Getting a kid into horror

[Primetimeloser]

My cousin is looking for recommendations for Christmas gifts. While we were talking about it she said that her daughter is getting into horror novels . I was wondering if parents (or non-parents) had any suggestions. She is 11 and fairly mature for her age. Apparently she is super into vampires, witches, and her younger brother was asking about banshees (which he could have only hear about from her).

I also wouldn't mind some movie recommendations. I've been over the first horror movie threads to get some ideas but I think some maybe a bit too much considering her parents would probably watch it with her and neither of them like horror.

[Inspector Tequila]

Let the Right One in book and movie.

[Macready]

Well with my daughter growing up with me around it came naturally for her so my two cents may certainly be not what you would go by. She is 10 (5th grade) and plows through novels by Keene, King, McCammon...you name it. She is an accelerated reader (takes after me) and has been tested to read at an 8th grade level.

With that being said we watch a shitload of movies together. "R" ratings dong bother me with her seeing them as long as there isn't any sex or overly explicit violence. I took her to see The Conjuring and she loved it. That's a pretty intense movie that not many 10 year old's would sit through, or if they did wouldn't sleep very well.

She is heavily into Bloody Mary for some reason and is always watching YouTube videos and doing web research about it.

As for gifts, it depends on how into horror she is. If she is "advanced" like my daughter shit like Goosebumps isn't going to cut it. My daughter refuses to read them and says they are for kids...ya gotta love it! Writers like Ed Lee and Laymon are out of the question due to the graphic sex in all of their novels.

McCammon is the true king of horror IMO. All of his books are masterpieces but something like Swan Song is way too deep for an 11 year old, however books like Stinger, The Night Boat, Mystery Walk and IMO the best vampire book I have ever read They Thirst are great choices.

Schott Nicholson is another author that writes straight up creepy horror with no pervasive sex. Dan Simmons older stuff is great, Summer of Night is one of my all time favorite books and it is downright scary.

I could go on and on. If you want any more recommendations from me (books or movies) just shoot me a PM

[Primetimeloser]

Figured you'd jump in on this one Mac. I did consider The Conjuring in terms of movies. Since it sounds like she is getting into the supernatural. I'm looking at the books now and all of them seem like possibilities though Night Boat may be a bit iffy. I babysat for her once and we watched the Hunchback of Notre Dame. She asked a few questions about the priest's one song and when I tried to explain it to her I realized she didn't really understand racism yet so Nazi's may be iffy. I'll send it along with a heads up though.

Let the Right One in book and movie.

I've seen both movies but I haven't read the book so I have one question.

Spoiler...

I know in the movies it is implied and there was a quick shot showing that she had once been a boy. How in depth does the book get with that? Gender ambiguity isn't a deal breaker but how graphic they get about how she was once a boy from an anatomical a surgical aspect may be.

[tacticalbacon]

I've seen both movies but I haven't read the book so I have one question.

Spoiler...

I don't recall the book getting too graphic about it, however there is a little bit of pedophilia I think.

[Inspector Tequila]

Yeah, on second thought, maybe I can only recommend the movie.

As for witches, maybe The Craft (1996)? I don't recommend that as a Christmas gift but something she should watch sometime if she hasn't already.

[FrighT MasteR]

Can ease her into the genre with some fun stuff like Gremlins, Monster Squad, etc..

[choptop2]

Goosebumps too childish? Better move on to Fear Street then...


Actually i have no idea what these are like, my older sister devoured them as a teen though.

I would suggest King's short collection Night Shift. There's a so many different stories, there would bound to be a few to keep her interested.

I can't remember if there's a lot of sex in too many of them. I remember the lawnmower man, had the antagonist strip nude and munch on grass.

[Primetimeloser]

Meh nudity shouldn't be an issue but explicit sex would be. Last I heard she knew men have sperm and women have eggs but no clue of the act that has to happen to make a baby. That may have changed but I am airing on the side of caution if it hasn't.

Thank you guys for all the suggestions (the more the better).

[Macready]

Perfect example is last night I never got the chance to take her to see Insidious 2 due to her cheering practice. Since I felt bad I watched The Possession with her (streamed it from Netflix). Perfect PG-13 movie that is totally "meh" for me but she loved it. Everyone has different likes, dislikes, and weaknesses when it comes to just about everything, fear included. Even though The Conjuring scared her and was much more intense than The Possession, this one got her a bit more rattled. However she loved it. It was over about 10:30 which is past her bedtime, everyone else in the house was sleeping except for us. She thanked me, gave me a hug then went to bed. As a parent those are the moments I cherish.

It's nice to have a child who you can share what you enjoy with. But she is already being a pain in the ass today asking if we can watch another movie tonight. Trust me, she will ask me each hour of the day...all day.

[deadcellsociety]

My 9 year old great nephew told me recently that his favorite movie of all time was Shaun Of The Dead, which I have to admit, couldn't have made me more proud. He seriously digs Walking Dead and can't wait for season 4, but he watches movies with his Mum,so I'm not overly sure what other movies she's let him watch. Sadly, we don't get 'children's horror' shows over here anymore, so I suggest letting her watch something like 'Poltergeist' if she loves supernatural movies, or maybe 'The Lost Boys'?? just a couple of ideas for ya.

[Primetimeloser]

Perfect example is last night I never got the chance to take her to see Insidious 2 due to her cheering practice. Since I felt bad I watched The Possession with her (streamed it from Netflix). Perfect PG-13 movie that is totally "meh" for me but she loved it. Everyone has different likes, dislikes, and weaknesses when it comes to just about everything, fear included. Even though The Conjuring scared her and was much more intense than The Possession, this one got her a bit more rattled. However she loved it. It was over about 10:30 which is past her bedtime, everyone else in the house was sleeping except for us. She thanked me, gave me a hug then went to bed. As a parent those are the moments I cherish.

It's nice to have a child who you can share what you enjoy with. But she is already being a pain in the ass today asking if we can watch another movie tonight. Trust me, she will ask me each hour of the day...all day.

That is actually brilliant! When I sent her the list I told her to do The Possession first and then The Conjuring. Since The Conjuring is a bit more intense. As far as I know she is only reading horror but she will probably move into movies soon (if she sticks with) so I figured have them start easing her into it so she isn't going from zero to sixty with the visuals.

[klownz]

Film wise I would say "Hausu" and it also opens doors to Asian horror and foreign films in general

[Inspector Tequila]

Tales from the Crypt tv series is what helped get me into horror when I was a young kid. All the seasons are available on dvd.