Thinking about parents, allowing children to watch scary movies is another way to be intentional about the role. As you can see from this list at Commonsense Media, selecting a good/scary movie can mean weighing the child's age, developmental ability to understand what's happening, to know that it's make believe, temperament and sensitivity to images and actions that another child might not find frightening, and the setting in which the movie is viewed. As with all media, someone should engage with the child while viewing to make it a positive experience. In part, this scaffolding can attune to what the experience is like for the individual child. It also allows asking the child questions to correct misunderstandings or to deepen comprehension of what is being viewed. Questioning and engagement can also help children understand consequences (of for instance, violence, often portrayed as cartoony and painless, or of gender representations).
As adults we like to watch favorite films and TV shows for lots of reasons. Memories, emotions, the story, who we watch it with and sometimes to just get a good scare.
In class I shared that my favorite scary movie is The Haunting (1963), directed by Robert Wise. Here's the IMDB page with information about the film: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057129/?ref_=nv_sr_4 . This film came out when I was 8, and I probably saw it for the first time when I was 9 or 10. I love it because it is very well done - in the pre-cgi era - showing what happens with a mixture of talent, good camera work and imagination. And for its indelible impact on me (as I still think twice at leaving my hand off the side of the bed) . Below is the trailer:
What is YOUR favorite scary movie and why? Or, if you don't like scary movies, why not?