There’s something undeniable about the horror genre and its ability to both terrify and bring together audiences. Stranger Things is one of the most recent examples of a breakthrough hit that’s able to connect with all audiences. Part of the difficulty with horror is that it can often be full of blood and violence, which usually means that it remains mature material that’s not meant for children.
However, this isn’t always the case and there are some fantastic and spooky programs that push the envelope, yet are still able to appeal to a younger audience and not leave them with nightmares.
10 Stranger Things Is A Burst Of Nostalgia For A Brand New Audience
There’s been an increased obsession with nostalgia, especially when it comes to the ‘80s and ‘90s, which have built their own niches within the horror genre. Stranger Things lovingly embraces touchstones of bygone eras but mixes them with modern storytelling sensibilities that are able to tell a deeply engaging serialized story.
Stranger Things focuses on an adolescent cast of characters, which makes it easy for a younger audience to connect with, despite the monstrous abominations that invade from the Upside Down. Stranger Things contains chilling visuals, but its Amblin energy guarantees that it never goes too far.
9 Locke & Key Combines Sibling Bonding With Unpredictable Surrealism
Locke & Key is a chilling comic series by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez, but the recent Netflix adaptation actually tones down the material in considerable ways to have it skew more towards a younger audience. This schism may irritate fans of the source material, but for newcomers, Locke & Key is the perfect companion piece to Stranger Things for those that want some mild creepiness.
The series centers around three siblings who move into a mysterious house following the murder of their father, only to discover a series of unbelievable keys and doors that defy reality.
8 Tales From The Cryptkeeper Removes The Bite From The HBO Anthology Series
HBO’s Tales from the Crypt is still regarded as one of the best horror anthology series of all time, which pulled from classic EC Comics stories with the help of an incredible collection of actors, writers, and directors. Tales from the Cryptkeeper attempts to piggyback on the mature series’ success with an animated anthology series that tells original spooky stories meant for a prepubescent crowd.
Tales from the Cryptkeeper can’t hold a candle to the original, but it’s a good introductory horror anthology series for younger audiences and it’s all thankfully available for free on Tubi.
7 Creeped Out Brings The Terror Of The Twilight Zone To A Younger Crowd
Creeped Out is a co-production between the UK and Canada, but it's made its way over to Netflix and grabbed the attention of many young curious horror fans. Creeped Out operates like a more horror-centric version of Amazing Stories and covers a wide range of subject matter which varies from disturbing monsters to lighter sci-fi fare.
There's enough variety in Creeped Out that there should be something from the anthology series that connects with audiences. If nothing else, the masked character, The Curious, that bookends each episode is decent nightmare fuel in himself.
6 Deadtime Stories Understands The Power Of Disturbing Storytelling
Deadtime Stories is a horror and fantasy anthology series that initially aired on Nickelodeon for a season and adapts Annette and Gina Cascone's horror books of the same name. Deadtime Stories indulges in stories that cover everything from ghosts, to zombies, to killer clowns.
Deadtime Stories doesn't have the same precision as Goosebumps or Are You Afraid of the Dark?, but there's a strong premise to each episode, and the construct that a babysitter tells each story to children is a solid hook that adds an extra element of terror.
5 Are You Afraid Of The Dark? Finds The Perfect Balance For Creepy Stories
Are You Afraid of the Dark? was a touchstone of the ‘90s and it’s remained such an important piece of horror programming for younger audiences that it’s even experienced a recent revival that doesn’t lose the original’s magic.
Are You Afraid of the Dark? doesn’t lean into gratuitous elements and a lot of the time its atmosphere produces the series’ unnerving scares. There are also some genuinely disturbing stories that get peppered into the mix. Additionally, the framing device where members of the Midnight Society tell stories to frighten each other around the campfire is just so inviting.
4 Eerie, Indiana Creates A Weird World That’s Full Of Surprises
Eerie, Indiana operates with an anthology sensibility, only it centralizes all of its weirdness into one big paranormal hub. Eerie, Indiana follows inquisitive teenager Marshall, who moves to the strange new community of Eerie, Indiana. Marshall is subjected to constant strangeness as he acclimates to the community and what follows is almost like a child-friendly version of Twin Peaks.
Popular supernatural stories like Bigfoot and Elvis are tackled, but there's also an unpredictable energy that helps give Eerie, Indiana such a distinct personality. The legendary Joe Dante even helped as a creative consultant.
3 Goosebumps Lovingly Adapts R.L. Stine’s Iconic Stories For Horror-Savvy Kids
R.L. Stine has done an excellent job at cornering the market on children’s horror fiction through his iconic Goosebumps series. Stine’s stories resonate as books, but it’s a brilliant decision to adapt them into episodes of television. Goosebumps remains faithful to the books but also isn’t afraid to take ambitious risks and really play up the horror.
Most of the more iconic Goosebumps stories like The Haunted Mask and Night of the Living Dummy receive excellent adaptations. Somehow if the episodes don’t frighten audiences, then those eerie dog eyes during Goosebumps’ opening credits should get the job done.
2 Courage The Cowardly Dog Taps Into The Horrors Of The Unexpected
Courage the Cowardly Dog aired for four seasons on Cartoon Network back during the early 2000s and it's still one of the weirdest things to ever air on the children's network. The series focuses on the surreal struggles of the titular dog who is far from brave.
Courage is subjected to supernatural misadventures that mix different forms of media and animation to generate some truly unsettling visuals. Courage the Cowardly Dog’s impact hits even harder since Cartoon Network isn't especially known for programming that skews towards horror. It's still a bizarre series that’s heralded for being ahead of its time.
1 Two Sentence Horror Stories Presents Horror With A Message
The CW Network has become an unexpected safe haven for science fiction and genre programming and Two Sentence Horror Stories is one of their more recent forays into the horror genre. The teen-centric anthology series adapts the popular Twitter concept into longer narratives that play with the audience’s expectations.
Two Sentence Horror Stories isn’t afraid to go for gore and a high body count, but it also presents realistic characters that come from minority and niche backgrounds. The series attempts to give them a voice and greater visibility, albeit through socially conscious horror stories.