How Old Where Your Kids When You Let Them Watch Scary Movies?

My hubs can watch any horror movie and sleep like a baby. Paranormal Activity the man was a mesds. Kept playing with his mind. I vote no. As far as other scarey movies I was allowed horror movies by the time I was 12. My son is 8 and way too sensitive, everything seems real to him. so he probably won't watch a "real" scary movie till he is well in to his teens.

Same age my parents let me watch "spooky movies"....ASAP. I've been watching horror films as young as I can remember and did the same thing with my son. I explained to my son the same thing my parents explained to me....It's all special effects and great makeup artists with great costumers. We even watch documentaries on how special effects are done, which helps to take the fear out of it. I even explained how it's all fake, fantasy that only exsists in the minds of man. Unfortunately, I found out that other parent don't; and when he was in kindergarten, he brought in a lifelike rubber monster mask which really scared one little girl and frightened others....Oooops. (LOL) I really feel that violent movies, such as war movies, cops and robber, etc. are more damaging than horror films. The funny thing is that we used to root for the monster, now he's older and doesn't like horror films.

OMG--Do NOT let her watch that movie! I don't care if there's blood and guts or not--it plays with your mind. She might be in a big girl body, but she's only 13. Nope, no way, won't be happening here.

It depends on the child and their interests. My son was 3 and really loved dinosaurs. I thought the Jurassic Park movies would scare him but he LOVED them and was convinced the T-rex and Spinosaurous would be his friends. A little while later we saw a Spy Kids movie at a birthday party and the lava monster scared him very much. Dinosaurs with big man eating teeth he could think of as cute but a monster flinging flames was too much for him.

I agree it depends on the child. Disney TERRIFIED my toddler (The Little Mermaid had him wetting himself)...but PG13/R movies didn't (nor pixar). He watched Pirates of the Carribean at 2.5 and thought the "No outsides!!!!" pirates were the funniest thing he'd ever seen in his life. ((He'd come down for a drink and collapsed laughing on the floor)). He's seen tons and tons of movies his friends at 8/9/10 still aren't allowed to see. My opinion is that the Parental Guidance / Parent must be in attendence thing are there for a REASON. Because kids are different. ((Ironically, it was the G movies we had to tread carefully with.))

At 8 he's gotten to the point where he can watch Disney and not have nightmares for months... but finding "scary" things funny still holds really true for him. He's been on a *campaign* to watch horror films for 2 years now. We're not letting him; MOSTLY because we don't want him sharing parts of them with his friends. But I'm hands down certain he'd be just fine with them.

@ Sarah... lol.. Mine loves the Weeping Angels (Don't Blink!) episode the best as well! It just blows my mind on a regular basis how very differently his mind works than mine does.

I think it depends. Does she take scary movies well? I personally would love to see that movie. I like freaky things. LOL!

However... growing up, my parents took me to see Halloween when I was maybe 5!! Then they let me watch whatever scary movie they were watching from then on out. I am actually still afraid of the dark.

BUT 13 may be an okay age to watch it. She may be a little scared at night, so be prepared for an extra person in your bed.

I would NOT let her watch that movie...that is soo creepy and I am a scary movie lover...I was about 13 when my dad took me to see Freddie at the theater....TOO YOUNG ...I got pretty spooked about alot of things.
Just because there is no Blood...the unknown and that fact that its in your house while you sleep makes you not able to get away...so the scare is always there...personally I would let her watch those movies when she can afford to drive to the theatre and pay for the movie herself (so at least 16) but then again...my opinion.

Don't-I was 18 when I saw a scary movie and slept with the light on until I got married-(age 26)!

Depends on the kid. My kids (9YO twins), by their own choice, do not care for any movie they think will be "too scary" so I just affirm that it's fine for them to 'opt out' of movies they don't want to watch and don't feel bad if others want to watch it and you don't (my line is "scary movies are kinda like hot sauce on burritos - some people like to put lots of hot sauce on because they like the taste, and some do because they think it makes them seem braver or stronger than people who don't like so much hot sauce, but really, everyone's entitled to choose the amount of hot sauce they're comfortable with").

I got to watch scary movies in about 5th or 6th grade so about 11. I don't scare easy and loved ghost stories since I was 4 or 5. I actually did a school research paper on ghosts in 4th grade. If your daughter is like me I doubt she will have a problem at 13. The "magical thinking" stage age ends around age 7 so I imagine she is long past that.

It depends on the child, I don't really believe in putting definitive 'age limits' on things for children, except for dating, of course, because ALL children are different. I watched my first scary movie at age 6 with my Dad, it was a freddy krueger movie, and I wasn't scared at all, and I've never had problems watching scary movies. It really disturbs some people, though, so it depends on your child.

My daughter started asking me about scary movies at age 6 because she knows that I am a horror movie fan, we have lots of them in the house. She told me that she really wanted to watch one. I knew she was very curious so I picked one that wasn't really that scary (Scream) and she watched it for fifteen minutes and fell asleep. The next morning I asked her "Did you get scared?" and she said "NO! That wasn't scary at all!" Because I satisfied that little curiosity, she hasn't asked me about scary movies again. No harm, no foul!

I didn't tell her that there are much scarier movies out there, so I am not giving her the opportunity to wonder about it. I would never patronize my daughter by telling her "You're not old enough." What kind of a reason is that for not letting your daughter experience something? How about "I'm worried that you will get nightmares" or "I'm worried that it will upset you". Tell her what could happen as a result of watching a scary movie and let her make the decision as to whether she still wants to watch it. At 13, she is definitely old enough to make that choice.

It depends on the kid. If my daughter wanted to see a movie, I allowed it, with the understanding that if she changed her mind, all she had to do was tell me, "Let's go," and we would leave.
She knew, because I had explained to her, how special effects worked, and that when you saw people being shot, stabbed, or eaten alive, that it was all fake, and no one really got hurt.
I took her to see Jurassic Park when she was a toddler, and my ex was furious when he found out that I had done so, and declared that she was going to have nightmares after seeing a guy eaten alive by a T rex. She looked him square in the eye and told him, "All the real dinosaurs are dead. The dinosaurs in the movie are just pictures drawn on a computer. Don't be scared. They can't hurt you."

my son is 18mnths so no scary movies for a while, but I was 8 and my brother was 7 when we watched are first rated R scary movie. it was the shinning and we watched it with our dad

It really depends on the child and how they process... these things/images/concepts etc.

gauge your child.

If it were my girl, I would not, at that age. Just because I know she will get scared. But she is rational and knows herself quite well, too. So she will tell me.
She really knows her own self in that respect.
But my girl is only 8.

I don't let my kids watch scary stuff. They are younger than yours.
But my daughter, she loves the Johnny Depp Alice in Wonderland and liked the movie "Coraline." And Edward Scissors Hand, and the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. For example. And of course the Narnia movies.
But again, she is not 13.
And of course, I do not let my son watch what my daughter watches. Too young.

My daughter does not like Halloween scary movies.
I don't let her watch, bloody movies.
Or 'hacking' killing type movies.

depends on the child. I still am afraid after a "scary" movie. My husband hates them and my oldest son was very afraid until in his twenties. However, the younger one thought they were funny! He loved them and laughed them off. So..... we let him watch at a younger age.

Thirteen is a teen, and if you think she doesn't scare easily....... The rating is another story. That movie is rated R so I would check with someone who has seen it (if you haven't) and ask a lot of questions. What was scary? Is that the type of thing that freaks out your daughter or she thinks is funny? The language. Sexual content, etc.... Watch it with her so you can express why certain things are inappropriate without ruining the movie. If it is just scary then you can explain why that would never happen, etc...

Then take your best shot. If she sleeps in your bed for a month after she sees it you will know her limits. LOL!

My hubby and I bought the Nicholas Cages movie "Ghost Rider". We ended up seeing it several times when the kids were not home. One day I went into the 3 year olds bedroom because he was being too quiet. He had put the movie in the DVD player and was sitting watching it. He suddenly had a favorite movie.

I know, I'm a horrible parenting figure, but he had already seen it so the damage was done. It is the ONLY movie of this kind that is in his reach now. He is 4 now and has access to lots of other movies and has stopped wanting it.

I think the ratings are there for a purpose. One time we went to see the movie "A Few Good Men" which was rated "R". The ticket person was selling tickets to younger teens. I asked the ones I knew if their parents knew what they were seeing and they said yes, of course I asked the parents later too. But the ticket guy told me that the movie should have been rated PG13 but Jack Nicholson, Tom Hanks, and Keifer Sutherland thought the movie would do better if rated "R". The ticket guy also told me it only had brief flashes of violence, was mostly courtroom scenes, and had really bad language. So that's why they were letting younger teens in w/o parents.

I think if you want to decide if your child is going to see this movie then you should rent it and watch it when they are not around and then decide. As for me, PG13 is as far as I am willing to push the boundaries with a 7 year old and that is only if it is an appropriate movie for her to see, such as no love scenes where there is extended kissing or too close of contact. No sneaking out or other unwanted behavior.

So not too many would be allowed if any. When she is older she won't be watching ANY horror movies at my house because I don't want to see them for any reason. I don't want those images in my head.

I am a wuss. My hubby is a huge Heinlein fan. He has all of his books and some are signed by the author. He wanted to go see "Stormship Troopers" to see how Hollywood had interpreted the novel. I sat beside him with my thumbs in my ears and my fingers over my eyes. Seriously did. He laughed at me but it was too graphic for me. So, for me, if I can't watch it it isn't going to be watched in my house.

let her see it
its not scary im i was 13 when i sall it its not scary at all
if you worried about it have her wach it in the morning like a saterday so if it dues scare her she well get mostly over it be4 bed and if it stell scars her she has the week end
tell her that thers nuthiong to be scared of cuz if it dided exist be4 the move y whod it exist after if you don't let your kids see things often they will start to do it behind your back