Young Children and Horror Movies: Possible Abuse?

Originally posted by smyleegrl
I've had children talk about their parents' smoking and using certain substances, stealing things, etc. I always do my best to change the subject quickly, then talk to that child about the need for discretion and privacy at school.

I just stopped reading right there and wanted to say AWESOME.

My son is four and one day I decided he was ready to watch one of my favorite movies with me "The Labyrinth". He was pretty scared during that movie, but I remember being young and it not phasing me at all. I guess it depends on the kid.

reply to post by smyleegrl


The very young, I'm with you. But a little older, man, I hope not. My kids are 11, 9, 8 and 6 (the last a boy). I can't wait until I can share with them some of my favorite scary movies. Not the slasher stuff; that's cheap scary. I mean freaky stuff like "The Grudge." But yes, I will wait a few more years because I do think it'd traumatize them now, especialy my sensitive little 8 year old. Thirteen is the marker for me.

My son, who is 9, absolutely LOVES Michael Meyers, scream, etc. He knows its all fake and just movies.
I think my first real horror flick was alien, it fascinated and scared me at the same time, I was afraid the Xenomorph would bite my ankle so I kept my feet covered (LOL)
I grew up well adjusted and my so is my son
Oh BTW on the matter of clowns: it was the Poltergiest clown that did it for me:

reply to post by smyleegrl


It's abuse if the kid is scared and begging you not to watch it but you make them anyway. In other words, if it's actually traumatizing them, then it's abuse. However, some kids really like violence and horror stuff. Some kids just like a good scare. To me, warm and fuzzy was disturbing and traumatizing. Why? Because there's something unnatural about people being that happy and lovey dovey.

Another thing that you've got to keep in mind is that to those kids in your class, it may not even be scary. For example, my grandmother was terrified by "The Blob". She still is. But I watched "The Blob" at 8 years old and didn't actually laughed at some parts.

reply to post by hadriana


My God I am so sorry for this ordeal.Why oh why can't I find rifle targets like these people.
I once saw a guy wheeling in a baby and escorted by two toddlers into "Black Hawk Down" I very audiably stated "I guess some people like to F##k up their kids early in life".
I grew up with daggers with skulls on them bb guns and I liked playing soldier in order to become one.I'm not the guy you take home to mom but I am liked more than not.I have also been consoled by my VA mandated Psychiatrist that I am indeed sane, yet again.Weird but sane.
"I saw faces of Death" and it depressed me,I saw The Exorcist in the drive in when I was thirteen and laughed hard when she peed the carpet.I was into occult stuff around then.Most horror movies are irritating because they could be solved with firepower.
I was also trained by a Viet Nam scout how to stalk so I guess I would be the monster

My 5 year old daughter LOVES horror, or scary movies, as she calls them. She falls asleep to the horror channel all the time, at her request . I would say though, it depends on the child.

reply to post by hadriana


Been there, experienced that! You have my understanding. Nice job rising above it all!

P

reply to post by smyleegrl


I find it a little ironic that another holiday helps confirm your theory, Valentines day. The infamous "Saint Valentines Day Massacre" in 1929 made headlines around the world due to it's novelty, brutality and news coverage. The number of victims was SEVEN, all died from gunshots, all were alleged criminals. If seven gang bangers die in LA tonight during a shoot out I doubt that news will make it past the city limits.
Another example is "Jack The Ripper" an unidentified serial killer who murdered an estimated 5 to 7 prostitutes in London back in 1888. In this instance the crimes were decidedly more brutal, and newspaper descriptions at the time helped fuel the mystery, but in today's world I doubt it would make the front page.
Our children grew up watching Columbine, 911 and other horrors on network television, while they are able to distinguish fiction from reality, the common denominators, evil and horror are present in both.

Strange, no-one has brought it up.

Let's try a little run through history. Books that let children's imaginations fly!

Hansel and Gretal - The witch that cooks and eats children.

Snow White sleeping in the same bed as seven dwarfs.

Really pick your fairy tale!

P

reply to post by aching_knuckles

Lol. I know it sounds stupid. But if my 1st grader goes to school talking about zombies, OK.
my kid goes to school talking about a$$ and titties., a call to cps.
Sign of the times my friend.

Double post

Originally posted by beezzer
reply to post by smyleegrl

 

I'd have to disagree with your premise.

it all depends upon the context of the setting, the family, the child.

the blanket statements about harming a childs psyche are just that. Blanket statements.

Not all children are negatively affected.

I think there are quite a few that can discern fantasy from reality.

If you disagree, then fine.

But I hope you'll leave the decision making to the parents.

Funny. Always people who are in favor of horror and abuse and do not want to see any of it censored out of regular circulation. They are there to promote spanking kids, sexist and violent video games. No matter that this is a teacher working with children and parents don't know it all. "Be very careful you are waking a very fine line." I don't think so. Who needs this type of material? Human torture blood and gore should not be forced on people sickened by it to protect the rights of people who happen to love it. I cannot pop my eyeballs out whenever the ads and promotions for the new SAW appear. Just like the last song you heard plays endlessly in your head, the last sight you see sticks there like a photograph haunting your dreams and awakes. Whatever anyone else's right to savor violence and gore is, it is wrong to make me see it - even once.

While I understand there are campy 'horror' movies, anyone, parent or otherwise that would let a child younger than 12 watch true horror movies with gore and extreme violence isn't fit to be a parent. I question your sanity. What kind of people ARE you?

reply to post by smyleegrl


I have known many of children in my lifetime, a great many of do not watch such movies, yet do display the symptons you describe as they get older. Kids of course will be kids,boys especially, and it is these whom most ofthen have nightmares and night terrors as well as agressive & self destructive behaviors without the benifit of horror movies. My findings are that most preadult and adult females who do not watch horror movies live the life of a living nightmare. These are of course due to upbringing & enviorment. Ours which was bad, and still is a bad one today. Where I live most kids between between 6-16 will more likely hear and witness more violence in real life than any they will see on tv in a lifetime. And for many of them, well, if perhaps they were at home watching horror movies, or anything else for that matter,Maybe they wouldnt have been purpetraitors or victims of such violence. But that's just a sad fact of life around here.

I wasn't allowed to watch horror movies nor did I have any interest in them when I was a kid.
our thing was war movies. which was a sense of horror in my eyes at that age, it fascinated and terrified me.

Honestly, I hate to be the one to say this, but Penn and Tellers Bull# show they did there own study to see if violent video games make kids violent. And they found its bull#. Just like i think this is... Teachers I feel sorry for because they dont get paid enough, and they....Dont really .....Teach anymore? well u know with the elite running education into the ground... Teachers now days are just Power trippers who want to have every aspect of control like its a daycare instead of an educational establishment. Or i should say MOST teachers so they dont get as mad. You sir, need a life, and should not be asking kids stupid questions like this, and leave parenting up to the parents like they used to in the old days. Stop worrying about what kids WATCH and start worrying about what there going to learn, and where there futures are going to be. Im 23, and have not been out of school long, and already realize the dramatic horrible changes. And the generations just keep getting worse. Im going to home school my kids, if they still allow it when i have mine.

reply to post by smyleegrl


i watched plenty of horror movies when i was way way WAY little-er and it didn't mess me up.

it was scary of course, that's why i watched it.


the thing that bothers me is when on normal t.v. there's suddenly a movie trailer for some disturbing abomination of a movie that should be rated so RRRRRRRRRRRR that a pirate would faint from how scary it is (the ring), and yet the trailers just pops up on t.v. out of nowhere, literally scaring the lalala out of my lalala as a little kid...

i am convinced the people that make those movies specifically try to troll and expose children to the horrors of their disgusting imaginations to scar them for life on purpose.

i do NOT need to be watching spongebob squarepants and then suddenly see chacaron maccaron r*pe face of a monster foreign movie french exorcist, and not be able to sleep for a year.

I don't get why people like horror movies. Why would anyone enjoy watching scary stuff? Or stuff where someone gets hurt? Making young kids watch these types of films in my opinion is wrong-it may not be bad for them in the long run (depending on child and how much you expose them to sadness and horror), but I don't think its very nice.

Originally posted by bullmax222
Honestly, I hate to be the one to say this, but Penn and Tellers Bull# show they did there own study to see if violent video games make kids violent. And they found its bull#. Just like i think this is... Teachers I feel sorry for because they dont get paid enough, and they....Dont really .....Teach anymore? well u know with the elite running education into the ground... Teachers now days are just Power trippers who want to have every aspect of control like its a daycare instead of an educational establishment. Or i should say MOST teachers so they dont get as mad. You sir, need a life, and should not be asking kids stupid questions like this, and leave parenting up to the parents like they used to in the old days. Stop worrying about what kids WATCH and start worrying about what there going to learn, and where there futures are going to be. Im 23, and have not been out of school long, and already realize the dramatic horrible changes. And the generations just keep getting worse. Im going to home school my kids, if they still allow it when i have mine.

In my opinion teachers aren't being paid that badly, and I also don't think they are teaching that badly. In primary school (which I suppose this thread is most about) teaching about what to watch might actually be what they do these days, since you can't really teach young kids advanced maths etc (or you can, but I don't think you should). Why can't teachers talk to their students about life? Its primary school, not uni. Parents shouldn't be the only influence for kids, especially since some parents arent that good...

Home schooling is not a good idea in my opinion, there are lots of really good opportunities in school, and you're teaching skills aren't going to be as good as the teachers who learned to teach (especially when it gets to high school and more specialised subjects-your child might want to know different stuff to you).

Originally posted by SoymilkAlaska
reply to post by smyleegrl

 

the thing that bothers me is when on normal t.v. there's suddenly a movie trailer for some disturbing abomination of a movie that should be rated so RRRRRRRRRRRR that a pirate would faint from how scary it is (the ring), and yet the trailers just pops up on t.v. out of nowhere, literally scaring the lalala out of my lalala as a little kid...

I hate that too. I would prefer ads related to the genre of the film being watched. Ie. watching comedy=funny ads...

I loved watching Horrors when I was younger. The scarier the better. It gives you a rush, when you're really scared. I can't get that feeling now because when you're older Horror films just don't strike that chord anymore.

I'm glad I watched them now though. It used to be every Friday, me and my friend would try to find the goriest scariest film we could get our hands on, along with a mountain of junk food. Those were quite literally some of the best days I remember.

As for games. A violent game is great to let your anger out. Very few people are affected in a way in which it will change their personality. You hear about 1 or 2 instances where someone did something because of a violent video game, and now everyone wants to stop kids playing them. It's an experience, and 99% of the time, it's just fun. Steal a car and start a police chase. It sounds bad, but in a game, it's just amazing. Plus, it gives them so much conversation with friends the next day. You share your stories of what you did in the game. It's sociable.

It's like parents who try to shield their children from swearing. Sorry, but by the time they're 7 or 8, they know those words, they know what them mean, and they'll be using them when amongst friends. I wouldn't encourage it, but just know that it's impossible to keep these things from them.