Horror movies are often known for their gore. They’re violent and filled with monsters of all varieties, where survival is never guaranteed.
That’s why most of the time, they’re given an R-rating. But not all horror movies rely on explicit language or even graphic violence.
Some films build the tension through carefully orchestrated plots and clever camera angles. It’s less about showing and more about telling, which makes them perfect to introduce kids and teens to the wonderful world of horror.
Here are nine of the best family friendly horror movies.
Five Nights At Freddy’s (2023)
When Mike Schmidt (Josh Hutcherson) is fired from his mall security job for accidentally assaulting a parent, his career counselor (Matthew Lillard) gets him a job guarding an abandoned pizzeria.
But during his first night at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, it becomes obvious that the night shift won’t be a piece of cake. It may be a job he won't survive.
Poltergeist (1982)
The Freeling family live in a quiet California community. They’re successful and happy.
Until five-year-old Carol Ann (Heather O’Rourke) starts communicating to ghosts through their television set. Steve (Craig T. Nelson) and Diane (JoBeth Williams) aren’t sure what to do.
But when Carol Ann goes missing, they turn to a spiritual medium (Zelda Rubinstein) for help.
Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)
When Mike (Grant Cramer) and Debbie (Suzanne Snyder) watch a comet crash near their small town, they decide to investigate. After all, nothing ever happens in a small town.
They never expected to find aliens who look a lot like circus clowns murdering people. It’s even worse when no one believes them.
But when the clowns kidnap Debbie, Mike decides to take matters into his own hands and stop their murderous rampage.
The Ring (2002)
It’s simple: You watch the videotape, you get a phone call, you die in seven days.
Reporter Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) believes it’s nothing more than an urban legend until four teenagers die exactly seven days after watching the tape. Curiosity gets the better of her and she hunts down a copy.
Now, she has seven days to unravel the mystery before she becomes the next victim.
Lights Out (2016)
Rebecca (Teresa Palmer) never knew what was real when the lights went out. After she left home, she thought those memories were nothing more than childhood fears.
But when her younger brother (Gabriel Bateman) starts experiencing the same unexplained and terrifying events, she knows there’s something else happening.
A supernatural entity is haunting the family. And she has to stop it.
Jaws (1975)
Summer is peak tourist season for Amity Island. That’s why when a woman is killed by a shark, the mayor (Murray Hamilton) won’t let police chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) close the beaches.
Instead, a grizzled ship captain (Robert Shaw) and a marine biologist (Richard Dreyfuss) offer to help Brody capture the killer shark. But a simple hunt turns into a harrowing cat-and-mouse game as the men face a predator unlike any they’ve encountered before.
M3GAN (2022)
Gemma (Allison Williams) is a brilliant roboticist who has created a lifelike AI doll designed to be the perfect companion for every child. M3GAN listens, watches, and learns how to be the perfect friend, playmate, teacher, and protector.
When Gemma unexpectedly becomes the caregiver for her eight-year-old niece (Violet McGraw), she gives her a prototype, only to encounter some unimaginable bugs that lead to terrible consequences.
Happy Death Day (2017)
Tree Gelbman (Jessica Rothe) wakes up on her birthday next to Carter Davis (Israel Broussard). Not a bad way to start her day.
But as the day progresses, she can’t help but feel like the day is familiar.
When she is brutally attacked by a masked killer, she dies. Only to wake up in Carter’s bed on her birthday.
Now, Tree has to relive the day of her murder over and over, stuck in a time loop until she figures out who killed her.
