39+ Slightly Scary Shows for Kids to Watch this Halloween
My son loves scary stories. At age eight, we hesitantly introduced him to my favorite childhood scary books – Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. He was hooked! The two sequels were quickly added to the rotation…then we tapped out the library.
Around this time, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark was turned into a movie.
And there he is.
Harold.
Right there on the cover.
If you know, you know. But, if you don’t, let me tell you – Harold is hands-down the scariest story in all three books. It hits all the creep and is definitely the one to skip if some of the more banal stories scare your little one. My son begged to watch it. That was our line. Hard no.
However, there are plenty of great child-friendly mildly scary shows and movies that are perfect for the younger kid’s age group but when your kiddo is ready to upgrade, these shows are perfect for older kids and tweens. Let us know in the comments which your kids like or if you have another great one to include!
Our list is sorted by TV Parental Rating Guidelines. For those that are unrated we placed them as a best guess.
Slightly Scary Shows for Kids
Scary Shows for All Children TV-Y
Shows for Older Children TV-Y7
Shows for a General Audience TV-G
Scary Shows Parental Guidance Suggested TV-PG
Scary Shows for All Children TV-Y
1
Creepy Crawlers
Production: 1994-1996
Rating: NR
Based on a line of toys by the same name. It ran for two seasons and followed Chris Carter, a kid working in a magic shop. During a rare planetary alignment his ‘Magic Maker’ device was embued with the power to create strange creatures.
Where to Watch: Series currently unavailable. Miscellaneous episodes can be found on YouTube.
2
Aaahh!!! Real Monsters
Production: 1994-1997
Rating: TV-Y
It’s quirky and fun from Nickelodeon. Three little monsters attend school in New York City learning how to frighten humans. However, it can tend toward the dark, gross, and a bit of potty humor.
Where to Watch: DVD | Stream | Find it Free
Scary Shows for Older Children TV-Y7
3
Animorphs
Production: 1998-2000
Rating: TV-Y7
Teenagers that can morph into animals and must save the earth from an alien invasion. Based on a book series.
Where to Watch: Stream | Find it Free
4
Are You Afraid of The Dark
Production: 1992-1997
Rating: TV-Y7
Creeped out is an anthology series linked together by ‘The Curious.’ It is a character that appears at the beginning and end of each episode as a “collector” of stories.
Where to Watch: DVD | Stream | Find it Free
5
Beetlejuice
Production: 1989-1991
Rating: TV-Y7
Return to Beelejuice’s netherworld as he and Lydia explore the afterlife, monsters, ghosts, ghouls, and zombies.
Where to Watch: DVD | Find it Free
6
Courage The Cowardly Dog
Production: 1999-2002
Rating: TV-Y7
Courage is anything but. And, unfortunately for him, his elderly owners take him to some creepy places and fall into quite a few supernatural adventures.
Where to Watch: DVD | Stream | Find it Free
7
Eerie Indiana
Production: 1991-1992
Rating: TV-Y7
Simon is new in town and is a weirdness investigator. Fortunately, his new town is providing plenty of adventures.
Where to Watch: DVD | Stream | Find it Free
8
Freaky Stories
Production: 1997
Rating: TV-Y7
This animated series ran for three seasons. Each episodes delves into three urban legends or unexplained happening.
Where to Watch: Stream | Find it Free
9
Gortimer Gibbons Life on Normal Street
Production: 2014-2015
Rating: TV-Y7
Normal street is not what it appears. Gortimer and his two friends explore something that is just a bit magical.
Where to Watch: Stream | Find it Free
10
Gravity Falls
Production: 2012-2013
Rating: TV-Y7
Twins, Dipper and Mabel, are off to spend the summer with Grunkle (Great Uncle) Stan who runs a tourist trap called The Mystery Shack. However, the longer they spend in the town of Gravity Falls the more they realize something is not as it seems.
Where to Watch: DVD | Stream | Find it Free
11
The Grim Adventures Of Billy And Mandy
Production: 2000-2007
Rating: TV-Y7
A fairly un-scary animated adventure, but one of the main characters is the Grim Reapaer – so there is definitely a bit of a creep factor. He has the unfortunate luck to lose a limbo contest and has to head to the suburbs with Billy and Mandy.
Where to Watch: DVD | Stream | Find it Free
12
Grizzly Tales for Gruesome Kids
Production: 2000-2011
Rating: NR
A British production based on a popular series of books where horrible children get their comeuppance in often horrible and gruesome manners. Though unrated in the US it is probably a good fit for 7+.
Where to Watch: DVD | Stream | Find it Free
13
Growing Up Creepie
Production: 2007
Rating: TV-Y7
Creepie is just an average kid…whose father is a mosquito, mother is a praying mantis, and brother is a gnat. The show gives of major Tim Burton vibes.
Where to Watch: DVD | Stream | Find it Free
14
Just Add Magic
Production: 2015-2019
Rating: TV-Y7
Based on a book, Kelly and her two friends discover a cookbook in the attic. The book seems to cook up more than muffins – this spells trouble.
Where to Watch: Stream | Find it Free
15
The Last Kids On Earth
Production: 2019-2021
Rating: TV-Y7
What does a kid-run zombie apocalypse look like? Treehouses, video games and fighting monsters. #NBD
Based on the insanely popular book series, of the same name by Max Brallier.
Where to Watch: Stream | Find it Free
16
The Nightmare Room
Production: 2001-2002
Rating: TV-Y7
Only one 13 episode season of the R.L. Stine show (based on a like-named book series) were produced. The premise is an anthology-style show where the fears that live on the edge of your imagination come to life. Eight episodes were released on two DVDs. It is not currently available to stream.
17
The Owl House
Production: 2020-2021
Rating: TV-Y7
Luz, a human teenager, stumbles through a portal to a magical world where she befriends a tiny warrior and a rebellious witch.
Where to Watch: Stream | Find it Free
18
The Real Ghostbusters
Production: 1985-1990
Rating: TV-Y7
All the Ghostbusting fun from the movies in ten animated seasons of awesomeness!
Where to Watch: DVD | Stream | Find it Free
19
Ruby Gloom
Production: 2006
Rating: TV-Y7
Ruby is a cheerful little goth living in a Victoria mansion and happy to befriend the strange and scary creatures that live in the closet.
Where to Watch: DVD | Stream | Find it Free
20
Strange Days at Blake Holsey High
Production: 2002-2006
Rating: TV-Y7
Also known as Black Hole High, this show takes place at a boarding school with a wormhole problem.
Where to Watch: Stream | Find it Free
21
Tales From The Cryptkeeper
Production: 1993-1994, 1999
Rating: TV-Y7
Also known as Black Hole High, this show takes place at a boarding school with a wormhole problem.
Where to Watch: DVD | Stream | Find it Free
Scary Shows for a General Audience TV-G
22
Ghostwriter
Production: 2019-2020
Rating: TV-G
A group of friends team up when a ghost haunts a neighborhood bookstore and begins releasing fictional characters into the world.
Where to Watch: Stream | Find it Free
23
The Haunted Hathaways
Production: 2014-2015
Rating: TV-G
A family-friendly ghost centric comedy. The scares in this one are low but the Hathaways’ new house in New Orleans is haunted!
Where to Watch: Stream | Find it Free
24
House of Anubis
Production: 2011-2013
Rating: TV-G
A little soapy the story revolves around an American girl, Nina enrolling at an elite boarding school. On the day of her arrival another student goes missing. Strange things are happening and the school’s attic may be haunted but the students band together to solve the mystery of the disappearance of one of their friends.
Where to Watch: Stream | Find it Free
25
Moville Mysteries
Production: 2002-2003
Rating: TV-G
In Ouigee Falls strange things happen every day. Mo and his friends encounter the strange and supernatural and investigate the paranormal and down right weird.
Where to Watch: Stream | Find it Free
Scary Shows Parental Guidance Suggested TV-PG
26
The A List
Production: 2018-2021
Rating: TV-PG
The A-List is a teen drama that finds our group on a remote island. This sleepaway camp is different than the others it’s filled with a mystery and supernatural drama!
Where to Watch: Stream | Find it Free
27
Are You Afraid of The Dark
Production: 2019
Rating: TV-PG
Revived as a three-part, self-contained limited series. This outing is a little creepier than the original but just as fun!
Where to Watch: DVD | Stream | Find it Free
28
Are You Afraid of The Dark: Curse of the Shadows
Production: 2021
Rating: TV-PG
Picking up from the 2019 reboot, the current iteration introduces and all new group of kids as members of the Midnight Society. And, it launches a new mysterious creature, The Shadowman.
Where to Watch: DVD | Stream | Find it Free
29
Creeped Out
Production: 2017
Rating: TV-PG
Creeped out is an anthology series linked together by ‘The Curious.’ It is a character that appears at the beginning and end of each episode as a “collector” of stories.
Where to Watch: Stream | Find it Free
30
Deadtime Stories
Production: 2012-2014
Rating: TV-PG
Every episode has a babysitter telling questionable bed time stories to the children she is watching.
Where to Watch: Stream | Find it Free
31
Goosebumps
Production: 1995-1998
Rating: TV-PG
R.L. Stine’s wildly popular book series, of the same name comes to life in four seasons of creeps and scares! Told anthology-style each scary episodes can stand alone as it explores all the things that go bump in the night.
Where to Watch: DVD | Stream | Find it Free
32
R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour
Production: 2010-2014
Rating: TV-PG
Following in Goosebumps’ footsteps, R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour, is an anthology series that explores the creepy, scary, and unexplained.
Where to Watch: DVD | Stream | Find it Free
33
The Secret of Sulphur Springs
Production: 2021
Rating: TV-PG
A young boy and his family move to a dilapidated hotel in a small town. The town believes the hotel to be haunted. Along with a new friend they delve into the 30 year old mystery of the hotel and a missing girl.
Where to Watch: Stream | Find it Free
34
Over the Garden Wall
Production: 2014
Rating: TV-PG
An animated mini-series produced by Cartoon Network follows tow brothers, Wirt and Greg, when they find themselves in a mysterious forest and must find their way home.
Where to Watch: Stream | Find it Free
35
A Series of Unfortunate Events
Production: 2017-2019
Rating: TV-PG
The series follows the newly orphaned Baudelaire children as they try to uncover the mystery of their parents’ deaths and escape the clutches of the evil Count Olaf.
Where to Watch: Find it
36
So Weird
Production: 1999-2001
Rating: TV-PG
Fiona “Fi” has a webiste, “So Weird,” where she posts the mysterious and supernatural events she encounters. All this while traveling the country with her rock-star mom and investigating her father’s death.
Where to Watch: Find it
37
Spooksville
Production: 2013
Rating: TV-PG
Based on books by Christopher Pike, a new kid in town discovers he is the key to winning the battle between good and evil that has been ravaging his town for centuries.
Where to Watch: DVD | Stream | Find it Free
38
Truth or Scare
Production: 2001-2002
Rating: NR
Documentary style show hosted by Michell Trachtenberg, from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Each episode relates a famous story of hauntings or paranormal activity.
Where to Watch: Currently unavailable – several episodes can be viewed on YouTube
39
Twilight Zone
Production: 1959-
Rating: TV-PG
A series of unrelated stories of the macabre, mysterious, and downright scary.
There is also a 2002 TV-PG version hosted by Forest Whitaker but it is not currently available for Streaming. You can see many of them on YouTube.
Where to Watch: DVD | Stream | Find it Free
40
Wolfblood
Production: 2013-2017
Rating: TV-PG
Werewolf show about 14 year old Maddy. There are secrets to keep in the woods and they all need to stay with the pack.
Where to Watch: Stream | Find it Free
Next Level Scary Shows
Ready to step up the scary? These are rated for older kids for a variety of reasons from scare to romance, to adult themes, to more realistic monsters and violence. Viewer discretion is definitely advised for the following or you may consider watching together as a family.
- Angel (TV-14)
- Bates Motel (TV-14)
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV-14)
- Ghost Nation (TV-14)
- Grimm (TV-14)
- Home Before Dark (TV-14)
- Lock and Key (TV-14)
- Lore (16+)
- My Ghost Story (TV-14)
- My Horror Story (TV-14)
- Paranormal Witness (TV-14)
- Scream Queens (TV-14)
- Sleepy Hollow (TV-14)
- Something Scary (YouTube series retelling urban legends and real ghost stories – stories are animated but can definitely delve into the really creepy)
- Stranger Things (TV-14)
- Supernatural (TV-14)
- Tales of the Unexpected (13+)
- The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (TV-14)
- The Nightmare Worlds of H.G. Wells (13+)
- Truth Seekers (16+)
- Vampire Diaries (TV-14)
- The X-Files (TV-MA)
