To ask what horror films you would let your 11 to 13 year olds watch?

[SistemaAddict]

And possibly their younger siblings?

Poltergeist
Nightmare on elm street
The Omen
Anabelle

That kind of thing?

Age ratings are there for a reason. I don't understand why some parents want to push the boundaries and prematurely expose their kids to stuff. Childhood is precious and needs preserving.

Halloween is also pretty tame by today’s standards but again 11 or younger is not ideal

I watched it the other day. People running around naked getting their throats slit by a masked man. Tame it ain’t!

And Love Actually I’d allow them to watch if I fast forwarded the risqué bits. The film as a whole is sweet. Just not the fake sex.

All those films are tame, I had seen poltergeist at 8 and was no way scared by it, the rest I had seen probably by the age of 13, except the Omen.

Halloween is not tame. It's pretty brutal even now.

@SistemaAddict

Unfortunately not a joke. I wouldn't let them but their dad thinks it's fine along with things like Love Actually for an 8 year old.

If that's true, then he's really not got their best interests at heart.

What you do about it I don't know.

The Hole is a good one, but there’s two versions. I’m talking about the 2009 US film not the 2001 UK film. It’s a 12A, so not great for the younger ones but fine for your 13 year old and it is a great story.

Or maybe things like Addams Family, Nightmare Before Christmas? There’s quite a few gothicy, Halloween style films suitable for kids.

I do have the recollection of my lovely dad letting me watch Jaws with him when I was about 10 and my mum was out. She was fuming when she found out though!

Oh, bloody hell, just spotted the update.

That's such an idiotic thing to do to his children. I bet he thinks he's 'cool dad' being permissive and relaxed

Have you made it clear to him that what he's doing is neglectful?

Honestly I'm shot scared by all of these now (especially the woman In black!)
Hocus pocus
The others
Maybe the Bruce Willis "I see dead people" film?
Shaun of the dead

That sort of thing!

He's my exH hence I have no control over this. . I'm overprotective and want to keep them babies

Oh god my nearly 10yr old dd watched all 4 of the Annabelle films with her dad at the weekend. She’s petrified at the thought of horror films in general, especially Chucky but really liked Annabelle.

I didn’t know she has watched them until later. I will have to speak to her dad.
I don’t watch films so had no idea what it really was

People who were exposed to horror films very young often say they weren't scared, but there are no positives to doing that to a child.

Good for you!

I think this is neglectful and dangerous parenting. You have every right to refuse to let him have the children. I’d be reporting him.

It’s a massive safeguarding issue. Tell the school or social services.

@TheEmojiFormerlyKnownAsPrince they know and don't care.

How young are the siblings?
How sensitive are the 11-13 year olds?

Woman in black is a 12a
Stranger Things is the right level of scary for 11/13yo (I've only seen season 1 and 2)
Coraline is pretty creepy and suitable
Batman (Michael Keaton/Jack Nicholson) was directed by Tim Burton so has a good Halloween vibe.

If it was just the 13yo I would consider the odd 15 but there's plenty of appropriately scary stuff to include all kids.

Well Im in my 50s and any of those would scare the crap out of me ! I think DH is being a Dick TBH!

And I wouldn’t regard this as a “massive safeguarding issue”. The films are unsuitable, but I wouldn’t go that far. Perhaps a small issue.

Their dad is an idiot, those films are in no way suitable for children.

Also, can't believe others suggesting Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz 😧They are fantastic films, and very funny, but also in no way suitable for kids, in terms of the language or content.

@Zoflorabore none of the Annabelle movies are ok for a 10yr old. Dad needs a strong talking to about his role as a parent....

For the younger kids, there are plenty of family friendly movies and specials that will still hit the spooky spot.

The Witches
Corpse Bride
Coraline
Good Omens
ET
Harry Potter
etc

You could do a marathon, get some sweets in and make it a "fun" Halloween rather than a scary one. Jokey costumes and Monster Mash on the radio, that sort of thing. In my experience little kids don't really want to be scared shitless, they just want that "spooky" vibe. They want to be hiding behind their hands from ghosts, not watching a cannibal chop people up!

If the older child is absolutely dead set on not watching a kid's movie, then maybe go for something like the Mummy or Shaun of the Dead. Solely for that child, obviously, not for the others.

I definitely wouldn't advocate going full horror though, no matter how much the child claims they can take it. Unless you're trying to scare them off the genre for a few more years.

I was 'made' to watch Aliens and The Fly when I was about 10. I was at a friend's house, and his dad thought it was 'gay' that I didn't want to watch gore or horror.

I found it massively traumatising, I won't lie. I had nightmares for years afterwards, and even now I still get a racing heart and palm sweats when I know there's gore coming up.

11 to 13 might be an OK age for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, maybe. The TV series, not the film. It's a bit dated now in some ways, but also well-scripted and at least a bit subversive in terms of roles for women. (As in, they don't spend the entire run-time being murdered in their underwear.)

Some parents are revolting.

Showing violent, 18-rated horror films to little 11 year olds. Jesus Christ.

I do see this crop up often with shit parents so keen to be their child's friend that they do this. I'd make it a crime, personally. Showing children sexually explicit material is a crime, and so it should be for violence. It's so damaging.

I don't know what you can do, OP, mention it to the solicitor, or whoever oversees their access?

@YouLando

Their dad is an idiot, those films are in no way suitable for children.

Also, can't believe others suggesting Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz 😧They are fantastic films, and very funny, but also in no way suitable for kids, in terms of the language or content.

To be honest, Shaun of the Dead would be fine for the 13 year old. Not for the others, I agree, but your 13 year old would have to be very sheltered not to hear the F word in day to day life at this stage. I don't know a single teen this age who bats an eye at hearing it. And you'd see scarier fake zombies on Doctor Who.

@NastyBlouse

I was 'made' to watch Aliens and The Fly when I was about 10. I was at a friend's house, and his dad thought it was 'gay' that I didn't want to watch gore or horror.

I found it massively traumatising, I won't lie. I had nightmares for years afterwards, and even now I still get a racing heart and palm sweats when I know there's gore coming up.

11 to 13 might be an OK age for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, maybe. The TV series, not the film. It's a bit dated now in some ways, but also well-scripted and at least a bit subversive in terms of roles for women. (As in, they don't spend the entire run-time being murdered in their underwear.)

Same - my mother, clearly lonely, showed me all kinds of revolting films and then laughed/shouted at me "for being sensitive."

Once I left home in my teens, I felt so free that I didn't have to watch awful films any more. I research a film before watching it, so I can filter out the hyper-violence my mother thought it so wise to raise me on.

It's disgusting and damaging behaviour.