Scary Movie

How about the "Litigious Parent?" It's about a mom who sues an incompetent teacher for introducing unnecessary and (potentially) psychologically damaging media in to her child's life without considering the ramifications.

Personally, I would take this idiotic teacher to the woodshed about this assignment!!!
There is enough scary stuff in the world without forcing a 7th grader to actually seek it out.

Well, the obvious first thought is a Harry Potter movie.
I am Legend, Edward Scissorhands, those were suggested by my 15 year old daughter.

have fun!

Hi - I just wanted to say that I think Donna had a great idea with "Supersize Me." It's a great way to get pre-teens to learn something important that they might not otherwise watch. And it is scary.

Hi S.,
I agree with all the mom's who think this is an unusual assignment. How many students are in your daughters class? How many hours of precious learning time will be devoted to this "scary movie project"? It seems like a huge waste of the children's time. Is the teacher taking some psych class and needs to use the children as an experiment for her own homework? I think she needs to be challenged on the strength of this learning experience over the needs of the children for things that actually benefit their lives. Kudos to you for paying attention. I think you need to take it further and speak with the teacher, and principal if necessary.

If she wants a scary movie, how about "Supersize me"? It's the true story of a healthy man who ate only junk food for 30 days and almost died in the process. That would be something that would be worth the time spent. The children could be scared and educated about good nutrition at the same time.
Blessings,
D.

Sorry, but that "assignment" seems completely ridiculous & almost illegal. I suggest talking with the teacher to find out if this is an actual assignment & what the purpose of it is. What could it possibly be teaching a student?? Is this a public school she's attending?? Seriously, it's wacky!

What kind of insane assignment is that?? I haven't got kids in school, yet, but I would be most annoyed with that kind of "homework."

A. @ http://prettybabies.blogspot.com

I remember my boys loving "Beetlejuice".... we watched it several times. It's old, but it has a great music soundtrack if I remember correctly.

Hi S.,

I'd have a talk with the teacher and maybe the principal and school board. That seems like an odd assignment. There's enough real scary stuff going on in this world. I have never really cared for that kind of entertainment.

Blessings......

How about Monster House, its animated, and I think its PG, it was a little slow going, but it is an okay spook movie

What an odd assignment. Is the teacher really going to be showing these types of movies in class? And to what purpose? As a parent, this request would make me uncomfortable. There are PG-13 movies I wouldn't watch much less a 7th grader. And what about parents who aren't strict about what there kids watch and list some movie you wouldn't let your kid see in a million years? At least not at this age.

I would find out what purpose is served by the assignment and what the intent is of teacher. Since when are kids sitting around in class watching PG-13 movies during school time? If it is indeed to watch a show, I'd request to opt out or see the final "movie" list before my kid sees anything. And again, this does not sound appropriate during the school day.

how about "something wicked this way comes" it's rated pg and is based on a ray bradbury novel about a traveling carnival. run a search on it and see if it sounds like something she'd like.

S.,

I recommend the more recent Harry Potter movies. I love them and they are very entertaining. Comparing the first one to the last couple, the movies have increased in intensity and the special affects lend themselves to creating a scarier movie.
- T.

That's an homework assignment?? Odd.

Anyway, we're not fans of scary movies but we actually like (as in, yeah we cld buy a copy of ourselves & let our kid watch it when he's older) Lemony Snicket & a series of unfortunate events. It's based on a set of books. Jim Carrey is in the movie as the "oh but I'm a good guy" villian.

Hm, I don't know if I approve of the "scary" aspect, especially for school. One movie that would be fun and Halloweeny is *Hocus Pocus* http://www.amazon.com/Hocus-Pocus-Bette-Midler/dp/6305428... with Bett Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker. It is PG.

That seems really odd and not appropriate. What school does she go to?

This assignments sounds a little inappropriate! I have an 8th grader, and I do not allow her to watch pg 13 unless I have seen it and think it's appropriate (which by the way, is pretty rare). I am a high school teacher myself, and am wondering what possible educational value comes from watching a bunch of scary movies. There certainly needs to be some permission slips sent home for consent. I would question the teacher on this one....

That does seem like an odd assignment,. but "Something Wicked this Way Comes" was the first one that came to mind... and another called "Watcher in the Woods" or "The Lady in White". I am sure they came out before the PG-13 rating.. so would have a PG rating.

I have a 10 year old who likes to watch the goosebumps movies, they are rated pg and "scary". What a strange assignment.
Good luck, R.

Personally I think Roxane F hit it right on the money with her post.

I have a 7th grader who is a tenderheart girl and I would not recommend most PG-13 movies for her. What does the teacher consider 'scary'? Is it bloodshed Texas Chainsaw Massacre type the Columbine boys seemed to love? (subtle hint there) or a suspense type? Old black & white Frankenstein or Dracula? This is a broad scope and I'd be very careful treading here. Definitely talk to the teacher, tell her/him your concerns and get the meaning behind the request. If I were another parent in the class I'd be dead-set against most PG-13 movies that are current, and appreciate a mom researching this such as you are doing.

Take care, and bravo to you for getting opinions, good or bad before moving on.

D.

The Birds or Vertigo by Alfred Hitchcock.

Hi S.,

Try renting "Scream 1". It is for teenagers too. Scary, but not gross or nightmare scary. No nudity either. It is the kind of scary movie that will make you scream and jump out of your seat only.

How about the Harry Potter "Goblet of Fire". Scary but tells a great story and lessons in life. My kids love it though it terrifies them at the same time.

I have a son who is 12 and in the 7th grade. If he came home with an assignment like this, I would definitely question the teacher. Does your daughter have an elective that would require seeing/studying/learning about scary movies? The PG-13 rating bothers me, as well. While I do allow my son to watch movies that are rated PG-13, I have previewed them first. After all, the 13 means the movie is more appropriate for 13 year olds with parental guidance. I think this is an inappropriate assignment for a 12 year old.

I LOVED "The Lost Boys" when I was that age - vampires at the Santa Cruz boardwalk - can't beat it!
There's a re-make - so get the old one. The girls will love all the hot guys in it and the boys will like all the fight scenes and of course the hero is 14 and saves the whole town with his wise-cracking side kicks.
Another oldie but goodie is "Legend" with Tom Cruise - more of a fantasy type movie.

check out common sense media. They will let you know what movies are appropriate for each age.

Wow, are you guys serious??? Do you know what 7th graders are doing nowadays? Real life is much scarier than some pg-13 movie. The assignment is not wacky or strange...all she had to do was pick out a movie. I don't think any "hours of education" were wasted on this. Kids need at least one avenue of creativity or they become test-taking robots. Also, I'd like to know how many of you have ever actually taught a class of 30 7th graders....you might not be so quick to judge. As for the teacher using her students for a "psych class study", I hope that was a futile attempt at comedy. Seriously, it's 7th grade, lighten up.

Hi S.,

You could try "Something Wicked This Way Comes" or "Watcher in the Woods". They are older but definitely appropriate for 7th graders. "Something Wicked..." is based on a book by Ray Bradbury so the teacher may also be good with that.

D.

There is a website called The Internet Movie Database that might help you make a decision- it has detailed info about every movie under the sun.
http://www.imdb.com
at the bottom of the page for most movie there is a "parents guide" you can click on and it gives you a breakdown of "objectionable" content- sex, violence, profanity, gore...it might help you with your final decision.
Arachnophobia
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099052/parentalguide
The recent Scooby doo movies- very tame
The Mummy- funny at times, but scary
Good luck with this- I hope the teacher sends home a consent form before showing anything- even PG13 might be too much for some kids and that should really be a parent's decision. eek.

I must first say that this is a very odd assignment to say the least. I am a big chicken and she can bring the Wizard of Oz because that movie scared me when I was young. Also any Harry Potter Movie and or Monster House or ET. (I know ET was not scary but it has a creature)

Hmmmm,
That's an interesting assignment. You might want to ask the teacher where they're going with this lesson plan.
I can only imagine the range of what some kids find to be scary. "Children of the Corn" was too scary for me!
My daughter had all the Goosebumps movies. She loved them! They are a bit scary, but definitely made for kids and they have a lesson in them. Beetlejuice is one of our all time favorites. Parts of it are actually funny, with lots of great Calypso music too.
I invited some of my son's friends over to watch scary movies with us and spend the night. One mom said NO WAY! I invited her over to watch them with me first. I got them at the dollar store....they are really old, black and white movies. I got 4 of them. House on the Hill, Sisters of Death, can't think of the other two. Anyway, they're so corny and edited so poorly that they are actually hilarious. One minute people are in a room talking and the next minute some randon person is walking in a foggy forest for no reason, you can see the string the bats hang from....the mom changed her mind in the first 5 minutes. We've had so much fun with those movies. Personally, I would suggest some of the older classics like "The Invisible Man", "Creature from the Black Lagoon", "The Blob" "Dracula". When I was a kid, I used to stay up by myself on the weekend to watch Creature Feature. Today's "scary" movies are just too bloody and gorey for me. I'm not a fan. "The Mummy" with Brendan Frazer is good, not sure of the rating, but I enjoyed it so it can't be that bad.
Like I said, I guess it all depends on an individual definition of scary. I'd talk to the teacher, because I'd want to know what movies will get getting shown in case my kid needed to be sick that day.

Good luck!

Hmmm. Scary movie or Halloweenish movie?

Tim Burton really comes to mind: Beetlejuice, Corpse Bride, Nightmare before Christmas

Addams Family?
Coraline (this actually is kind of scary :) )
Ghostbusters?
Mirrormask (weird, odd, maybe not scary)

A lil scarier, but could fit the bill:
The Others (there's a twist at the end that sort of makes the whole thing less scary)
Poltergeist
The Gift (?)

I'm not a big "scary" movie fan, but my husband and his family are. I have young kids, but my father in law recently brought some movies for them that I thought were a bit too old. My I watched them and thought they would be perfect for our boys once they get a bit older. The first one was Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, which wasn't really 'scary', but pretty suspenseful for a kid. The second, which I thought would be pretty scary for a little one was called The Spiderwick Chronicles. I think it would be a great movie for what you're looking for.

Good luck and I'd try to stay away from things too scary...don't want to end up not being able to sleep at night. ?-)

N.

I don't have any movies of that type to recommend, but want to add my vote for you to inquire of the teacher and school to find out more about the reasoning behind this assignment. What possible value can this have? If you find out something interesting, I'm sure we'd all love to hear a report.

what about a classic like the goonies - it's PG

S.-
First of all, bummer! I am such a chicken when it comes to scary movies that I really try to bypass them whenever possible. And most of the ones I will watch that are more humorous with a sense of thrill have the gore factor.
I googled it and came up with The Sixth Sense, Signs- M. Night Shymalan movies are usually PG-13 and have the thrill factor in them. I think the Village is PG-13, too. ANd while it seems really scary, the twist at the end keeps it from being gruesome and giving your kids too vivid of nightmares. I liked them. If a movie is too scary or too gory, I have to come home and put in something like Shrek or the Emperor's New Groove in the background to fade the last images.
=)
Hope this helps
-E.

Greetings S.: My husband is a teacher and we just want to know what class is she taking that this is the assignment???
We have a son who is really into old scarey movies and Japaneese Animee. I asked him what he thought and he came up with the greatest list of movies that scared me when I wa a kid-------- 1. The Creature from the Black Lagoon
2. Any Godzilla movie
3. The good old Vincent Price movies, think the old black and white movies they are clean, scarey, and harmless unlike some that my son tells me are emotionally destructive and fearful.

Please let me know how it goes because this sounds interesting. Nana Glenda