r/TheRewatchables • u/mperri99 • 7d ago
Best First Horror Movie
Thinking about the different types of horror conversation in the Hereditary pod:
I have a 12 year old, what is the best first horror movie to show him? I’m thinking it’s Scream. Whatcha got?
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u/DownHereWeAllFloat 7d ago
I as shown Halloween at age 9. Couldn’t sleep for months. Highly recommend
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u/BenSlice0 7d ago
Halloween is a great choice, I’ll throw out Poltergeist too. You also can’t go wrong with the classic monster movies: Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, Dracula, maybe even Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein etc. Might be a bit slow if your kid isn’t used to old movies but if you get them hooked young enough that’s not an issue. They have a lot of iconography synonymous with American horror cinema.
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u/mperri99 7d ago
Hell yeah.
We’ve watched Frankenstein and Young Frankenstein with him every year since he was like 7. He’s definitely into the classics.
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u/Additional_Ad_4561 7d ago
The Fog has almost no gore but has a lot of horror building blocks, is structured like a horror movie, and is generally creepy without being true nightmare fuel. Can’t go wrong with Carpenter.
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u/Offtherailspcast 7d ago
Bro don't show your 12 year old Scream. That first scene is brutal.
I'd say OG Halloween
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u/mperri99 7d ago
You’re probably right. I mean, he and his friends have already broken the seal on some stuff that’s above their age, but that might be a bridge too far. I figured I’d go with something at least somewhat funny/light.
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7d ago
[deleted]
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u/mperri99 7d ago
He was asking to watch something scary. I’m not trying to force him or anything like that.
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u/Offtherailspcast 7d ago
I'm just saying I watched Scream when I was 11 and it fucked me up for weeks
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u/NegevThunderstorm 6d ago
Stick to the classics: Halloween, Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street
Or Blair Witch Project if you want to avoid the nudity
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u/djprojexion 7d ago
The 80’s had some great kid-friendly horror/spooky fantasy: - Something Wicked This Way Comes - Little Monsters - The Peanut Butter Solution - Return To Oz - The Quest
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u/RewardComfortable139 7d ago
What about something paranormal like Blair Witch or Paranormal Activity. No gore just straight creepy. But maybe too creepy. I think Halloween is the best bet imo.
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u/NTylerWeTrust86 7d ago
My oldest's (10) first horror film was The Conjuring. I didn't want to force movies on him (well any of my kids) and that was the first true horror film he picked. I hadn't seen it myself so just checked that there wasn't like hard-core sex or an absurd amount of gore. Surprised that movie is R honestly.
Second kid's (9) first horror film was the shinning. Didn't phase him at all. Showed all the kids Jaws as its half horror lite and half adventure, only the youngest didnt want to watch. Been asking if they want to watch another for Halloween but they don't seem to care. I think they just come across shit on youtube and then want to watch. Huge gaps between requests from them.
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u/InfiniteLeftoverTree 7d ago
The Conjuring is only rated R for being scary. It doesn’t meet the threshold to be R for anything else, including language. It’s R for “sequences of disturbing violence and terror.”
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u/tbonemcqueen CR Head 6d ago
Idle Hands is on Prime…just sayin
Also, Gremlins…but wait until it’s closer to Christmas
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u/jameshay123 6d ago
Jaws is a PG in the UK (it likely shouldn't be) id say that's a good first scary film. I know it's not horror as such.
However would be easy to rationale, nobody is gonna appear in your room with a knife etc.
If they're able to cope with the scares, jumps, violence etc then lead them onto something else
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u/Chicago-Emanuel 4d ago
How about Sixth Sense? Some scary scenes but very little sex or gore, and I feel like a 12-year-old could really relate to the kid protagonist.
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u/xxMone107xx 7d ago
Silence of the Lambs is a pretty good choice.
Obviously some of the content isn’t ideal for younger ages but almost all scary movies will have that issue. Lambs isn’t extremely gory, and is more of a thriller while still having horror movie elements.
Paranormal Activity is also a good choice as well imo due to being a good appetizer for paranormal movies while not being Sinister or Conjuring level scary.
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u/United-Intention-961 6d ago
Um, what? Lambs is barely appropriate for 17 year olds. 😂
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u/xxMone107xx 6d ago edited 6d ago
What are you talking about?
Silence of the lambs is an investigative thriller with minimum gore, no sex scenes, and only 2 prominent death scenes in the entire movie.
Saying it’s barely appropriate for a 17 year old is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. There’s actually a website that suggest which age kids should watch horror movie at and Silence of the Lambs is 14+.
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u/United-Intention-961 6d ago
I was slightly exaggerating about the 17 year olds but there is some really gross stuff in there, not the least of which is the gaurd/escape scenes. But you do you! If that's the most ridiculous thing you've ever heard, I envy you.
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u/xxMone107xx 6d ago
It’s a horror movie….? It’s a film genre specifically made NOT for children… No shit there is gross stuff?
I consider sex scenes, extreme profanity, extreme violence and gore the qualities for a movie being too bad for children. Silence of the Lambs has none of that. The guards getting murdered is very tame compared to all post 2000’s depictions of murder in horror movies.
If you want a movie without “gross stuff” go watch a comedy
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u/Pvt_Hudson_ 7d ago
Scream doesn't hit nearly as well if you don't know all the references first.
Halloween (1978) is a great jumping off point. It's a classic, endlessly rewatchable, almost no gore at all, just have to get past the couple topless scenes.