To let 10 YO DS watch a horror film?

[ProfessorMoody]

DS10 has decided he doesn't want to trick or treat this year and wants to stay in and watch a "horror film".

He's seen most of the children's ones like Miss Peregrine, Hotel Transylvanias, The Witches etc.

He'd like to watch something a little more "grown up" but I can't seem to think of any that are suitable, or a 12A.

DH thinks Woman in Black is a good place to start but I was horrified that it's a 12 as I found it really scary and definitely unsuitable for a 10 year old!

What's your favourite mild horror?

Tremors is great fun. I don't remember Beetlejuice being that bad and it's hilarious.

Blair Witch Project terrified me, I feel cold just thinking about the ending. Babadook isn't suitable (masturbation, nearly killing her kid etc).
Some one suggested Ginger Snaps, it's a great film but it's an 18, it's full of gore, violence, nudity-it's WILDLY unsuitable.

What about some old classics like The Cat and the Canary, Night of the Demon (that scares me mind)?

I'm much more frightened by creepy films than I am by gore

bookworm I absolutely agree with you.
Some of these suggestions are ridiculous.
The poster who said she started watching horror films at 9 and 'couldn't cope at first'; is that what you want for your child?
I wonder what's going on in some parents heads I really do.

I started watching horror films at a very young age, never really bothered me. My DD is 4 and her favourite film at the moment is Hocus Pocus, she also loves Nightmare before Christmas, Coraline, Hotel Transylvania and Goosebumps. She also loves Scooby Doo. Some kids just like scary things and some don't, if a kid likes them why stop them watching it? She has also seen Jurassic World (my DH had taken her to the park and I was watching it) just wasn't bothered by it at all.
It's not about being cool, it is about not making her sit and watch something she doesn't like because it is more her age level.

I used to love horror films but I was about 13.

I wonder about the empathy levels of a child that can watch a film like the shining and not find it disturbing. Or perhaps they are just too young to understand the true horror behind it? In which case why the fuck are they watching it.

Is jurassic world the latest one? If so I totally judge you for taking a 4 year old to see it as its pretty violent. It's a 12 btw.

I grew up on horror and I aim not traumatised or a psychopath. Some people just like gore and scary stuff.

The Village.

Yeah I love a horror. But none of my children do. My 15 year old can't watch anything scarier than Harry Potter!

So don't show your kids age inappropriate films, they might be genuinely terrified!

it is about not making her sit and watch something she doesn't like because it is more her age level that's sad. There are plenty of really great movies aimed at 4 year olds.

Well, that’s your children.

My 4 year old is more than able to watch Harry Potter and Jurassic world and be absolutely fine.

How did you discover that? Just took her to jurassic world and hoped for the best?

She watched it at home with me and her dad....

Ah I thought you meant the new one.

How do you know your child won't be traumatised by a film until it's too late though? As someone else said you can't 'unwatch' something. It's a dangerous path to go down.

She’s seen both. We have the new one at home. She adores Chris Pratt (she’s a big guardians fan) and she loves dinosaurs. It’s her fave film.

Oookaaaay

Remember that he THINKS he wants to watch a horror film but you KNOW what they are like. You can't take it away once he had seen it. I'm 47 and I don't think I'm old enough, hate horror or any Halloween related stuff that isn't old fashioned spooky! Kids walking up and down streets with blood splattered on a school uniform is not fun to me.

Woman in Black at the theatre scared the living shit out of me.

Oh god me too. There's probably still a me-shaped hole in the ceiling of the Fortune Theatre.

But OP - has he seen Raiders Of The Lost Ark? Not really horror but I found it pretty scary when I watched it aged 11.

Pan's Labyrinth?

Stardust? More fantasy than horror but the witchcraft/ghost/animated corpse scenes are quite Halloween-y.

I didn't take my Daughter to the cinema to see it, as I said my DH took her out and I was sat at home watching it when they came back and she just sat and watched the rest with me, she was interested, so I thought I will see what happens and she loved it. Tbf I wasn't much older when I watched Jurassic Park 1&2.

Oh and my daughter's empathy is just fine, if someone is sad or crying she will try and cheer them up, she even gets upset herself if her little brother cries.

Come now, a 4 year old can't understand Harry Potter so that's why she won't be disturbed by it!
Also you saying you watched Jurassic Park as a young child compared to your DD watching Jurassic World. JP was a PG, JW is a 12a.

Sorry that's to two different posters, who both think Jurassic World is appropriate for 4 year olds.

My 4 year old understood Harry Potter, especially the first four. We've watched them together since he was about 18 months old.

The older ones he got when he was 6ish.

Children understand things at different rates, plus there are different levels of understanding for something like Potter.

Well, no trauma or nightmares or psycho behaviour here so I think she’s fine.

I definitely would steer well clear of anything with SAW in the title.
What about Pans Labyrinth?
That Woman In Black is scary especially the rocking chair at the end. I went to see that at the theatre myself and I was scared getting the bus home.

I used to watch scary movies as a kid, I watched IT at age 10 and then couldn't stay in the bath or shower alone for like 5 years.
I also watched the Blair witch project but I was 14 at the time and it definitly made me jump, also watched Blade at that age and to be honest that was not scary in the slightest, it's one of my favourites even now.
The babadook is scary as heck for someone that age, I got scared when I watched that age 26!