# Suggest an entertaining horror movie that's rated PG-13 or younger **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 11, 2007, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-an-entertaining-horror-movie-thats-rated-pg-13-or-younger/422388 "2007-10-11T22:00:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2007, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-an-entertaining-horror-movie-thats-rated-pg-13-or-younger/422388/41 "2007-10-12T14:43:25Z")
[QUOTE=Sage Rat] The Hammer version of The Phantom of the Opera (1962) was actually pretty good if I recall correctly. [/QUOTE] I enjoyed it- Herbert Lom was a pretty good Phantom. RE the above listing of “The Wicker Man”- the new goreless, PG-13 one with Nicholas Cage is NOT a good movie, and definitely shouldn’t be seen by anyone who has not seen the fantastic R-for-nudity-but-spiritually-deep original dour-Christian-policeman vs Pagan-enjoyable/secretive-community version. Edward Woodward vs. Christopher Lee rocks! Nicholas Cage vs. Ellen Burstyn does not. I second “Night of the Hunter”- creepy & atmospheric BUT with bits of goofiness. Oh- and to add a not-at-all-scary Nostalgia trip- the Rankin-Bass “Mad Monster Party” should be in the Halloween DVD section of your local big-box store. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2007, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-an-entertaining-horror-movie-thats-rated-pg-13-or-younger/422388/42 "2007-10-12T16:04:07Z")
Seconding _Gremlins_ (and _Gremlins II_, which is even better IMHO, and hilarious, if not as horror-y), and _The Frighteners_, and _Arachnophobia_. ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2007, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-an-entertaining-horror-movie-thats-rated-pg-13-or-younger/422388/43 "2007-10-12T16:12:15Z")
The 1933 version of “The Invisible Man” with Claude Rains is a hoot. Scary and funny. ---
**Author:** ![Interrobang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/interrobang/32/17463_2.png) [@Interrobang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interrobang)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2007, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-an-entertaining-horror-movie-thats-rated-pg-13-or-younger/422388/44 "2007-10-12T16:51:13Z")
The R rating thing isn’t my call – if it were completely up to me and my coworkers, we’d watch something rated R with no qualms, but our boss is not negotiating that one. Which axes a number of great suggestions – I’ve seen and love a lot of films that have been suggested. I’ll have to throw _Tremors_ into the mix, as well, which is a lot of fun. **Bayard** , _Night of the Hunter_ eternally fights with _Rear Window_ to be my favorite film of all time. And the films don’t have to be goofy/cheesy, but I know no one’s really going to be sitting and giving the film undivided attention – I expect snarking and catcalls no matter what the film, and anything slow will just encourage visits to the pizza box. A lot of these suggestions I’ll be watching at home, though. ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2007, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-an-entertaining-horror-movie-thats-rated-pg-13-or-younger/422388/45 "2007-10-12T17:11:44Z")
[QUOTE=lissener] The [scariest movie ever made](http://imdb.com/title/tt0057129/) is rated G. [/QUOTE] Good call; that was my first thought. No violence, no profanity, no nudity, no sex (except some fairly subtle suggestions in a few scenes), and that movie scared the hell out of me. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2007, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-an-entertaining-horror-movie-thats-rated-pg-13-or-younger/422388/46 "2007-10-12T18:09:51Z")
[QUOTE=Interrobang!?] Current front runner in the office: **Killer Klowns from Outer Space**. I’ll let you know what we finally decide. [/QUOTE] Something of a [cult classic](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFZE3-bQYXI) there. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2007, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-an-entertaining-horror-movie-thats-rated-pg-13-or-younger/422388/47 "2007-10-12T18:18:11Z")
Re _Fright Night_, please trust my early-teen libido, there are actual, honest to god, not covered by negligee, real naked boobies in it. (The scene where our hero is spying on his neighbor with binoculars has Chris Sarandon as the vampire standing behind a topless woman.) If you want heckling, you have to go with the Nicolas Cage _Wicker Man._ Trust me, in ten years it will be a high-camp comedy classic. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2007, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-an-entertaining-horror-movie-thats-rated-pg-13-or-younger/422388/48 "2007-10-12T18:57:12Z")
**Frighteners** was one of those rare movies that was funny and scary at the same time and not because it’s cheesy. I think it’s PG-13. ---
**Author:** ![cbawlmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cbawlmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cbawlmer)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2007, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-an-entertaining-horror-movie-thats-rated-pg-13-or-younger/422388/49 "2007-10-12T20:26:02Z")
[QUOTE=Sitnam] **Frighteners** was one of those rare movies that was funny and scary at the same time and not because it’s cheesy. I think it’s PG-13. [/QUOTE] _The Frighteners_ is rated R. Fun movie though. I vote for _Poltergeist_. I bet a lot of the people at the party have seen it, but maybe not for a long time, so that could be fun. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2007, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-an-entertaining-horror-movie-thats-rated-pg-13-or-younger/422388/50 "2007-10-12T20:28:11Z")
[Transylvania 6-5000](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090196/) would be good, if only to give it the MST3K treatment. And Geena Davis in the vampire get-up. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2007, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-an-entertaining-horror-movie-thats-rated-pg-13-or-younger/422388/51 "2007-10-12T21:11:31Z")
Make that [Geena Davis in vampire get-up](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvjvDco6JxQ). 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2007, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-an-entertaining-horror-movie-thats-rated-pg-13-or-younger/422388/52 "2007-10-12T22:21:44Z")
[QUOTE=lissener] The [scariest movie ever made](http://imdb.com/title/tt0057129/) is rated G. [/QUOTE] Scariest ever? That would be a close tie with **The Legend Of Hell House** {1973}, which is also G: cheesy title, no violence, nudity or bad language, but utterly, utterly terrifying. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2007, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-an-entertaining-horror-movie-thats-rated-pg-13-or-younger/422388/53 "2007-10-12T23:09:11Z")
[QUOTE=Scissorjack] Scariest ever? That would be a close tie with **The Legend Of Hell House** {1973}, which is also G: cheesy title, no violence, nudity or bad language, but utterly, utterly terrifying. [/QUOTE] Roddy McDowell is the unscariest person ever; his presence pretty much nullifies any fright that movie might have contained for me. If fear were stomach acid, he’d be Rolaids. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2007, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-an-entertaining-horror-movie-thats-rated-pg-13-or-younger/422388/54 "2007-10-12T23:10:32Z")
[QUOTE=Cervaise] If you want heckling, you have to go with the Nicolas Cage _Wicker Man._ Trust me, in ten years it will be a high-camp comedy classic. [/QUOTE] Absolutely. I half believe LaBute just gave up on trying to take it seriously and put Cage in a bear suit for the camp value. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2007, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-an-entertaining-horror-movie-thats-rated-pg-13-or-younger/422388/55 "2007-10-12T23:41:04Z")
[QUOTE=lissener] Roddy McDowell is the unscariest person ever; his presence pretty much nullifies any fright that movie might have contained for me. If fear were stomach acid, he’d be Rolaids. [/QUOTE] Wasn’t he in Fright Night? ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2007, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-an-entertaining-horror-movie-thats-rated-pg-13-or-younger/422388/56 "2007-10-12T23:47:06Z")
And in the original _Night Gallery_ TV movie. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2007, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-an-entertaining-horror-movie-thats-rated-pg-13-or-younger/422388/57 "2007-10-13T00:20:07Z")
[QUOTE=lissener] Absolutely. I half believe LaBute just gave up on trying to take it seriously and put Cage in a bear suit for the camp value. [/QUOTE] hehheh, perfect description. Having just seen that Wicker Man remake a few days ago, I’d say that Eight Legged Freaks is a much better snark-from-the-crowd type movie. The Wicker Man is flat-out _bad_, though certainly funny in parts. Eight Legged Freaks is funny and good. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2007, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-an-entertaining-horror-movie-thats-rated-pg-13-or-younger/422388/58 "2007-10-13T03:19:33Z")
[QUOTE=spoke-] I think you are mistaken about the breasts thing, though. Weren’t breasts an automatic R back in the day? I can’t remember a PG movie from that era with exposed breasts. [/QUOTE] A very cursory search brings _Can’t Stop the Music_, _Circle of Two_, and _Midnight Madness_ from before the PG-13 era and _Elvira, Mistress of the Dark_ and _European Vacation_ from after, none rated R. Disclaimer: Of these, I have only actually seen _European Vacation_ to be able to attest that it has actual bare breasts. For the others, I’m at the mercy of IMDb’s keyword search feature, and I can certainly imagine that _Elvira_, especially, could easily be on that list by presentation, not by actual visualization. At any rate, it is clear to me based on the results that bare breasts in sub-R-rated films are considerably less commonplace than my memories of a misspent youth would have me believe, so I will concede the point and stand corrected. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2007, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-an-entertaining-horror-movie-thats-rated-pg-13-or-younger/422388/59 "2007-10-13T07:57:57Z")
[QUOTE=Lute Skywatcher] [Transylvania 6-5000](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090196/) would be good, if only to give it the MST3K treatment. And Geena Davis in the vampire get-up. [/QUOTE] Yes, WOW! 😉 **KneadToKnow** :_Elvira, Mistress of the Dark_= almost but not quite. \*Lots \*of cleavage and one scene with pasties. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2007, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-an-entertaining-horror-movie-thats-rated-pg-13-or-younger/422388/60 "2007-10-13T13:10:25Z")
[QUOTE=KneadToKnow] AAt any rate, it is clear to me based on the results that bare breasts in sub-R-rated films are considerably less commonplace than my memories of a misspent youth would have me believe, so I will concede the point and stand corrected. [/QUOTE] No, you were right to begin with. As an example, anybody remember the jello scene in Airplane? Clear shot of bouncing naked breasts, yet the movie was rated PG. Back in the day, it wasn’t uncommon to see brief tit shots in PG movies. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-an-entertaining-horror-movie-thats-rated-pg-13-or-younger/422388.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-an-entertaining-horror-movie-thats-rated-pg-13-or-younger/422388.md?page=4)