Parents have always shared horror with their children. Mothers and fathers in the 19th century read their little ones terrifying and gory books like Shockheaded Peter, a collection of gruesome drawings and moralizing verses, and bedtime stories like Hansel and Gretel, which begins with parents leading their children deep into the woods and leaving them to starve, and ends with the burning of a cannibalistic witch. Sleep tight, darling!

Watching horror movies together is the modern version of sharing these dark tales, and kids (well, some kids) love it. If your child is a budding goth, or just curious about goth, sharing a scary movie can be more than just a fun way to spend an evening. Horror transforms abstract terrors like death, pain, loss, and zombies into symbolic monsters so we can safely confront and conquer them. Watching a horror movie with your child is a way to help them recognize the eternal truth that life is cruel and terrifying, but if we face the darkness together, we can get through it and maybe even drive the monster back to hell… for a while, anyway.

While you want to get your toddler used to scary things, you don't want to traumatize him or her. That's why you should consider your child's personality, tastes, and age when determining how much scary is too much.

Children have different tolerances for scary images. Some are deeply moved by even the mildest suggestion of a spooky mood, and some kids can handle pretty hardcore horror content without thinking about it. Fortunately, most “safe” children’s art contains gruesome elements, so you can gauge your child’s reaction to scary villains like Cruella in 101 Dalmatians to see if they’re the kind of morbid thrill-seekers who will grow up to be horror freaks.