13 Spooky Kid-Friendly Horror Movies

It’s always fun sharing your love and passion for horror with people who equally feel the same way you do. When becoming a parent, one can only hope that their precious spawn will share the same love for the genre and will grow up to appreciate the excitement, mystery, and thrills that horror movies provide for us. Luckily, there are plenty of kid-friendly horror movies out there to start them out right!

However, choosing the right kid-friendly horror based movie is not always easy when debating what to expose your child too. While some parents don’t hesitate to introduce true horror right away, others want to take baby steps that lead them in the right direction. Here at Pophorror, we compiled a list of 13 spooky kid-friendly horror movies that the whole family will love. 

Goosebumps  (2015)

“Viewers, beware, you’re in for a scare!”

This 2015 blockbuster hit brought back a lot of memories to fans of the series. Not only will it make your little ones want to read R.L. Stein’s books, it will also introduce them to the vast variety of monsters without being too scary!

Casper (1995)

“Can I keep you?”

In this family fun-packed fantasy movie, we’re introduced to the Harvey family, who just recently moved into the haunted Whipstaff Manor. They’re only there because of Kat’s (Christina Ricci) father, Dr. James (Bill Pullman), who is a paranormal investigator and is hired to cleanse the house. However, to their surprise, the house really is in fact inhabited by four ghosts who turn their world upside down. It’s a great little ghost story with an awesome soundtrack that includes the popular song “Remember Me this Way” by Jordan Hill.

The Monster House (2006)

Not your typical haunted house story.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSmE-0A5B8A

Monster House is the perfect spooky kid-friendly horror movie! It received positive reviews from critics and grossed over $40 million dollars worldwide back in 2006. At the 79th Academy Awards, it was nominated for Best Animated Feature but unfortunately lost. This spooky story follows three teenagers who discover that the haunted house next door is actually a monster after it tries to attack one of them. They seek help on how to kill it through a self-professed expert on the supernatural, but when they go into the house they discover the truth behind the monster.

The Corpse Bride (2005)

Just went you thought arranged marriages couldn’t get any scarier…

Although The Nightmare before Christmas (1993) is a great spooky movie for all ages, The Corpse Bride has some true horror elements. In this story, Victor Van Dort (Johnny Depp) and Victoria Everglot (Emily Watson) are preparing for their arranged marriage; luckily they are enamored with one another. After an embarrassing moment with his new in-laws, he flees to the forest to wander around and practice his wedding vows. As he speaks he places the wedding ring on a nearby upturned tree root. The root turns out to be the finger of a dead woman, Emily, who rises from the ground and claims him as her husband. She drags him back to the land of the dead and tells him the story of how she was murdered on the night of her secret elopement. As Victor struggles with the reality of his new life, he breaks the news to Victoria, which leads her to become engaged to another man. But will her love for Victor stand in the way of her new vows?

The Haunted Mansion (2003)

If you want to live, don’t mess with the Butler of this Haunted Mansion!

The Haunted Mansion is a fun spooky family story that everyone will love. The Evers’s family is on their way to a much-needed vacation but become sidetracked when they are summoned to Gracey Manor for a real estate opportunity. Soon after they arrive they realize this is not a business deal and they begin to fear they’ll be trapped in the mansion forever as the bizarre mysteries unfold.

Ghostbusters (1984)

“Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters!”

I think this is a worldwide favorite ghost movie. It’s fun, silly, and packed with great actors. You really can’t go wrong with a Billy Murray movie. If you want to teach the kiddos all about ghosts, this one would be my top pick for a spooky kid-friendly movie.

Little Monsters (1989)

As kids, we always fear that monsters may be lurking under our beds, but in this fun monster story we learn that maybe that’s not always a bad thing…or is it?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk25f0qZqw4

Brian (Fred Savage) just moved to a new town and is feeling lonely and homesick from all his old friends. He soon befriends a monster under his bed, Maurice (Howie Mandel), who shows him a new world under his bed that consists of no parents, no rules, and all types of junk food. Brian spends more and more time down in the world and slowly starts to change into a monster as well, this freaks him out and he stops going. But as revenge they take his little brother!

Beetlejuice (1988)

Whatever you do…. don’t say his name 3 times in a row.

After recently deceased couple tries to the find a balance of accepting their new fate and chasing away the new residents that have move into their house. When nothing they do works to frighten them away, they seek help from aN outcast known as Betelgeuse (pronounced Beetlejuice) who turns out to be trouble  Beetlejuice won the Academy Award for Best Makeup and three Saturn Awards: Best Makeup, Best Horror Film, and Best Supporting Actress for Sylvia Sidney. It is one of Tim Burton’s most popular stories, a cult classic, and the perfect kid-friendly horror movie.

The Witches (1990)

Forget Hocus Pocus, there ARE some new witches in town! If you want to introduce your kids to a spooky story with creepy witches, this is the movie for you!

The Witches is based on the book of the same name by Roald Dahl and tells the story of witches who have taken over the world and masquerade as ordinary women. A boy name Luke isn’t fooled by them though when he walks in on one of their meetings at the hotel and sees their true colors beyond their human form; the ugliest witches I ever did see! The witches capture Luke and use a potion to turn him into a mouse; their newest form of taking over the world and killing all the children. Luke devises a plan to reveal the witches for what they truly are and eradicate the world’s witches once and for all.

The Monster Squad (1987)

We know who to call when there are ghosts, but who do you call for monsters? The Monster Squad, of course!

The Monster Squad is a group of pre-teens who idolize monsters and monster movies, but when their favorite monsters come to life they have to stop them from taking over the world with a special amulet. This movie contains all of your favorite classic universal monsters to introduce the little ones too and an amazing kid-friendly horror movie!

Arachnophobia (1990)

If your child has a fear of spiders, you may want to step away from this one! However, it’s a perfect kid-friendly horror movie to introduce them into the world of killer insects.

A species of South American killer spider are brought into the United States through a coffin and start to breed, overpopulate, and kill.  This movie gives me the heebie jeebeies and may result in having entomophobia!

Gremlins (1984)

Just follow the 3 important rules and everything will be just fine…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_ZVoY9Byfc

This is the perfect creature kid-friendly horror movie! Gremlins tells the story of a dad who brings home a new exotic pet called Mogwai from Chinatown and they instantly fall in love with him, naming him Gizmo. However, there are three rules they must follow: do not expose Gizmo to bright lights or sunlight which will kill it, do not let it get wet, and never feed it after midnight. Of course, not intentionally, they break every single rule including spilling water onto Gizmo which results in him spawning five more Mogwai from his back. But these creatures aren’t like Gizmo and they soon terrorize the town! Fun fact: After the water was spilled, the new Mogwai, who popped out of Gizmo’s body as small, furry balls which then started to grow, were actually balloons and expanded as such.

Coraline (2009)

Coraline is ultimately one of the creepiest kid movies I’ve ever seen!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO3n67BQvh0

Coraline is an adventurous girl who is bored with ordinary life and ordinary parents.  One day she stumbles upon a new world that is a strangely idolized version of her own home including alternative parents who to her surprise have buttons for eyes! Nope, that’s not creepy at all… Despite their crazy buttoned eyes, she begins to spend all of her time in this alternate world; indulging in the no rule atmosphere along with delicious food and parents who give her attention. But after awhile, the fun and games come to an end and Coraline discovers the truth and history behind her “new family.” This is an insanely creepy movie, beautifully told, and visually stimulating throughout the entire story.

And that wraps up our list of 13 spooky kid-friendly horror movies to welcome your kids into the world of horror. Perfect for Halloween or any weekend movie night… just don’t forget the popcorn!