What's a good scary movie to watch with my 5-year-old on Halloween? (1 Viewer)

[Rich Stone]

Seriously...Event Horizon?!?? I don't think I'll even let myself watch that again....

Rich

 

[Steve Clark]

My 5 year old enjoyed Hocus Pocus. Also:
Scooby Doo on Zombie Island
Godzilla
Tremors
Jurassic Park

 

[Justin_S]

I don't think he was joking, and if he was, he stole my joke. EVENT HORIZON is an excellent film though, but is quite graphic.

 

[Jonathan Burk]

Wow. My email sure filled up with responses! Since I'd like to get an older film (and we've had NMBC playing non-stop for the last week anyway), I think I'll try to get the original "The Thing" or "The Blob". I was also thinking "Gremlins" might be fun, but that's more of a Christmas film

 

[Louis C]

My 6 y/o loves "Grinch Night" It has the same animators as the original Grinch cartoon, but alas it's VHS only, and that may even be out of print now.

 

[george kaplan]

We just watched Hocus Pocus with our 2 year old son last night. He went "ooh, yuck" a few times (e.g., at the zombie) but he really liked it and it kept his attention the whole time.

Monster's Inc. is also a good one for little kids, though it's not really a Halloween movie.

And he liked It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, though of course that's not a scary one.

 

[Luis Esp]

"From Hell" with Johnny Depp and Heather Gramham.

 

[David Lambert]

...or anything Scooby-Doo!
(But, if you MUST do "adult", I was also thinking of The Blob!)

 

[Doug Wallen]

A second vote for "Something Wicked This Way Comes". Great mood, suspense and atmosphere. My 9 year old son also enjoys "Edward Scissorshands".

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Malcolm R]

"From Hell" with Johnny Depp and Heather Graham.

Are people not reading the thread title? These films are not appropriate for a 5-year-old.

I'd even think "Gremlins" is borderline (though I love the movie, and just watched it Monday). That was one of the films that triggered the creation of the PG-13 rating. Yes, there are a few laughs to balance the scares, but it's also a bit gory in spots (i.e. the microwave, the blender, the chainsaw, the crossbow, the beheading, the "melting" scene at the climax). I think I'd wait until she's a few years older.

How about "Ghostbusters"? I haven't watched recently, but if I recall there are a few scares, but mostly comedy.

 

[ScottR]

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (Disney)
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
Frankenstein
The Bride of Frankenstein
The Nightmare Before Christmas

 

[Andy Olivera]

Tremors would be good if there weren't so much profanity in it.
Gremlins does have the kitchen sequence, but if you think your family can handle seeing some gremlins decapitated/blended/exploded/melted, then the only questionable sequence(to me, anyway) would be a gremlin trying to strangle the mother(she survives). Otherwise, Galligan is attacked with a crossbow and chainsaw during the climax and a woman gets catapulted out a window in one of the funniest sequences in the film.
Event Horizon? Schedule a few dozen sessions with a therapist in advance...
Five is just too young for most of the films I watch. Come back in three years or so and I'll have dozens of suggestions...

 

[Chris Brunner]

GREMLINS ALERT!!!!

Johnathan,

Do NOT let you 5 year old watch Gremlins if you want to keep the Santa Claus illusion cleanly going!! I had completely forgotten about the scene where Phobe Cates is telling the story about her dad and ends with "THAT'S how I found out there was no Santa Claus". We had to tiptoe around that for a few days.

Have fun!!!

 

[Randy A Salas]

Beetlejuice(may be a tinge inappropriate)

Oh, yes, this is too graphic for a 5-year-old (such as the waiting-room scene). And there's a prominent use of the F-word.

 

[Nate Anderson]

Here's another vote for Ghostbusters. I loved that movie as a little one (I was probably about 5 at the time, maybe a little older...I dunno, when did it first show up on HBO? That's where my parents taped it.) And the somewhat racier bits (alot of Venkman's humor) went right over my head.

 

[Eric Fisher]

I'd say Ghostbusters and Stephen Sommer's "The Mummy"

 

[Mark Zimmer]

My 3-year-old nephew enjoyed a double feature of Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman and House of Frankenstein. Pretty linear story and enough monsters to hold his interest.
Corrupting the youth of America, one kid at a time....

 

[Malcolm R]

GREMLINS ALERT!!!!

Ah, yes. I'd forgot about the "Santa Claus" story. If you want to maintain the myth, skip this for a few years.

 

[John McMillin]

I don't get the PC-ness about thinking 5 year olds are too young for Beetlejuice and Gremlins? I was watching Friday The 13th, Halloween and Nightmare On Elm Street movies when I was 8 years old.... I'm 23 now, and I've never murdered anybody and I consider myself sane. Those movies were fun, they didn't freak me out.

 

[Mark Cappelletty]

The Stephen Sommers Mummy isn't a bad choice and Beetlejuice is pretty good too. The Three Stooges "Spook Louder" comp is funny as well.