Because kids like to be scared too!

We horror fans are sometimes averse to PG-13 horror movies, but one thing we must always keep in mind is that the kids of any given generation need horror movies they can see, enjoy, be terrified by, and hopefully, lead them down the path of being the horror fans of the future. When I was growing up, books like Goosebumps and films like Little Monsters helped shape me into the horror-lover than I am today, and I can’t imagine how my life would’ve turned out without them. Would I even be such a hardcore horror fan? Would I spend my days writing about horror?

Family-friendly horror, I like to say, is gateway horror.

And that’s the perfect segue, if I may pat myself on the back, for a tasty bit of exclusive goodness we have for you today. Co-writers John Campopiano (Unearthed & Untold: The Path to Pet Sematary) and Matthew Spry broke the exclusive to us that they’re working on a book titled Creatures for Kids, set to explore three decades of films (1970-2000) that went bump in the night and scared multiple generations of kids the world over. When John told me about the project, my eyes probably lit up with glee. Because this is a book that the world definitely needs.

I’ll let Campopiano explain:

As a kid, do you remember your parents, siblings, or babysitters warning you against watching that scary film before bedtime? Did the kitchen scene in 1984’s GREMLINS serve to scare you away from your actual kitchen at night? Would your pulse quicken before going to your basement or attic? (Maybe it still does!) From feature-length films and made-for-TV movies to educational shorts, CREATURES FOR KIDS will discuss dozens of childhood favorites and obscure gems that were created for children and families but featured the sorts of monsters, ghouls, and ghosts you might find in any horror or fantasy film.

Part reference guide and part critical review, the book contains filmmaker interviews, capsule reviews, and in-depth essays framed by the real life horrors of growing up such as death, divorce, and being bullied. Between them, co-authors John Campopiano and Matthew Spry share more than 60 years of being scared out of their wits by cinema.