14 Best Horror Movies For Kids

A spiritual sequel of sorts to The Nightmare Before Christmas, this 2005 animated effort from Tim Burton (co-directing with Mike Johnson) doesn't achieve quite the same iconic status as its 1993 forebear, despite a star-studded cast and some nice character designs. Even so, it's a satisfying slice of family-friendly spookiness.

Taking inspiration from a Russian folk tale, Corpse Bride follows hapless young heir Victor (voiced by Johnny Depp) as he is pushed into marriage by his parents. Practicing his vows whilst alone in a wood, he inadvertently places his ring on the finger of a corpse, Emily (Helena Bonham-Carter), and promptly finds himself whisked off to the land of the dead.

A big part of the humour comes from how much more lively and colourful the land of the dead is by comparison with the grey, drab land of the living. Corpse Bride was one of the first mainstream Hollywood movies to draw heavily on Mexican Day of the Dead iconography (subsequently explored further in 2014 Dreamworks animation The Book of Life), and while there are definitely some creepy moments, the film seems most eager to persuade younger viewers not to fear the dead; witness one genuinely quite touching moment when a young boy is reunited with his long-dead grandfather.