13 Family Films That Will Terrify Children
5. The Hole
Scariest Moment: Anything involving the clown puppet, which will scare full-grown adults just as much as it will the children!
The most obscure film on this list, it is from Joe Dante, director of earlier entry Gremlins. A simple, Goonies-esque tale that at times seems uncomfortably like a straight-up horror but with enough heart and humour to just about make it acceptable.
The film is similar to Monster House in its subject matter, but Dante's imagination creates an even more shocking twist on the "haunted house" subgenre - when a gateway to Hell is hidden in the basement, then you're watching the embodiment of evil creep out from a room that most houses have, and once again it is the fear of the ordinary that's going to have a lasting effect on young viewers.
This will really be the test to see what kind of terror your family can endure- The Hole isn't the most psychologically disturbing film on the list, but it will result in more than a few sleepless nights for its content.
It's a criminally overlooked film with a real old-time feel to it, so if you are the oldest in the viewing group you'll be pleasantly surprised by a film that feels both new and also familiar.