During my twenties, I volunteered at a local children’s hospital. I worked in the family library, which had not only books that patients and their families could check out but also DVDs, since all the rooms were equipped with players. As it was a children’s hospital, we didn’t stock R-rated films, though I was surprised at how popular the PG-13 horrors were. I never questioned anyone’s selection, so I can simply speculate at their popularity—I can imagine how scary it is for a child to be in a hospital for an indeterminate amount of time. It’s probably even more terrifying for their parents. Perhaps the best form of escapism can be seeing people face those fears within the comforting confines of Hollywood movies.
Even for those not in a hospital, the appeal of PG-13 horror makes for a nice middle ground between the films of youth and the gorier R-rated material that dominates the genre. These movies make you feel a little older and sometimes feature kids who have to grow up a little when confronting things that go bump in the night. Like an amusement park ride, it’s a way to get a thrill and the illusion of danger without being in real peril.
For younger film fans who want to find their way into horror but aren’t old enough to check out the R-rated stuff on their own (and I sympathize; I wasn’t allowed to watch R-rated movies growing up), I’ve compiled a list informed by what was popular in the family library, as well as PG-13 horror that can provide a gateway to horror subgenres. I’ve also tried to stay true to the “PG-13” rating, which came into use in 1984, so that’s why there’s no “PG” horror like Poltergeist (although if ever a film needed a re-rating…), nor are there classics like Universal Monsters. I’ve found that younger viewers first tend towards recent releases, so naturally my first recommendation involves video cassettes.
