School of Terror 2022: 102 Horror Movies for Kids: School of Terror

By Steve Hutchison

The films described in this book are perfect for children and teenagers with a fascination for horror movies. They contain very little violence, coarse language, and nudity if any.

The reviews are sorted in order of preference. The ranking is established by the sum of 8 ratings: stars, gimmick, rewatchability, creeps, story, creativity, acting, and quality.

Each film description contains a synopsis, a list of attributed genres, emotions, five ratings, and a three-paragraph review.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Steve Hutchison
• Release date: Feb 8, 2023
• ISBN: 9781998881963

Steve Hutchison

Artist, developer and entrepreneur in film, video games and communications Steve Hutchison co-founded Shade.ca Art and Code in 1999, then Terror.ca and its French equivalent Terreur.ca in 2000. With his background as an artist and integrator, Steve worked on such games as Capcom's Street Fighter, PopCap's Bejeweled, Tetris, Bandai/Namco's Pac-Man and Mattel's Skip-Bo & Phase 10 as a localization manager, 2-D artist and usability expert. Having acquired skills in gamification, he invented a unique horror movie review system that is filterable, searchable and sortable by moods, genres, subgenres and antagonists. Horror movie fans love it, and so do horror authors and filmmakers, as it is a great source of inspiration. In March 2013, Steve launched Tales of Terror, with the same goals in mind but with a much finer technology and a complex engine, something that wasn’t possible initially. He has since published countless horror-themed books.

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Gremlins

1984

A high-maintenance creature gives birth to an army of small devils after being exposed to water.

Gremlins is a highly superior cinematographic experience in image and sound. It is meant for children and adults alike. It’s a horror movie that avoids violence and death using creative detours, and, simply put, instead plays on the fears of ugliness and propagation. This all happens around Christmas and the resulting ambiance sticks with you a lifetime.

The film is virtually flawless and a masterpiece. With some of the best animatronics, puppetry, and creature design to ever hit the screen, it’s a nicely packaged story supported by lovable characters and spiced up by a dream team of performers who are skillfully directed. Everyone on board seems aware of what they’re they’re working on, that is, one of the best gimmicks in film history.

Gremlins is about a cute creature whose allergies trigger self-duplicating terror and destruction. In the context of Christmas, under the right lighting, when wrapped in comedy and wit, and supported by an evocative score, this otherwise sinister film becomes a thing of its own before our entertained eyes. It belongs to all genres, yet none, and is unarguably one of the best pictures ever made.

Ghostbusters

1984

Three unemployed supernatural investigators start a ghost-hunting business.

Here’s a perfect mix of comedy, horror, and fantasy that will get straight to your heart and guts. In a way, it’s also a light superhero story. Because it’s perfectly suitable for a child as much as the general audience, Ghostbusters is eerie, makes you jump, shiver, but features virtually no gore. There are monsters, though, and plenty of them. The effects are amazing and one of a kind.

The score and soundtrack play a big role in delivering a fun and atmospheric supernatural aura that penetrates the screen. While some of the creature effects didn’t age well, most of the ghost effects blend with the picture. This one isn’t all about visuals. It’s a great comedic drama. The characters and the story are compelling and the dialogue is engaging.

The actors are perfect in their roles and their performances are nearly flawless. Ghostbuster isn’t shy on effects, making use of animatronics, rubber suits, and an abundance of color keying. Get ready to be entertained all the way through; sucked in a surreal version of New York City that gets increasingly sinister as subplots converge. What an amazing third act!

Gremlins 2: The New Batch

1990

An innocent allergic creature gives birth to a hoard of morphing monsters inside a commercial skyscraper after being exposed to water.

Gremlins 2 starts with a short Bugs Bunny clip, establishing a friendlier tone. It’s more suitable for a younger audience but it’s dark enough to please anyone twisted. It still feels like horror fantasy but it behaves more like a self-censored, sadistic cartoon. The previous protagonists aged a bit and their paths happen to converge to a specific New York City tower inspired by Donald Trump’s.

Most of the plot takes place in this prestigious high-tech high rise used for business, commerce, and science, giving Gremlins 2 a prestigious status. None of it is taken seriously and it’s hilarious. When things go bad; worse than they have in part 1, the makers’ ambition and skills shine through. The creatures are now fully lit, revealing more and even better animatronics than 1984’s Gremlins’.

The concept of metamorphosis is pushed further and turned into an ongoing joke. The actors are given intricate roles and are a colorful delight. The animation techniques have evolved. The production quality is higher, too, and the sets are atmospheric. A perfect gateway to horror for kids, Gremlins 2 chooses to be fun, surreal, and comedic but doesn’t forget its sinister roots.

The Goonies

1985

In order to save their home from foreclosure, a group of misfits set out to find a pirate’s ancient treasure.

An exciting opening sequence introduces all the protagonists, in their everyday life, while the bad guys, criminals, are being chased by cops. The town is picturesque. Not much happens, there, we learn, until today. The Goonies follows the ultimate adventure film recipe but targets children and teenagers, which doesn’t mean adults won’t have the time of their lives.

The whole cast acts big, which makes the film more surreal than it already is. This picture comes from the minds of Richard Donner, Steven Spielberg, and Chris Colombus. It is, basically, one of the best movies ever made. It’s politically incorrect. It’s larger than life. It alternates between action, adventure, thriller, comedy, and horror, which creates an incessant rollercoaster ride.

The underground labyrinth is unreal. It doesn’t make sense, architecturally speaking, but we accept it because the concept is amazing. In fact, amazing is an understatement. This is Indiana Jones for kids. The set pieces are magnificent and extremely effective. The score is very melodic, catchy, omnipresent, and it takes us by the hand. You’ll probably want to revisit this one repeatedly!

Labyrinth

1986

A teenage girl is given 13 hours to solve a labyrinth and rescue her baby brother who has been kidnapped by a wizard.

Labyrinth draws obvious parallels with Alice in Wonderland, but it is its own thing. It’s about a teenage girl stuck in what seems like an endless maze, trying to rescue her baby brother. David Bowie’s character stole him. Yes, this kids’ movie is incredibly dark, but it’s done in good taste. It’s not gory and it’s never vulgar. It’s a fully immersive experience and you’ll never forget it.

The atmosphere is palpable. The sets are astonishing, the matte painting breath-taking and the puppetry perplexing in every possible way. The movie sucks you right in in the first minutes. David Bowie’s music will transport you through this epic adventure. All his songs are earworms. He plays the eccentric antagonist; an evil wizard called the Goblin King.

Creature artist Ron Mueck gives the monsters a soul of their own. His contribution is significant. His characters are frightening. They are both imaginative and repulsive. This is a modern fairy tale courtesy of Jim Henson, who directs. The man can do no wrong. Jennifer Connelly can sure act