10 Family Friendly Horror Films To Scare Kids (And Their Parents) This Halloween

10. The Hole

Joe Dante is one of the masters of the horror for younger audiences genre. Sure, he's made both grown up horrors (The Howling) and cartoon kid flicks (Looney Tunes: Back In Action), but it's in the meeting of the two that his best work lies.

Many of the films from Dante's 80s peak would have been fitting for this list, not least his best movie Gremlins. As that's a Christmas movie and this is a Halloween list, however, I've instead opted for this sadly little-seen gem from 2009.

Something of a throwback to those 80s classics where teenagers deal with monstrous horror scenarios while their parents are nowhere to be seen, The Hole features a teenage boy, his kid brother, and the girl next door finding a trapdoor in the basement of their new house. The trapdoor leads to a seemingly bottomless hole out of which emerges your greatest fear.

From creepy clown puppets to abusive parents, the film explores fears both irrational and real world that are relatable to kids, while the bottomless black hole of dread presents an existential adult creepiness.

Yes, it feels a little like Stephen King but pitched a little younger, but, with its efficient embrace of horror cliches, The Hole is the perfect film for 10-14-year-olds who feel too old for Goosebumps but aren't quite yet ready for It.