Santa’s role. Needless to say, it wasn’t a good plan.
Monster House (Gil Kenan, 2006)
The lives of innocent kids rest on the shoulders of three children: DJ, Jenny, and Chowder, because in horror movies, children can’t just eat, play, and sleep. As no adult would believe their warning about the monster house that devours humans and with Halloween approaching, the three must find a way to destroy the house and keep the trick-or-treaters safe.
The Black Cauldron (Richard Rich and Ted Berman, 1985)
The movie was supposed to be an adaptation of Lloyd Alexander’s Chronicles of Pyrdain, but Disney only took a few elements from the story—a sure way to displease book fans. The movie has its strong and weak points (maybe more of the latter), but apart from poor filmmaking, it is possible that the flop was also because parents at that time weren’t as welcoming of gory and dark fantasy films for their children. There was a certain expectation from Disney and clearly, it wasn’t met. Jeffrey Katzenberg, appointed chair of Disney while the Cauldron is already in the works, just really hated it. After all, he cut scenes just months before its release to shorten the film which really hurt the narrative. Even though it was not as positively accepted when released as the rest on this list, The Black Cauldron still delivers when it comes to getting on your nerves, especially that scene with the black cauldron itself.
All of these suggested movies are rated PG: a reminder that not all animated movies are strictly for children. Depending on how young your kids are, you may need to keep an eye out on how they react to the film and address their fears. Better yet, assuming your kids can already talk, discuss the movie to check for understanding and any effect on your little ones. After all, these movies present strong talking points on values and character development. So go ahead and watch scary movies with your kids, and have fun—the dark and creepy kind.