Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your accountsSaved for Latersection.
My daughter loves horror films.
Shell watch anything with a creepy vibe and frequently wants to talk about movies she hasnt seen.
However, shes only 11.
Our annual October horror movie marathon is tricky to plot out.
To make matters more complicated, her younger siblings 6 and 8 want in on the fun.
So, we have to include a movie or two they can watch with us.
We also have to earmark one to watch with my horror movie-hating, classics-loving wife.
Now, we need a list of horror movies that a.)
we havent seen b.)
Ive had to dig deep to find options.
It can get tricky because ratings can be almost meaningless.
For instance, bothParanormanandPoltergeistare PG.
Even beyond practical matters, both of us have to be interested in the picks.
(She recently told meThe Sixth Senseis a really, really old movie.)
(Theyre also just really funny.)
Id argue there havent been any bad Wallace and Gromit excursions, but theres something special aboutWere-Rabbit.
Paranorman(2012)
Paranormanbelongs in a pile of spooky animated family films likeCoralineand9.
ButParanormansets itself apart by not just having a deliciously haunted atmosphere, but by being surprisingly sweet.
(Nor do they believe its true.)
But Norman doesnt lie or attempt to hide his truth.
The Nightmare Before Christmas(1993)
Is it a Christmas movie?
Is it a Halloween movie?
Lets call it a year-round movie.Nightmareis a beautifully creepy film that perfectly captures Tim Burtons aesthetic.
(Though,Henry Selick would like to remind youthat he was the director, not Burton.)
(See:The Corpse Bride, Edward Scissorhands,and the next film on this list.)
Coraline(2009)
Coralineis another family-friendly movie with a familiar plot.
Coralines family moves into an old house.
Shes neglected by her family and bored out of her mind.
But a hidden door offers a passage into a parallel universe where everyone has buttons for eyes.
Less the button eyes, its a description that fitsThe Chronicles of Narniaand other stories.
Her discovery seems like a great escape until shes invited to stay forever by her Other Mother.
The story gets sinister, but its consistently engaging, and its haunting elements are memorable.
Its not ghosts haunting a house, but a house itself haunting the living.
Even beyond the overtly silly stuff, the whole plot is absurd.
Dont eat after midnight is a major plot point for a horror film?
It introduces the trappings of horror movies without attempting to scare.
The follow-up,Addams Family Values,and the 2019 animated film could also fit in this category.
Plus, isnt that Willy Wonka?
Theres an almost impossible amount of tension right up until that iconic final shot.
While the deaths including that of a small child are undeniably sad, they arent on-screen or violent.
The horror may be diminished by cheesy birds, but the tension is not.
Its really an action film based around a horror set-up.
Theyre mostly PG-13 but bring real scares.Poltergeistis the poster child for how ratings can mislead.
At the time of its release, there was no PG-13 rating.
So, theproducers fought to get thePG rating it would never get today.
(WHY WONT YOU GET THE KIDS OUT OF THE HOUSE!?)
(To be fair, its hard to adapt the books epistolary style.)
(You know, outside the DisneyZombiestuff.)
It also doesnt spend time lingering on sallow-skinned zombies whose bodies are gruesomely falling apart a la George Romero.
Its capable of giving parents nightmares, but its success isnt the result of bloody terror.
On the heels of the Spider-Man trilogy, Sam Raimi returned to the genre where he started.
Of course, it may also cause a deep fear of spiders.
But its a novel approach that makes the spider the main character in many ways.
Just look out for that paddleball coming through the screen.
Its a whole category worth exploring.
Though,Bride of Frankensteinis certainly one of the best.
It was a later entry when Universal was looking to breathe new life into its horror franchises.
However, this episode is an excellent one from early in the Mike Nelson era.
Plus, you might accidentally find yourself enjoying something likeGamera,Hobgoblins, orSanto in The Treasure of Dracula.
Godzilla(1954)
The originalGodzillais a giant among monster movies.
Its exciting, sad, and, even to the eyes of kids, aboutsomething.
Its much more of a horror film than the modern American versions.
(Though, Japanese releases likeShin GodzillaandGodzilla Minus Onestill embody that original sense of horror.)
