Stephen King’s bookIT(2017) and film may have caused many viewersto rethink whether they truly got over their fear of clowns. Not everyone will enjoy a horror film, and not every horror film will build the same emotions. A well-made horror film will tap into a viewer’s distress, their heart will beat faster as a threatening creature slowly searches for their protagonist.
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Horror films made for adult audiences are not the only films that will scare a viewer. There are plenty of films that the younger audiences would be able to watch that will also interest adult viewers and perhaps, even scare them.
‘Coraline’ (2009)
Coraline(2006) is another film adaptation from Neil Gaiman’s books, unlike the other films, this film relies on stop-motion animation. The film is centered on Coraline (voiced byDakota Jones) a young girl who only wished to gain the attention that her parents lack. Inside her home, she found a door that led her to a vibrant world where her wildest fantasies came true.
She mostly appreciated all the attention that her alternative world parents were giving her. Yet Coraline soon learned that the alternative reality had its price. Her alternative mother tried to sew Coraline button eyes, the more Coraline resisted, the angrier the mother got.Coralineis available on the Roku Channel.
‘Monster House’ (2006)
Visiting haunted houses is an essential tradition for many individuals who celebrate Halloween. Those who visit haunted houses know that the house serves only as a shelter for the creepy crawling beasts that live in the house. In the 2006 filmMonster House,the haunted house in the suburban neighborhood doesn’t serve as a backdrop in the film.Instead, the house is the main antagonist of the film and possesses anthropomorphic qualities.
It lures those passing by to step through its doorway and never leave. The neighborhood kids, DJ (Mitchel Musso), Jenny (Spencer Locke), and Chowder (Sam Lerner) are the only ones that notice that the house is alive and are very much determined to destroy the house, even if they know they have a very small chance of defeating it.Monster Houseis available on the Roku Channel.
‘Corpse Bride’ (2005)
TheCorpse Bride(2005) followed the story of Victor Van Dort (voiced byJohnny Depp) who planned to marry his future bride. However, when he walks into the forest to practice his wedding vows prior to the wedding, he met a woman dressed in a wedding dress. This woman rose from the ground and assumed that he was marrying her.
The bride tried to convince him to join her in the Land of the Living dead, but his living bride was still waiting for him. TheCorpse Bridehas a similar aesthetic toThe Nightmare Before Christmassince it’s also aTim Burtonfilm.Corpse Brideis available on HBO Max.
‘A Series of Unfortunate Events’ (2004)
Violet (Emily Browning), Klaus (Liam Aiken), and Sunny (Kara HoffmanandShelby Hoffman) were reassigned a new guardian to take care of them after their parents tragically died in a house fire. The term “taking care of them” is an understatement, their new guardian Count Olaf (Jim Carrey) expected the children to follow his orders.
Count Olaf was an unpredictable character, and his decisions placed the kids in very dire situations such as trying to escape from a locked car on the train tracks while a train was speeding toward them. Yet he wasn’t the only character that appeared strange and unusual.A Series of Unfortunate Events(2004) is available on YouTube.
‘The Haunted Mansion’ (2003)
The Haunted Mansion(2003) follows the story of Jim Evers (Eddie Murphy), a real estate and his family as they tour the inside of a mansion situated near a lake. Cobwebs cover the lights, and dark lighting and unexplainable floating objects add to the creepiness of this house. The Evers grew suspicious of every new person they met especially since they seemed to appear out of nowhere.
While they could have just left the house when they found out they could possibly be in danger, they didn’t want to risk driving in the thunderstorm. The Evers searched the house, and they found hidden doorways and clues tracing back to one of their family members.The Haunted Mansionis available on Disney+.
‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ (1993)
The Nightmare Before Christmas(1993) is a Tim Burton classic film. In the film, Jack Skellington (voiced byDanny Elfman) lived in a town where Halloween is the main holiday and the only holiday celebrated. When he grew tired of celebrating the holiday, and so he decided to take over the Christmas holiday and add a Halloween twist.
To fulfill his plan and to introduce the towns folks to a new holiday, he kidnaped Santa Claus. Then he replaced the gifts that children received with a frightful version of the gifts. The last thing a parent expected to see was their child opening a present with a head inside.The Nightmare Before Christmasis available on Disney+.
‘Don’t Look Under The Bed’ (1990)
Don’t Look Under The Bed(1990) starredErin Chambersas Frances, a teenager who began to witness strange occurrences. Only Larry Houdini (Ty Hodges), a boy from her school, knew what was going on and that the culprit responsible was the Boogeyman. To find the Boogeyman, she had to crawl under her bed to enter his world.
Although viewers won’t transport to an alternative world under their bed where their rotten peanut butter sandwiches are larger than them, it reminds viewers that they might have no idea what exactly lies under there.Don’t Look Under the Bedis available on Disney+.
‘Arachnophobia’ (1990)
Arachnophobiais having a fear of spiders, it is also the title of the 1990 film starringJeff Daniels,Julian Sands, andJohn Goodman.This film followed the story of a dangerous spider that made its way from South America to the United States and begins mating with the local spiders. The offspring becomes deadlier than the original spider from South America and anyone who was bitten by this spider would die.
Viewers who already have a fear of spiders will likely avoid watching this film or likely won’t be able to overcome their fear. It’s already scary enough that wolf spiders, black widows, and brown recluse spiders among others, exist and some of these spiders can be found all over the United States, this film reminds viewers of the effects these insects can have on humans. ThefilmArachnophobiais rated PG-13 and is available on the Roku Channel.There is an upcoming remake ofArachnophobiais in the works.
‘Little Shop of Horrors’ (1986)
There are over 100,000 species of plants in the world. These plants vary in size, appearance, and in what environments they thrive. InLittle Shop of Horrors(1986), Seymour (Rick Moranis) found a plant that differed from the others, but he couldn’t identify exactly what it was. He named it “Audrey II” and learned after spending time with this plant that it yearned for blood.
If this plant stayed the small size that Seymour originally got it, it might not have been problematic. Except this plant continued to grow, and soon it was the size of Seymour and its appetite continued to grow.Little Shop of Horrorsis rated PG-13 and is available on HBO Max.
‘Gremlins’ (1984)
Taking care of a pet is a huge responsibility and there are plenty of “do’s” and “don’t’s” that owners have to verify they follow. Billy learned his lesson after he realized what happens when he doesn’t follow the rules. His father gives him a creature named a “Mogwai” as a pet.
The “Mogwai” is different from any other pet. The creature shouldn’t come in contact with water or bright lights and can’t eat after midnight. While they may seem cute and small, these creatures can easily turn into monstrous reptile creatures if their owner doesn’t follow the rules.Gremlins(1984) is available on HBO Max, in 2023, the viewers and fans of the80s film will be able to watch the animated prequel series,Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai.
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