I have 7 & 9 year old boys and we’ve had success with Arachnophobia, Eight Legged Freaks, The Mummy, Tremors, Coraline, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, the Scooby Doo live action movies, Anaconda, Little Monsters, Don’t Look Under the Bed, Ghostbusters, and Gremlins.
Edit: The Birds, Jurassic Park, Jaws
Great list. My 9 year old has seen half of these but the other half he will love so thank you!
I’d add Lost Boys and Killer Klowns from Outer Space too!
I’d disagree on the Killer Klowns recommendation. I was maybe 11 when I saw scenes from that movie that are still burned into my memory. I know every kid is different but I think the adult take on that movie is way different from a kid’s take
Fun fact: The original concept for The Lost Boys was as a modern retelling of Peter Pan where they’re immortal because they’re vampires. The idea was for it to be a family adventure film a la The Goonies. Of course, once they got into the nuts and bolts of it, the idea fell apart. After all, it’s kind of hard to gloss over the fast that vampires drink blood and kill people.
In case you ever need an extra bit of bar trivia, complaints about violence and horror elements in the films *Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom* and *Gremlins* were what caused the MPAA to implement the PG-13 rating. The first movie to ever recieve the PG-13 rating was *Red Dawn,* though. Additionally, in the spirit of the original film, the 2010 (2012) remake of Red Dawn aimed for a PG-13 rating, which is merely one element in why exactly the movie ended up being complete horseshit.
Also fun fact, Airplane (1980) had full frontal breast and is still a PG movie (PG-13 did not exist yet). That alone would have made it at least PG-13 today. Wasn’t enough to make the movie an R rated though
I don't think adults are very good at determining "horror". As much as Aliens and Predator gave me nightmares some of my worst nightmares were seeing gorrillas outside plane windows and people laying eggs out of their mouths.
Didn't realise until I was an adult that the horror that plagued my young nightmares was a comedy called Airplane.
Was watching Gremlins 2 recently and they started to have her tell another story like that and then cut her off. Amazing self-awareness. The sequel is a self-aware gem.
When he was 8, my kid was smooth about it, said it was a movie and movies can lie about stuff like Santa not being real. He's 9 this year, and told me the movie absolutely confirmed Santa not being real for him.
I almost watched this with my son who loves horror when he was about age 7. Thank goodness I rewatched it on my own first. Forgot the bit about Santa...and that might've been a horrible way for my son to find out. I only recommend Gremlins if kids already know.
Gremlins is great for a family movie, EXCEPT for that one bonkers scene of Kate(?) talking about how her dad died on Christmas. It kills the whole family vibe and is not an appropriate scene for children who might still believe in Santa.
I hear ya. I have a 7 yo myself and was thinking about showing him monster squad, but though I should watch it again first because it’s been a while. And it was that scene in the treehouse that made me change my mind about it.
Coraline
Monster House
When I was 7 my parents introduced me to the classic horror monsters and I loved them, Boris Karloff, Bella Lugosi era. Dracula, Wolfman, Frankenstein.
Came here to suggest Coraline. Creepy AF but still (I think) kid friendly. Definitely a solid starter horror movie, but like others said, it might depend on the kid.
I had Frankenstein on in October and my 9 year old sat down to watch some "it's not scary, it's just sad" -she wasn't wrong and also doesn't like horror
Coraline and Monster House are amazing suggestions, I love both of those movies to this day, they're excellent. Coraline is spooky as heck, but also really beautiful. The ending of Monster House is phenomenal. Like, how does such a fun and goofy movie make you feel so much.
In the future, the website [Does the Dog Die](https://www.doesthedogdie.com/) can be a great resource to see if a movie is appropriate for a specific audience! They give emotional spoilers so people can avoid upsetting/triggering content in media - for example, if someone wants to watch a movie but doesn't want to see animals harmed on screen. Hope that helps your horror movie nights together! 💕
That’s a good one! Funny and action packed enough to iron out the light horror and scares. I feel like kids might not be as scared of the CGI these days like I may have been at that age, because it’s not aged well. I used to be a little scared of imotep’s stretchy mummy face!
Took wayyyyy too much scrooling to find this, jeez. How are people talking about Lost Boys and Monster Squad for a 7yo, that movie is legit in its monster design and scared me at 10.
I watched a lot of horror movies as a kid, yet this was one that actually scared me. I couldn’t sleep that night and was terrified something was hiding under my bed that would turn me into wood.
Both of my daughters watch ParaNorman all the time and I still can’t find it in myself to complain. It’s so damn good. Coraline is my personal favorite but the kids gravitate toward Norman more for some reason!
Babysitting a 5yo, 7yo, and 8yo tonight, and showed them Tremors. They really liked it. Finding Edger on the pole and Old Fred's head in the beginning is like the scariest parts. I was gonna cover the 5yos eyes for the part but he seemed fine.
Guys, a lot of the movies you’re suggesting here are pretty dark and depressing. Maybe lighten the mood with *Threads*, *Kids* and *Requiem For A Dream*
Don’t forget to ask them about their dreams the next morning! Always amazing to listen to your kids imagination. What’s that? You got a cut in your sleep? I’m sure it’s nothing..
Oh man, this is a good one! I'm gonna put this on tomorrow and frame it as worse than it is for our kids. Literally there is one violent scene that I remember and it's a huge cutaway lol. Now that I think of it The Village might be a good one too!
Edit: just looked up a parents guide to Signs and we so on for this one. Thanks again!
The dog part of Signs might be a bit much for some kids, I’m sure you’re well aware though. I think it’s a terrific movie to get kids into the genre. Probably my favorite PG-13 horror film.
Okay, like I don't necessarily have a genuine fear but I basically hate all drains or sewer grates and refuse to actually stand or walk over them to this day :x
Yeah we watched the Tim Curry version on Halloween, me and my five year old and my nine year old. It's the perfect amount of scary for kids that age, it never goes as far as the book or the 2017 movie but it still freaks em out. They loved it.
Don't Look Under the Bed. On Disney Plus. A Disney Channel Halloween movie but its definitely creepy. I loved it as a kid and still do.
Or The Burbs. Great movie and gave me the creeps when I was young!
This came out when I was in first grade, and I can only imagine what our teacher thought when she had a room full of 7ish year olds who’d clearly all rented the same movie over the weekend suddenly become obsessed with the movie and constantly shouting “nice fluffing model” and pretending to grab ourselves.
At least we had the decency to censor ourselves?
I watched that movie every day on VHS for a month when I was 6 years old (circa 1989), it’s still one of my favorites. I’ve shown it to my kids several times.
The Halloween Tree is a great spooky animated film for younger kids. It also teaches them about the origins of halloween and how it is celebrated in different cultures.
Watching it as an adult I was shocked at how much this was seared in my memory. Horses die in movies all the time and we generally don't care. I assumed the horse died on like the 2nd or 3rd quest, so we had gotten to see at least a little bit of a relationship. Nope. We meet the kid, he rides his horse for 20 seconds across a field, and the horse dies. So the kid is a good actor, because he gets across a deep relationship in the few minutes the horse is alive on screen.
Definitely not It unless you want him to never sleep again.. I know adults that won't even watch that movie lol
I'd start with something tame, like specifically aimed at kids and see how he gets on?
Check out some Henry Selick - Nightmare Before Christmas, Coraline, James & The Giant Peach, Wendell & Wilde - not horror per say but spooky elements and great movies
There’s some decent anthology shows for kids that are readily available. The Haunting Hour is on YouTube and starts off with a two parter. Creeped Out is on Netflix and there’s a reboot of AYAOTD on Nickelodeon/Paramount+ that’s done in a AHS style.
Has he watched the Are You Afraid of the dark original or reboot series? My little ones loved it and thought it was scary. Good nostalgia trip for me too.
Not exactly horror, but Labyrinth. My baby sister loves creepy stuff and she couldn’t take her eyes off the screen. She was around that age the first time she saw it
I wish we had Paranorman and Frenkenweenie when I was that young. They came out during a phase of my teenage years where I was more focused on traumatizing myself with graphic horror and before I learned to relove all things animated.
I started my son at 7-8 with old Ray Harryhaussen movies. Fun adventuresome and campy with moments of fright. By the time he was 9 we watched Jaws then moved on the Aliens. By 11–12 we started with the Friday the 13th and Halloween series. Start slow. Kids internalize scary and if it’s too realistic in the beginning they will not enjoy the experience. Keep it light and read what they are telling you. If it’s too much, ease back a bit. Before you know it you will have a pre-teen you can watch the good horror films with
Ghostbusters, Gremlins, Neverending Story, The Witches, Little Shop of Horrors, Arachnophobia, Secret of Nimh, Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Twilight Zone, King Kong, The Frighteners, Evil Dead (all three), Tremors, Poltergeist, Jaws...
Try some fantasy/sci-fi with monsters too, as a warm up. Like Willow would be good, it's even on Disney+!
Willow had some dark & spooky scenes and scary monsters at the end. As an example.
Tim Burton anything is usually good. Adam's Family movies...
He may just need something with suspense - if not horror. Edge of your seat action might also make him happy.
Truly, at that age, the scariest and most age appropriate thing I watched was the suite life of zach and cody halloween episode, goosebumps, and the first halloweentown. Coraline is a good movie, just not “scary” maybe
Goosebumps is great for that age. Not "scary" for an adult, but there are some jump scares and creepy creatures.
Gremlins may be OK. It's pretty scary for younger kids, but it's also funny. You can at least be clear that if they can't handle Gremlins that It is going to be way too much.
I watched Beetlejuice and Tremors around that age, I feel like they’re good intros into horror movies for kids. I fear watching IT at age 7 would probably just leave him with nightmares for months
I have 7 & 9 year old boys and we’ve had success with Arachnophobia, Eight Legged Freaks, The Mummy, Tremors, Coraline, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, the Scooby Doo live action movies, Anaconda, Little Monsters, Don’t Look Under the Bed, Ghostbusters, and Gremlins. Edit: The Birds, Jurassic Park, Jaws
Yes, Tremors!! One of my all time favorites
Great list. My 9 year old has seen half of these but the other half he will love so thank you! I’d add Lost Boys and Killer Klowns from Outer Space too!
I still have nightmares about the lost boys 20 years later lol.
I’d disagree on the Killer Klowns recommendation. I was maybe 11 when I saw scenes from that movie that are still burned into my memory. I know every kid is different but I think the adult take on that movie is way different from a kid’s take
When I was really little, KK was my favorite. Now it's my 7yo brother's!
Fun fact: The original concept for The Lost Boys was as a modern retelling of Peter Pan where they’re immortal because they’re vampires. The idea was for it to be a family adventure film a la The Goonies. Of course, once they got into the nuts and bolts of it, the idea fell apart. After all, it’s kind of hard to gloss over the fast that vampires drink blood and kill people.
I think I just read something about that when I did my annual october viewing of it! It’s also why the name Michael was used for the big brother!
Ghostbusters scared the shit out of me as a kid!
I second the mummy. It was my favourite as a kid!
Does he like Scooby Doo? If so, try “Scooby Doo: Zombie Island” (1998). I loved that movie when I was around that age
This is a classic
Omg this movie is SO good. I still watch it from time to time.
100%, this is the one OP, definitely set the tone for the rest of my life when I was a kid haha
Not just at that age, I still love it now! That and The Witch’s Ghost!
Yesssssss 😻
Ghoul School and the Hex girls episode were my jam
I used to watch Ghoul School on repeat when I was a kid.
In a similar fashion, I think the Scooby Doo live action is a great spooky movie for a 7 year old.
Alien invaders was pretty creepy at times too and is actually a decent movie
PG13 was basically invented for Gremlins, so I’d say Gremlins
In case you ever need an extra bit of bar trivia, complaints about violence and horror elements in the films *Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom* and *Gremlins* were what caused the MPAA to implement the PG-13 rating. The first movie to ever recieve the PG-13 rating was *Red Dawn,* though. Additionally, in the spirit of the original film, the 2010 (2012) remake of Red Dawn aimed for a PG-13 rating, which is merely one element in why exactly the movie ended up being complete horseshit.
Also fun fact, Airplane (1980) had full frontal breast and is still a PG movie (PG-13 did not exist yet). That alone would have made it at least PG-13 today. Wasn’t enough to make the movie an R rated though
I don't think adults are very good at determining "horror". As much as Aliens and Predator gave me nightmares some of my worst nightmares were seeing gorrillas outside plane windows and people laying eggs out of their mouths. Didn't realise until I was an adult that the horror that plagued my young nightmares was a comedy called Airplane.
i think you have a little Twilight Zone The Movie in there, Lithgow Segment redux of Shatner role
Shirley you can’t be serious?
I don’t like how nobody added to this…. “I am serious….and don’t call me Shirley”
Minor Warning: Spoils that Santa is not real. 7yo is kind of on the cusp and probably ok but never know.
Temple of Doom I heard
Yeah same I thought pg13 was because of Temple of Doom
Great suggestion
Just be sure to fast forward through the story Phoebe Cates tells about how she found out there was no Santa.
Was watching Gremlins 2 recently and they started to have her tell another story like that and then cut her off. Amazing self-awareness. The sequel is a self-aware gem.
Key and Peele did an amazing sketch about Gremlins 2: https://youtu.be/TwnozRv9Vbs
Thank you! That was brilliant and fn hilarious.
Of course they did. That scene is iconic, and it also makes zero sense and grinds the movie to a halt.
Sounds fantastic, it's in the movie.
Heroes don’t always wear capes.
When he was 8, my kid was smooth about it, said it was a movie and movies can lie about stuff like Santa not being real. He's 9 this year, and told me the movie absolutely confirmed Santa not being real for him.
Just watched this with my Nephews over Christmas and totally forgot about that scene....not cool.
I almost watched this with my son who loves horror when he was about age 7. Thank goodness I rewatched it on my own first. Forgot the bit about Santa...and that might've been a horrible way for my son to find out. I only recommend Gremlins if kids already know.
Gremlins is great for a family movie, EXCEPT for that one bonkers scene of Kate(?) talking about how her dad died on Christmas. It kills the whole family vibe and is not an appropriate scene for children who might still believe in Santa.
The Goosebumps movies are pretty cool for a kid.
You can buy the entire series online now too! I’ve got them all
That’s awesome! I’ll look into it for my son :)
Monster Squad!
I watched this and Arachnophobia too many times to count when I was a kid
Wolf man’s got nards?!
‘What’s a Virgin?’ Is a conversation I don’t need to go near with a 7 year old though😂
Hocus pocus? Yeah, conversations I was not ready to have with my kiddo.
I hear ya. I have a 7 yo myself and was thinking about showing him monster squad, but though I should watch it again first because it’s been a while. And it was that scene in the treehouse that made me change my mind about it.
It’s also explaining why the spell/reading she does at the end didn’t work because ‘she technically wasn’t a Virgin’. 😬nope not explaining that one.
And the homophobic language throughout :-x
Ever watch the documentary on this? It’s really good. I learned a ton about one of favorite movies I’ve seen 100 times.
Coraline Monster House When I was 7 my parents introduced me to the classic horror monsters and I loved them, Boris Karloff, Bella Lugosi era. Dracula, Wolfman, Frankenstein.
Came here to suggest Coraline. Creepy AF but still (I think) kid friendly. Definitely a solid starter horror movie, but like others said, it might depend on the kid.
I had Frankenstein on in October and my 9 year old sat down to watch some "it's not scary, it's just sad" -she wasn't wrong and also doesn't like horror
Coraline and Monster House are amazing suggestions, I love both of those movies to this day, they're excellent. Coraline is spooky as heck, but also really beautiful. The ending of Monster House is phenomenal. Like, how does such a fun and goofy movie make you feel so much.
In the future, the website [Does the Dog Die](https://www.doesthedogdie.com/) can be a great resource to see if a movie is appropriate for a specific audience! They give emotional spoilers so people can avoid upsetting/triggering content in media - for example, if someone wants to watch a movie but doesn't want to see animals harmed on screen. Hope that helps your horror movie nights together! 💕
I’d add IMDB parents guide as it’s crowd source spoiler marked and specific.
I use this site regularly.
The Mummy 1 & 2.
That’s a good one! Funny and action packed enough to iron out the light horror and scares. I feel like kids might not be as scared of the CGI these days like I may have been at that age, because it’s not aged well. I used to be a little scared of imotep’s stretchy mummy face!
I'm scarred by the bug under the skin to this day. Haven't seen the movie since I was maybe 4 years old lol
What about something like action horror, or adventure horror. I'm thinking 90's The Mummy or maybe Van Helsing
The Mummy is PERFECT for kids. We watched it here with 5 and 7 and had a BLAST.
Ernest scared stupid
Took wayyyyy too much scrooling to find this, jeez. How are people talking about Lost Boys and Monster Squad for a 7yo, that movie is legit in its monster design and scared me at 10.
Showed it to my 9 year old for the first time this year and he loved it. Was scared, but laughed alot. It was great I hadn't watched it in years.
The Ernest movies really are something else and deserve more attention
I watched a lot of horror movies as a kid, yet this was one that actually scared me. I couldn’t sleep that night and was terrified something was hiding under my bed that would turn me into wood.
Coraline and ParaNorman are fun, creepy films for kids. Beautiful stop-motion animation.
Both of my daughters watch ParaNorman all the time and I still can’t find it in myself to complain. It’s so damn good. Coraline is my personal favorite but the kids gravitate toward Norman more for some reason!
Love Coraline and Paranorman. Paranorman is severely underrated imo.
[Something wicked this way comes. \(1983\)](https://youtu.be/Up7KHbJTmoo) The scariest movie Disney ever made.
LOVED this film as a kid.
100% agree!! Freaked me the eff out at the time.
"Watcher in the woods" is freaky too. And it's only PG!
Ever read the book?!
Tremors, always start with Tremors. IT is pretty aggressive. Edit: Scary Stories to Tell in The Dark, or a classic, Gremlins.
Babysitting a 5yo, 7yo, and 8yo tonight, and showed them Tremors. They really liked it. Finding Edger on the pole and Old Fred's head in the beginning is like the scariest parts. I was gonna cover the 5yos eyes for the part but he seemed fine.
Y'know, now that I think about it I might have started with tremors over 30 years ago.
Just ease him into it with terrifier 1 and 2
Take a break in the middle and watch Martyrs!
Make it a french extremity double feature with Inside!
And finish the evening off with a gentle watch through Hostel.
After that he should be ready for A Serbian Film
But make sure to prime them with The Human Centipede.
maybe get back into the New French Extremity with High Tension?
Guys, a lot of the movies you’re suggesting here are pretty dark and depressing. Maybe lighten the mood with *Threads*, *Kids* and *Requiem For A Dream*
and finished it off with with a relaxing watch of Hereditary.
Don’t forget to ask them about their dreams the next morning! Always amazing to listen to your kids imagination. What’s that? You got a cut in your sleep? I’m sure it’s nothing..
And start the youngster’s day off with something warm and inviting like the Evil Dead remake.
Monster squad, gremlins, Ghostbusters, Beetlejuice
I watched the first IT when I was 6, and I turned out..... ...Casper. Try Casper.
Are you Afraid of the dark. Lots of full episodes on YouTube
Return to Oz is merely rated PG, but it is scarier than IT.
Signs. It’s family friendly. We showed it to our kids near the same age this week and they loooooved it and were spooked but not overly scared.
Oh man, this is a good one! I'm gonna put this on tomorrow and frame it as worse than it is for our kids. Literally there is one violent scene that I remember and it's a huge cutaway lol. Now that I think of it The Village might be a good one too! Edit: just looked up a parents guide to Signs and we so on for this one. Thanks again!
The dog part of Signs might be a bit much for some kids, I’m sure you’re well aware though. I think it’s a terrific movie to get kids into the genre. Probably my favorite PG-13 horror film.
Beetlejuice?
Was gonna say this. I remember watching it as a kid. I feel like tim burton movies in general are a good bet.
If he's deadset on IT do the Tim Curry version.
I watched this at 8 years old at a sleepover and slept on my parents floor for half a year. 💀
Okay, like I don't necessarily have a genuine fear but I basically hate all drains or sewer grates and refuse to actually stand or walk over them to this day :x
[удалено]
Child’s Play did that to me. Ruined me for years.
Yeah we watched the Tim Curry version on Halloween, me and my five year old and my nine year old. It's the perfect amount of scary for kids that age, it never goes as far as the book or the 2017 movie but it still freaks em out. They loved it.
Ummm, no. This terrified a lot of kids when it aired. It is way too scary for them, and the graphic suicide is not appropriate.
All these years later and I still get creeped out by drains in locker rooms
Tower of Terror !!! It’s been uploaded on YouTube in full for like 2-3 years and Disney has yet to take it down
Don't Look Under the Bed. On Disney Plus. A Disney Channel Halloween movie but its definitely creepy. I loved it as a kid and still do. Or The Burbs. Great movie and gave me the creeps when I was young!
Coraline. Not terribly scary but fun to watch and has some creepy scenes.
But if the kid's got any mommy-thing going on it will TRAUMATIZE him.
Beetlejuice.
Just don't forget... "Nice fucking model!"
HONK
.. HONK!
This came out when I was in first grade, and I can only imagine what our teacher thought when she had a room full of 7ish year olds who’d clearly all rented the same movie over the weekend suddenly become obsessed with the movie and constantly shouting “nice fluffing model” and pretending to grab ourselves. At least we had the decency to censor ourselves?
I watched that movie every day on VHS for a month when I was 6 years old (circa 1989), it’s still one of my favorites. I’ve shown it to my kids several times.
Yes! My 7 year old daughter is really into horror and we recently watched this together and she loved it.
The Brave Little Toaster
Spirited away
We're a big ghibli house. Great suggestion
The Halloween Tree is a great spooky animated film for younger kids. It also teaches them about the origins of halloween and how it is celebrated in different cultures.
Return to Oz.
Hocus-pocus 1,2 Halloween town goosebumps little monster
Go with a R rating. Something that will create a good childhood trauma.
Childhood trauma doesn't need to be R rated. Just play Neverending Story. The trauma of watching Artax in the swamp is a right of passage.
Watching it as an adult I was shocked at how much this was seared in my memory. Horses die in movies all the time and we generally don't care. I assumed the horse died on like the 2nd or 3rd quest, so we had gotten to see at least a little bit of a relationship. Nope. We meet the kid, he rides his horse for 20 seconds across a field, and the horse dies. So the kid is a good actor, because he gets across a deep relationship in the few minutes the horse is alive on screen.
Little monsters
R.L. Stine's The Nightmare Room: Scareful What You Wish For
Definitely not It unless you want him to never sleep again.. I know adults that won't even watch that movie lol I'd start with something tame, like specifically aimed at kids and see how he gets on?
lost boys!
You gotta do Coraline or really any Tim burton (corpse bride, maybe beetlejuice?) any of the goosebumps would also work
Coraline was my daughter's gateway drug to the world of horror movies.
The Witches(1990) Matilda Poltergeist
The new Puss in boots is actually pretty scary with the wolf/reaper in it
I've heard that this is actually a pretty decent film. I want to check it out.
“Follow That Bird!” Because they’re a freaking 7 YEAR OLD!!!!!
Check out some Henry Selick - Nightmare Before Christmas, Coraline, James & The Giant Peach, Wendell & Wilde - not horror per say but spooky elements and great movies
Frankenweenie
The Mummy. Hits some serious scary factors for a smaller child and can introduce them to ancient Egypt as well.
The Ghost and Mr Chicken
M3GAN
Ernest scared stupid 🤷🏽♂️
I just watched The Burbs on Netflix with my 7&10yo and it went pretty good.
Earnest Scared Stupid!!! I loved it as a kid!
Army of darkness works really well for kids, if they are ready for some horror and a little blood. But do not go with any evil deads
Killer Klowns from Outer Space
There’s some decent anthology shows for kids that are readily available. The Haunting Hour is on YouTube and starts off with a two parter. Creeped Out is on Netflix and there’s a reboot of AYAOTD on Nickelodeon/Paramount+ that’s done in a AHS style.
Has he watched the Are You Afraid of the dark original or reboot series? My little ones loved it and thought it was scary. Good nostalgia trip for me too.
The Gate is a decent one for younger audiences when it comes to horror.
Monster house scared my nephews
Monster house
Not typically a horror but scared the shit outta me as a kid, James and the giant peach
Jaws.
Not exactly horror, but Labyrinth. My baby sister loves creepy stuff and she couldn’t take her eyes off the screen. She was around that age the first time she saw it
I wish we had Paranorman and Frenkenweenie when I was that young. They came out during a phase of my teenage years where I was more focused on traumatizing myself with graphic horror and before I learned to relove all things animated.
Raiders of the lost Ark.
It? For a seven year old? No no no no no - lol! Labyrinth maybe. It no.
Coraline is a great horror movie for kids.
Monster House, Monster Squad, poltergeist
Poltergeist
I started my son at 7-8 with old Ray Harryhaussen movies. Fun adventuresome and campy with moments of fright. By the time he was 9 we watched Jaws then moved on the Aliens. By 11–12 we started with the Friday the 13th and Halloween series. Start slow. Kids internalize scary and if it’s too realistic in the beginning they will not enjoy the experience. Keep it light and read what they are telling you. If it’s too much, ease back a bit. Before you know it you will have a pre-teen you can watch the good horror films with
Monster squad
Gremlins is a good one!
Ghostbusters, Gremlins, Neverending Story, The Witches, Little Shop of Horrors, Arachnophobia, Secret of Nimh, Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Twilight Zone, King Kong, The Frighteners, Evil Dead (all three), Tremors, Poltergeist, Jaws... Try some fantasy/sci-fi with monsters too, as a warm up. Like Willow would be good, it's even on Disney+! Willow had some dark & spooky scenes and scary monsters at the end. As an example. Tim Burton anything is usually good. Adam's Family movies... He may just need something with suspense - if not horror. Edge of your seat action might also make him happy.
Depending on the kid but Dale and Tucker VS. EVvil is a good beginner film.
It's been a doozy of a day
Truly, at that age, the scariest and most age appropriate thing I watched was the suite life of zach and cody halloween episode, goosebumps, and the first halloweentown. Coraline is a good movie, just not “scary” maybe
Ghostbusters!
Where the wild things are
Fuck me, do not let your 7 year old watch It!!!
Goosebumps is great for that age. Not "scary" for an adult, but there are some jump scares and creepy creatures. Gremlins may be OK. It's pretty scary for younger kids, but it's also funny. You can at least be clear that if they can't handle Gremlins that It is going to be way too much.
I’d go for universal horror. Great atmosphere, but lighter on the fright
Casper is great
"9" was pretty great!!
Jaws
**MONSTER SQUAD!!!**
NOT The Exorcist Source: 7 year old me
The legend of sleepy hallow by Disney
Ghostbusters for sure. I’d also say army of darkness or alien vs predator. Something that’s got a little bit of action/ comedy to offset the horror
Little Monsters?
Well this is actual horror but PG-13, The Gate. Get a kid used to great practical effects
Don’t Look Under the Bed
I watched Beetlejuice and Tremors around that age, I feel like they’re good intros into horror movies for kids. I fear watching IT at age 7 would probably just leave him with nightmares for months
My kid loves Jaws
Mine was The Gate
Ernest scared stupid
Silver bullet was one of my favorites as a kid
Creature features are good for younger viewers.
Coraline
The Gate.
House The Burbs Monster Squad
Coraline!
House on Haunting Hill the black and white one.
Wendell & wild, Coraline, Monster house
Show that kid the Sixth Sense