'Twas the night before Halloween, I'm thinking aloud...

I may be babysitting for my nephew tomorrow evening. I say "may" because when I called his mom to talk about it, she said she wasn't feeling well and might not be going out.

She's going to see how she feels after taking him trick-or-treating that afternoon. (I was momentarily rankled that he'll be going while it's still light out...then I remembered he's going as Darth Vader, so visibility is a factor.)

Anyway, if I do end up going over, I was thinking it might not be a bad idea to pick up a few scary--but appropriate for children--movies on the way.

So, I went in search of some films in the PG range (he's seven) that got high rankings on the old Tomatometer.

You know what I found out? Film ratings sure seem to have changed (not that I'm suggesting the MPAA is anything but consistent and well-reasoned).

Bear in mind, all of these are movies that, theoretically, I could've plunked down money at any theater in the land and seen all by myself (in one or two cases, did) when I was my nephew's age or younger.

Jaws. Ok, one of the great movies no question but...really? My poor nephew's already afraid to get his face wet when he goes swimming. Pass.

Sleuth (original, with Olivier and Caine).This I don't think would scare him too bad, but I also don't think he'd find it very interesting.



Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978, Kaufman version).

Are you crazy? The "photo novel" version of this alone gave me the creeps when I was a kid.

And when it comes to bleak endings, I might just as well show him the ending of Saw IV.

...and that is never, ever going to happen, at least not for another decade.

Phantom of the Paradise.Again: Powerful if flawed movie, but so not something I think anyone should see before they're (at least) old enough to drive. Watched that trailer? PG?

Poltergeist. Yeah, his parents would forgive me for that.



Swamp Thing. Ah! Now we're talking. Now that's a kid's horror movie (and the one I actually saw in the theater when I was nine or ten).

-providing you watch the version with Adrienne Barbeau's topless scene edited out, of course...

Stepford Wives (1970s version). Somehow, I think the intended antifeminism backlash satire might be lost upon the kid. And that's probably a good thing (come a long long way baby, etc).



BTW, listen to the narrator of this trailer. Isn't that Tony Perkins?

Twilight Zone: The Movie. No, but more because it's kind of crap than really all that
...scary.

Anyway as we all know, the freakiest part of this movie is not on the screen.

(Trivia: The third and fifth season Simpsons Halloween episodes have good spoofs of Zone episodes that were also adapted for this film, one of which, in turn, stars Nancy "Bart Simpson" Cartwright)

If not these, what then?

Hermione
Originally uploaded by ursulakm

A Harry Potter movie might not be a bad idea...my fave is still Order of the Phoenix, and I don't know if he's seen it.

Coraline I know he's seen a few times.

I have a lot of fond memories of Bedknobs & Broomsticks, and here's one now...



I don't know if it would hold up for a 21st century child, but it has just been re-released on DVD...

Side note to self: It's not really a Halloween movie, but you must show Tristan Tron some day. (esp. before this comes out)

Front Desk
Originally uploaded by John(ny) D

Maybe we'll just watch (if anything) one of his many Pixar DVDs...