14 Best Horror Movies For Kids

Disney's aforementioned anxiety over The Nightmare Before Christmas might lead one to assume the company had always steered clear of anything too sinister. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. For evidence of this, you need look no further than this incredibly creepy live-action production the studio released in 1980.

Best known for casting Bette Davis in a supporting role, director John Hough's adaptation of Florence Engel Randall's novel centres on a family who move to a dilapidated mansion in the woods: always a clear indicator of something spooky in the offing. Naturally, teenage daughter Jan (Lynn Holly-Johnson, later seen in Bond movie For Your Eyes Only) becomes aware of some sort of supernatural presence around the house, and gradually uncovers a dark history which looks set to repeat itself.

While playing out very much at a PG level, the camerawork and use of the woodland setting evoke a very similar vibe to the Friday the 13th or Evil Dead movies, with a genuinely suspenseful atmosphere; and as the plot involves young children experimenting with occultism, is hardly surprising Disney were concerned it might have gone too far.

Even so, it's surprising to note the studio pulled the film from cinemas a week after its release, and re-released it the following year with a reshot ending, the original conclusion having hinged on surprising sci-fi elements, with an alien being making an appearance. (This original ending can be found online and on DVD.)