Fear is a funny thing. What terrifies one person, amuses another and movies that may give you nightmares can be tried and true favorites for someone else. When it comes to kids, the ground is even more tenuous if you're trying to find a fun movie to introduce a younin' to the genre without giving them a new phobia. Horror has a reputation as a niche genre, but the truth is, if you know where to look, there's a little bit of something for everyone in search of a spooky thrill. From werewolves to zombies and everything in between, check out some of cour favorites below.

A disclaimer first -- no one knows what you or your kid can handle as well as you. What's spooky to some is downright scary for others so use your judgment when it comes to what's "too scary".

The Monster Squad

the-monster-squad
Image via TriStar Pictures

Fred Dekker's love letter to the monster movies of yore is a full-fledged 1980s family adventure that'll please kids, horror-phobic adults, and hardened monster fans alike. A bit of a Goonies for creepy kids, The Monster Squad follows a group of young genre nerds ("Stephen King Rules") who have to protect their hometown when Dracula and his monsterific buddies are unleashed in the quiet suburban streets. Dekker co-wrote the script with Shane Black, giving the film an edge of biting humor amongst the monster-hunting adventures, and with makeup effects by a team that included the legendary artist Stan Winston, the creatures themselves are reimagined in gorgeous, cinematic fashion. Spooky but not scary, stylish, and occasionally downright touching, The Monster Squad is an essential horror film for youngsters and a downright delight at any age.

The Frighteners

Image via Universal Pictures

Peter Jackson made a couple of the goriest, stomach-churning, and decidedly not-for-kids movies of all time in his early career, from the viscera-soaked Brain Dead to the appropriately titled sci-fi B-movie, Bad Taste. With The Frighteners, Jackson brought his signature energetic direction and top-notch special effects to a bit more family-friendly fare. Emphasis on "a bit". The Frighteners is rated-R and it still has some pretty intense gore effects, so proceed with caution if you're easily spooked and definitely use your judgment with kids, but unlike most effects-driven horror films, and despite its title, The Frighteners doesn't have much in the way of scares, making it the perfect horror flick to dip a toe into gory waters without traumatizing the little'ns.

Happy Death Day

happy-death-day-jessica-rothe-2
Image via Blumhouse / Universal Pictures

The most recent entry in the bunch, Happy Death Day pulls off the nigh impossible -- a PG-13 slasher movie that's actually fun and thrilling. Jessica Rothe stars as Tree, a sorority princess with good hair and a bad attitude, who wakes up with a mean hangover and an even meaner mood one day and quickly discovers she's trapped in a time loop that ends in her murder.

It's Groundhog's Day for the slasher set, but director Christopher Landon has made a film that's proud of it's cinematic predecessors and knowingly tips the hat to its influences at the regular. It never feels like robbery, but a fun and clever spin on the long-dormant slasher genre. Landon crafts a few scenes that'll tie your stomach in knots, but Happy Death Day is gore-free and light on white-knuckle scares, making it the perfect slasher for the kiddos... or folks who like their thrills without chills.

Little Shop of Horrors

little-shop-of-horrors-image

Inspired by Roger Corman's 1960 B-movie of the same name, Little Shop of Horrors is a monster musical that never fails to delight. Packed to the gills with 1980s comedy superstars, including Steve Martin, Jim Belushi, John Candy, Christopher Guest, Bill Murray, and of course, Rick Moranis as poor Seymour Krelborn, the beleaguered owner of a man-eating alien plant, Audrey II. Things start small when Seymour feeds Audrey II a bit of his blood, but before long the carnivorous creature blooms into a full-fledged monster hellbent on world domination and feasting on the flesh of its human inhabitants.

Frank Oz directs for full-fledged fun (and a dose of social commentary amongst the spectacle), and though there's not much in Little Shop of Horrors that's downright scary, there's plenty of man-eating monster action between the laughs and show-stopping musical numbers.

ParaNorman

paranorman-cast
Image via Focus Features

The incredible creative team at the stop-motion animation company LAIKA always adds some creepiness to their kid-friendly fare (which is why you'll find two of their films on this list), but ParaNorman is the most overtly horror-oriented film in the bunch. A zombie film for folks who'd rather not see someone get disemboweled, ParaNorman also has ghosts and a main character who can talk to the dead and often prefers their company to the living. When he finds out the old town curse is not only real but about to come true, Norman is the only one who can save the day. It's legitimately spooky at points and made with a clear love for the genre its playing in, but ParaNorman is one of the tamest entries on the list, making it the perfect pick for just about any audience.

My Boyfriend's Back

my-boyfriends-back

This is one of those ones that you're going to have to use your judgment on for the kiddos. Bob Balaban's horror comedy is rated PG-13 for some sex humor and while the jokes will most likely go over a youngsters head, there's also a fair bit of soft swearing, if that's a concern. But if you're worried about the scares, fear not, Balaban's spin on the undead is as goofy as could be and extremely light on gore.

The film Andrew Lowrey as Johnny Dingle, a high school boy who's been in love with Missy McCloud (Traci Lind) since the first grade and dies on the night he finally decides to make his move. Lucky for Johnny, he comes back from the dead in a hurry, and suddenly he's got Missy's full attention... but he's also got the attention of the pitchfork (or shotgun) wielding townsfolk.  It's a supremely silly spin on the zombie genre with Balaban's signature surreal satire skewering teen sex comedy and suburban culture in equal measure. Packed with laugh-out-loud quotables, delivered extra dry, My Boyfriend's Back is an absurd zombie B-movie that won't give you nightmares.

The Creature from the Black Lagoon

creature-from-the-black-lagoon
Image via Universal International

Technically removed from the age of Universal's classic monster movies by about a decade, Creature from the Black Lagoon has endured as an iconic original creature creation thanks to the inspired design from Millicent Patrick. The embodiment of human fears tied to prehistoric beasts and the mysteries of aquatic life, the the Gill-Man provides stunning some iconic, utterly beautiful underwater scenes, executed with artful elegance by stuntman Ricou Browning. Directed by Jack Arnold, the film has tremendous sympathy for its title creature, but never forgets to make him a frightful figure of the imagination. You could probably show kids today any of the classic monster movies without conjuring too much terror, but for a purely cinematic and one-of-a-kind creature feature, you can't beat Creature from the Black Lagoon.

Sleepy Hollow

sleepy-hollow
Image via Paramount

Tim Burton has made a career of toeing the line between spooky and scary, but he never came closer to an all-out horror film than Sleepy Hollow, his gorgeous tribute to the horror legend and the spirit of foggy All Hallow's Eve nights. Inspired by Washington Irving's classic creepy tale, Sleepy Hollow offers an update on the material from screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker, starring Johnny Depp as the gangly inspector turned ghost hunter. Shot by Emmanuelle Lubezki, costumed by Colleen Atwood, and scored by Danny Elfman, Sleepy Hollow is a technically gorgeous film, drenched in creepy atmosphere. Burton dips a toe in horror with this one, but keeps it family friendly enough for all. Just be prepared to have a couple nightmares about a razor-toothed Hessian warrior with crazy Christopher Walken hair.

Gremlins

gremlins-stripe
Image via Warner Brothers

Directed by Joe Dante from a script by Chris Columbus (two filmmakers who know their way around family-friendly genre fare), Gremlins is decidedly a creature feature for the kiddos, but it still packs a bite. Set in a quaint small town during the idyllic Christmas season, the film sets lose a pack of predatory Gremlins who raise havoc in the streets as the citizens of the sugary sweet small town to stop the destruction. It's a Dante joint, so the horror spoof is loaded with metaphor and cultural commentary amongst the mischievous mayhem, skewering the silliness of commercial traditions and small-town security while serving up all the furry little creatures and their grotesque Gremlin counterparts you could ask for in a kid-friendly monster movie.

Silver Bullet

Adapted from Stephen King's Cycle of the Werewolf when it was naught but an illustrated calendar, Silver Bullet is lacking in narrative strokes, but it's a hell of a fun werewolf flick featuring a fine fearsome beast without the genre's signature gross-out gore. Silver Bullet stars Corey Haim as a young boy who begins to suspect a murderous creature is prowling the streets of his small town and soon discovers that none other than the local revered is a flesh-hungry werewolf. With the help of his sister (Megan Follows) and his awesome uncle Red (Gary Busey), the trio teams up to take down the killer creature. It's not a perfect film by any stretch, but it is a coming-of-age spook show in the Kingian tradition with just the right amount of scares for the young and horror-phobic.

Coraline

coraline
Image via Focus Features

Based on Neil Gaiman's dark fantasy of the same name, Coraline is the second LAIKA entry on this list and while it's less overtly a horror film than ParaNorman, it's arguably the scarier of the two films. It's definitely creeptastic, no way around it. The story follows a lonely young girl who's bored with her humdrum life until she finds a doorway to a parallel universe where everything seems perfect... except for the fact that everyone has buttons instead of eyes. There's something viscerally freaky about that imagery alone, but once Coraline discovers the true threat in the picture perfect world the freakiness is notched up to full blast, especially when it comes to Other Mother and her soul-hungry true form. More unsettling than outright scary, this one toes the line of nightmare fuel without becoming an outright horror film.

Arachnophobia

john-goodman-arachnophobia
Image via Disney

Hot tip, if you or your kids are actually arachnophobic, this one is probably not for you. Frank Marshall's 1990 thriller is a loving, goofy throwback to classic creature features led by the always enjoyable Jon Goodman and Jeff Daniels. Daniels stars as an entomologist with a fear of spiders who gives up city life for small-town safety only to find his quiet retreat is being taken over by killer spiders. And not just any old spiders, mind you, but a true nightmare breed that sucks their victims dry, growing bigger and deadlier with each feed. It sounds like the kind of film that could traumatize you for life, but Marshall finds a sweet spot, keeping things light, fun, and cheeky, satisfied to make his audience squirm without going for gore. It's a sleepover favorite for good reason, guaranteed to give some good laughs and a good case of the heebie-jeebies.

Poltergeist

poltergeist-image
Image via MGM/UA Entertainment Co.

This is probably the most outright scary film of the bunch. Poltergeist is rated PG, but it's the hardest PG you've ever seen. Produced by Steven Spielberg and directed by Tobe Hooper (though there's a long-waged debate about how much of the film Spielberg directed himself), Poltergeist might be the most family friendly straight up horror film of all time. But be warned, it may kick your young ones in the teeth if they're new to the genre. A chipper suburban family finds their idyllic home under supernatural siege, and while the spooky happening start small with your signature signs of haunting, soon their whole family is in danger as other the world of the living and the dead bleed into each other. Poltergeist gets downright scary and occasionally gory, but Hooper keeps it all in good cheer with that classic Spielberg polish, making it one of the most crowd-pleasing films in the horror genre.