The horror genre’s not for everyone, and exposing someone to gore or terror at a young age might not be the best idea. However, scary movies can work as useful lessons in life, or just in terms of what to expect from cinema and media as you grow up. To this end, Reddit users have been looking into the best horror-themed film to introduce the genre to kids, and the winner is a classic title from the 1990s.
More specifically, r/horror users have chosen 1999’s The Mummy as the ideal experience for sharing your love of the genre with your children. The Stephen Sommers-directed hit successfully combines action with more gruesome effects, and was a success with audiences at the time. With Brendan Fraser as the lead, The Mummy won fans with its B-movie sensibility, effects, and homage to classic serials and the Indiana Jones franchise.
On Reddit, user Iam_Joe described showing the blockbuster to his two kids, saying:
“I remembered it being action packed, funny, adventure, camels, etc. in the vein of Indiana Jones, with what I remember being really mild horror elements […] So I toss it on this past weekend for me and my 2 kids, and it’s actually a lot more intense than I remember. The kids ended up LOVING it. They thought it was really exciting and I didn’t hear any complaints at bed time. I think it had just the right amount of horror for young kids”
It seems that The Mummy strikes just the right balance of excitement and mild gore and suspense, although we’d imagine it’s more suitable for older children. Other suggestions from the forum include 2002’s Signs and 1993’s Jurassic Park. Meanwhile, if The Mummy goes down well, then its sequels and spinoffs are also reliably fun, and we may even be getting a new television show or a movie. Whether the Tom Cruise version of the story is suitable for younger viewers is another question, though.
Considering what those, say, under 10 might be able to enjoy, I’d also recommend animated titles such as Coraline or Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away, and maybe the original Universal Classic Monsters series from the 1930s and 1940s. Of course, the suitability of horror varies significantly depending on the child, but something like The Mummy is probably a decent place to start.
What genre classics do you think would work well for kids, though? As always, let us know in the comments section down below.
Published: Feb 11, 2021 11:12 am