It's officially Spooky Season!
This year I didn't see too many fall decorations in August. Most popped up in early to mid-September like they are supposed to.
I am starting to see a few Christmas things...but let's ignore that holiday for now.
It's time for all things crisp, cool, and creepy. As many of you know, I am a horror writer and poet (as a hobby, not as a primary income). I am still working on that book of horror limericks, but that's a long ways away from hitting book store shelves.
You guys might be surprised to learn that I wasn't always a huge horror fan. In fact, I was a bit horror movie shy as a kid. What I loved was the fall and Halloween aesthetic. I preferred spooky and creepy to scary and horrific.
I did not do well in the haunted house "mazes" Buschgardens and Kings Dominion had (and I still don't really like them know - talk about a sensory nightmare).
But I loved child friendly Halloween themed events. I also loved shows like "Haunted History" and "Ghost Hunters". They had some spooky elements, but weren't really horror.
My introduction to horror happened gradually with a few "oh I should not be watching this" moments sprinkled in. For example, when I was a young AJ, I loved spiders. I had tons of books on spiders and loved seeing them at the zoo or in nature (at a distance). That love ended when my dad let me watch Arachnophobia (1990) on TV with him when I was four. I wanted little to do with spiders after watching that movie.
Now I can handle spiders just fine, unless they are on my physical person or show up on my bed.
Most horror that I can't consume is excessively violent and gory. I was recently asked what I thought was the scariest movie. I said it really depends on the person. I don't find movies like The Exorcist (1973) or The Fog (1980) scary, but I was absolutely freaked out by The Collector (2009) and I still haven't been able to finish it.
If you'd like to introduce your young ones to the horror genre, I'd like to recommend a few movies, shows, books, and even a video game for you to consider. As always, parents and guardians should enjoy these recommendations with their kids.
1. "So Weird" - I'm so glad Disney+ finally add this 1999-2000s show on it's streaming platform. While my parents had "The X-Files", I had "So Weird". It's about a girl interested in the paranormal while on the road traveling with her mom's band. Each episode is a different creature of the week with an overarching story line that sadly never gets resolved (some say Disney just wouldn't go where the creators wanted to take the show). It's definitely a precursor to "Supernatural". I'm currently rewatching it this spooky season.
2. In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories - this one is definitely good for younger kids (recommended for Graders 1-3). The stories are based on old folk tales that were collected and retold by Alvin Schwartz with illustrations by Dirk Zimmer. It's a much less traumatizing book than Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. My grandmother and I would read In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories together.
3. Boney-Legs - Speaking of spooky books my grandmother would share with me, Boney-Legs by Joanna Cole was my first time reading a "dark" fairy tale. Though the witch is never officially named, she lives in a house built on chicken feet and threatens to eat a young girl named Sasha. So I'm fairly confident that the witch is the Russian witch Baba Yaga. I'm not sure if this book is still in print, but it is a great read for little ones who are ready for a mild fright.
4. Disney Channel Original Halloween Movies - there are far too many Disney Channel original movies to recommend that are good introductory horror for kids. My personal favorites were Don't Look Under the Bed (yes, I know it traumatized a bunch of kids and that's why Disney Channel pulled it, but hey, it's on Disney+ now), Phantom of the Megaplex, Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire, and of course Halloweentown and Halloweentown 2: Kalabar's Revenge. All can be found on Disney+.
5. Tower of Terror (1997) - spea
king of Disney TV movies (though this one wasn't a Disney Channel original, Tower of Terror premiered the same year I went to Disney World with my family. While I didn't enjoy the ride, I did enjoy the TV movie. I'm not sure if it's on Disney+, but YouTube sometimes has the full movie floating around (it's okay in quality). It stars Steve Guttenberg and young Kirsten Dunst.
9. "Are You Afraid of the Dark" - this 1990s TV series was, in my opinion, better than Goosebumps. The stories were "told" by "kids" around a campfire at night. They always introduced the story with a theme and by throwing "magic powder" on the fire to make it pop. The stories almost always had a happy ending (unlike Goosebumps which could see a kid stuck as a rabbit for eternity or eaten by their neighbors).
10. Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman (2000) - I love this movie. It just oozes fall vibes. Alvin and his brother are in a school play about Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde when Alvin gets banned from anything spooky due to nightmares...and blowing up the school auditorium with slime. His brother Theodor takes his place as the lead villain and possibly gets bitten by a werewolf while walking home after practice. There are plenty of classic literary and movie monster references that horror fans will catch (including an Elvira parody). There are fun songs to dance to in between the spooky scenes.
11. Disney's The Haunted Mansion (the ride) - Yes, I'm going to recommend The Haunted Mansion at Disneyland and Disney World. It was my first experience with the spooky side of life. My parent's loved reminding me that the very first time I rode the ride that I was perfectly fine until we reached the hitchhiking ghosts. I screamed my head off seeing a "ghost" sit next to me (I was also about one and a half). This experience may not be attainable for everyone, but if you do find yourself at either of the parks with a little kid, know that it's not too spooky. (Okay, yes, the ghost bride also really scared me as a kid, but wasn't until I got a little older).
12. Scooby Doo and the Witches Ghost (1999) - Year after year, my family returns to this Scooby Doo movie. There's a witch, who is also a ghost. It takes place in New England (spooky central in the United States for witches). Plus it the first appearance of the Hex Girls. Is it the best Scooby Doo animated movie, not really. That honor will probably always go to Scooby Doo on Zombie Island. However, it's not as intense as Zombie Island. I'd recommend this along with the regular Scooby Doo series, Scooby Doo meets the Boo Brothers (1987), and Scooby Doo and the Ghoul School (1988) as a good introduction to classic horror monsters.
13. Luigi's Mansion series- I did say there would be a video game on here. While there are many spooky games and non-horror games with spooky moments (I'm looking at you Donkey Kong Country with the piano level). Luigi's Mansion is great to play with kids around. It's extremely silly. Instead of fighting ghosts you get to vacuum them up. It's probably the best intro to horror video game I know. It's certainly better than having your kid play Doom which one of my parent's thought was perfectly fine for a nine year old to play.
So that's 13 spooky bits of media to introduce your kids to. As I don't have kids, this list is based off my childhood experiences and what I know from my friends and family with kids. I would have loved to have included Coraline (the movie and book), but I've been told that it's very scary for little ones ( at least according to my young cousin - I saw the movie and read the book when I was already in my 20s).
What are some spooky stories that you introduced the children in your life too? What's one you grew up with that I didn't mention here? I know there are a lot more kids horror stories out there, but this list is fairly accurate to my childhood.
Until next week.
If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me.
Now to go see why my cat has the zoomies.
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