In March 2011, following some unusual circumstances at a screening of Contagion, I wrote a list of 10 Great Films Kids Should Watch, But Probably Won’t. For a medium that has literally thousands of films to choose from, now seems like a prudent time to go beyond the previous 10, and give some more suggestions.
It is clearly indicated by your responses to the last list, that many of you WhatCulturenareans really buy into and appreciate this idea of giving children a taste of cinema’s past. There is indeed a whole world beyond the family films of today, and I hope you enjoy some of my new suggestions.
Please feel free to make some of your own submissions as well. I look forward to reading your comments.
10. The Mummy (1932)
At once a truly magical yet terrifying entry in Unversal’s cannon of early monster movies, The Mummy is a great way to introduce your children to ‘soft’ horror, and an excellent opportunity to explore some of the more Stand-By-Me-elements of youth: namely death. Boris Karloff is, and will likely remain, one of the greatest character actors of film history, and is someone that should be as common in children’s dialogue, as Justin Bieber and Robert Pattinson. After a very unsettling opening sequence, The Mummy simmers down into a more restrained yet undeniably entertaining tale of love and betrayal. You may have to deal with the kiddies having a nightmare or two for a few nights after, but im sure any parent would rather this, than little Jimmy getting his first view into horror by the plastic inferiority and graphic repugnancy of today’s ‘gorno’ traditions.
Parental Benefits:
Any child, who does not grow up with tales of Pharaohs’ curses and Howard Carter, is missing some serious flavor to their imagination. The Mummy is a great gateway into peeking their interests in one of histories most mystical periods.
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17 Comments
I love the Parental Benefits paragraph for each one. This is such a great list.
Many thanks Maggy
If that is an AC/DC jail break 74 t shirt you have in your avatar I am currently enshrouded in the same
Haha. You have excellent taste. it’s Back in Black
Good article. This reminds me of Wedding and niemiec’s Positive Psychology Movies. Good stuff.
This is getting forwarded to my parent friends on Facebook. We have a chance to turn this ship around and build society back!
Big thanks Mike. Glad you enjoyed it.
Great list, so glad to see Back to the future, Singing in the Rain and Rear Window on there… And there’s a couple I haven’t seen yet!
Cheers Kieri. Couldn’t not have BTTF on here. Seemed like a crime.
Brilliant article! It is nice to see some top class writing on this site. Keep it going.
Thanks James. Always nice to have my work appreciated.
This is such a cute article. I read the first one as well and loved it. Have shared with all my friends.
I can vouch for that. Megan shared with me. So glad to see The Mummy on this list. I would add The Goonies and Teen Wolf (as you might imagine, i am an 80s child)
Thanks Megan. Having my work shared is always a great feeling.
Haha. I loved the parental benefits. Some of this is really funny stuff.
I always aim to put some humour in my work. Nice to see it appreciated.
Thanks to everyone who has shared so far. Please continue to share this article if you like it. Spread the word.