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Is 7 too soon?

post #1 of 27
4/13/10 at 9:10pm
Thread Starter 
I regularly babysit my roomies 7 year old daughter. I quickly discovered that she's been allowed to watch such harsh films as the HALLOWEEN remake, and THE DEVIL'S REJECTS. I would never allow her to see those films as young as she is, however... I have let her see quite a few other R rated films thus far.

Listed in order of her preference:

BC vs. AoD
Zombieland
Sleepy Hollow
ED2
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Nispel)
Dawn of the Dead (Both versions)
Day of the Dead (Romero)
Halloween 2 (Rosenthal)

Am I the worst influence on this poor child... or just the greatest babysitter ever?
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post #2 of 27
4/13/10 at 9:15pm
Does she have trouble sleeping or suffer night terrors? If not then I'll go with option B
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post #3 of 27
4/13/10 at 9:19pm
My parents let me watch R rated movies since the crib, and I'm only slightly homicidal. I think you're in the clear.
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post #4 of 27
4/13/10 at 9:26pm
Does she actually understand what's going on in them?

7 seems way too young for all that sex and violence. I would have went with something more along the lines of The Monster Squad or Killer Klowns from Outer Space. But if her favorite is Army of Darkness, then she's A-Ok.
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post #5 of 27
4/13/10 at 9:32pm
As long as it's explained that it's all fake, there should be no problem. The only one's on there that are "real" are the TCM remake, and Halloween II. Everything else is so batshit crazy that the kid has got to know IT'S ALL FAKE!

Then again my parents were awesome and took me to see Jacob's Ladder in the theater at 6 years old, and it freaked me out for years to come. My Mother used to read King's The Stand to me also. Helped make me a lifelong horror fan.
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post #6 of 27
4/13/10 at 9:33pm
As long as her imaginary friend doesnt tell her to murder you in your sleep, you're fine.
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post #7 of 27
4/13/10 at 9:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rene (Mr.Eko) View Post
Then again my parents were awesome and took me to see Jacob's Ladder in the theater at 6 years old
I'm guessing the talk about the birds and the bees was a bit unconventional after that, right?
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post #8 of 27
4/13/10 at 10:16pm
I received permission, to take a friends sons to...Blade, and they...Loved it. They were...7 and 10 at the time!
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post #9 of 27
4/13/10 at 11:14pm
Thread Starter 
Coincidentally enough, she just asked me to let her watch Halloween 2 again, but I helped her change her mind. Now she's in the den enjoying Hooper's TCM2 for the first time. She laughed her head off at the "Frat Boy" intro. I had suggested either Shaun of the Dead, or Return of the Living Dead. She picked both of those along with TCM2 as her preferred choices from what I had offered, then I mixed them up behind my back and had her pick a number.

I'm rather certain she knows far more about film than the average 7 year old. I even showed her the knife gag with the tube attached to an ear wash bulb filled with fake blood last Halloween, and she absolutely loved it. I haven't shown her my Savini FX books yet, though, as she still tends to mangle just about everything she touches.

She hasn't had a single nightmare as a result of anything I've let her watch thus far, although she did start to tear up just a bit the first time she watched H2, but that was only because the volume was too loud and she was tired and cranky because it was so late. The very minute she returned home from school the next day, she begged me to let her watch it again. She made it all the way through sans tear or fear on her second attempt. I told her I was very proud of her for that. She still has to conquer her fear of Romero's NoTLD, though... but she has plenty of time.

H2 and the TCM remake are definitely the harshest films I've let her see, and yet oddly enough, she had no problem with TCM whatsoever. The zombie films are the safest for her IMO, but she's not getting to see Fulci's ZOMBIE anytime soon. I have deemed the original Evil Dead off limits for now as well.

It bears mentioning that insofar as PG-13 films go, her favorite is Big Trouble in Little China. She still watches the Twilight series and Miley Cirus vehicles and whatnot, but those films and their ilk (As well as The Disney Channel) can't possibly compete with her interest and enthusiasm for horror, and that just tickles me to death.
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post #10 of 27
4/13/10 at 11:17pm
She's going to make some young film geek lad out there very, very happy some day...
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post #11 of 27
4/14/10 at 6:40am
Id say yes, for two reasons.

1. It's a childhood rite of passage to try and watch a scary movie without permission - you are denying her that by giving said permission.

2. Harry Knowles does it - enough said.
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post #12 of 27
4/14/10 at 6:52am
Since it's your roomies kid, I don't think you should let her watch stuff without his permission. But that said, it sounds like she's a horror fan, so why the fuck not? At least this way you can introduce her to GOOD horror.
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post #13 of 27
4/14/10 at 7:40am
I'd say kids can watch R-rated stuff, as long as it's good natured R-rated stuff. Army of Darkness, Braindead, that sort of stuff.
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post #14 of 27
4/14/10 at 12:54pm
My neighbor's ex-husband wanted to let their then 8-year old son (he'll be 10 this year) watch the French film "Inside". The dad is a horror buff, and he called "Inside" the "most frightening movie I've ever seen." And I was like, "...and you want your kid to watch that." The kid saw some commercial about meth where some girl's face starts bleeding or something, and had nightmares for weeks after that. I can't imagine him watching this flick.

My son wants to watch some of these films my wife and I discuss all the time, but he understands the whole "R" thing is there for a reason. My first rated "R" film was not so exciting--my dad took me to see "Semi-Tough" when I was about 6-7 years old. Boobies!
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post #15 of 27
4/14/10 at 1:06pm
As long as she has someone there to talk to her to put all that shit into context, if she actually *wants* to see it, go nuts. If it was my kid, I'd go with Lucas's suggestions, personally (Zombieland was another great choice, I might add) as opposed to Devil's Rejects, which I still feel dirty suggesting to full grown adults, but once kids are curious, they're going to see it anyway. Might as well have a guide to the good stuff.

My mother watching the first Nightmare on Elm Street with me when I was 8, fixing me lunch, and getting into a conversation about the worst nightmares we ever had was one of those moments that defined our relationship for years. Still does to a point.
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post #16 of 27
4/14/10 at 1:25pm
I don't know, seven's pretty young.

My ten year old son, Kid Vivisector, freaks out at the merest sound of a scary movie's music, so I failed miserably somewhere at being the cool dad. I've tried to introduce him to stuff like Vincent Price stuff, no dice. He does like the kaiju giant monster movies, but if it's a hint of scary he bolts.

But he told me he could have watched Paranormal Activity by himself, no problem.

I'd love to take him to see Kick Ass, but it sounds over the top by any measurement.
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post #17 of 27
4/14/10 at 1:42pm
I ended up seeing a few horror movies and such when I was that age, but not with my parents. I did get nightmares a few times from the ones I did see.

I don't have kids, but if I did, I doubt I'd let them see anything scary past something like Monster Squad or Little Monsters at that age.
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post #18 of 27
4/14/10 at 1:47pm
This is one of those areas where I really part ways with most chewers. The thought of kids watching the kind of hardcore stuff you're mentioning here disturbs me profoundly. I don't have a rational, well thought out explanation for why, but it gives me the creeps.

My son, at 6 1/2, still won't watch Toy Story. He made it to Sid blowing up the toy soldier with a firecracker and that was it, he made me turn it off. I'm with Ebert: he can watch any non-R rated movie he wants, as long as it's a real movie, i.e., not a crappy 70 minute toy commercial. He's a sensitive kid, and gets nightmares easily, so I'm not pushing him to move up from Yo Gabba Gabba until he's good and ready. He's tentatively watching clips of Clone Wars (I know, irony alert wrt 70 minute toy commercial. Star Wars is exempt from that rule, just because.) online, and that's been about the most intense thing he's subjected himself to.

Now, I'm not trying to project my kid's proclivities to ALL kids, but certain kinds of imagery and thematic material should definitely be off limits for MOST kids until, say 11 or 12 minimum. They're just not equipped with the brain development to deal with it properly until then. In my opinion. [Dons flame suit]
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post #19 of 27
4/14/10 at 1:56pm
It all depends upon the maturity of the kid in question. Everyone goes through life at their own pace; if he/she can handle these movies and put them into the proper context, go nuts.
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post #20 of 27
4/14/10 at 1:58pm
Eh, I definitely think 7 is a little young for The Devil's Rejects and Zombie's Halloweens and things like that. Those are really rough for anyone that age to be watching.
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post #21 of 27
4/14/10 at 3:16pm
Remember back just about 15 or 20 years ago? Every kid round the age of 10 was wearing and imitating Freddy after watching elm street movies. We loved that scary stuff. Most of my friends wore freddy costumes for halloween one year.

And as I remember, the violence and death seemed cartoonish even to us kids. We didn't take it seriously and go out and make bladed gloves or anything. It was just fun being scared. Kids are tougher than we give em credit for nowadays.
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post #22 of 27
4/14/10 at 4:21pm
As stated, it depends on the kid. She seems like she's interested in the technical stuff, which is great because it shows that she's completely aware it's all fake. Personally, at that age, I don't think I was equipped to handle a spooky episode of Punky Brewster, so more power to her. One of the enduring movie images I remember from my childhood is from some slasher film where a guy's head is squished until his eyes pop out and boy, did that scare the snot out of me. I was left alone with the tv a lot and I think if I had someone there with me to explain that it was a fake and maybe try to have me think about how the effect was done I might not be a total wuss when it come to horror movies.

Still, even if she's into horror, I'd try to keep the Rob Zombie-type stuff on the shelf for a while longer. I agree with Eyeball Kid, a kid that young watching the hardcore stuff does ring the ick bells.
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post #23 of 27
4/14/10 at 4:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eyeball Kid View Post
This is one of those areas where I really part ways with most chewers. The thought of kids watching the kind of hardcore stuff you're mentioning here disturbs me profoundly. I don't have a rational, well thought out explanation for why, but it gives me the creeps.

My son, at 6 1/2, still won't watch Toy Story. He made it to Sid blowing up the toy soldier with a firecracker and that was it, he made me turn it off. I'm with Ebert: he can watch any non-R rated movie he wants, as long as it's a real movie, i.e., not a crappy 70 minute toy commercial. He's a sensitive kid, and gets nightmares easily, so I'm not pushing him to move up from Yo Gabba Gabba until he's good and ready. He's tentatively watching clips of Clone Wars (I know, irony alert wrt 70 minute toy commercial. Star Wars is exempt from that rule, just because.) online, and that's been about the most intense thing he's subjected himself to.

Now, I'm not trying to project my kid's proclivities to ALL kids, but certain kinds of imagery and thematic material should definitely be off limits for MOST kids until, say 11 or 12 minimum. They're just not equipped with the brain development to deal with it properly until then. In my opinion. [Dons flame suit]
Eyeball, your son and mine could hang out. He's 6.5 as well, and couldn't finish Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. The final sequence was too intense for him, and that was the last straw with movies for him. He refuses to see just about *any* movie that's not an ocean life documentary. It really sucks, as there are so many good kids movies kicking around (How to Train Your Dragon for the win!). Luckily my 8-year-old daughter is coming along nicely. I think I'll save horror for a little later, but she's interested in all kinds of movies now.

On the flip side, Yo Gabba Gabba freaks *me* out. Give me Phineas and Ferb any day.
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post #24 of 27
4/14/10 at 6:02pm
My only feeling about 7 or 8 being too young for horror movies is that the point of the movies has to be going over their heads. Sure it's neat to watch a scary film with your kid, but are they really understanding what is happening, the context of the scene? Are they reacting with you, or possibly to the images themselves? I think my point is that if you ask the kid about the movie afterwards, they wouldn't judge the movie on the same level an adult would. It would be more about what they saw, and not about what it was about.

My reasoning for keeping my kid from seeing horror films is that I want him to understand film more before I subject him to that kind of frightening, gory stuff. Believe me, I'd love to sit and watch The Thing with him, but he wouldn't understand or really appreciate the reason it stands out from other horror movies. I want him to understand and respect film, and what it takes to have a good story, plot, and characters, and not just throw him to the wolves so he can say brag to his friends "...and then his head runs away like a spider!" and not have any understanding of the situation that those characters were in.

I don't think they can really appreciate adult horror films until they are older. I don't want to ruin the experience of these classics before he's ready for them. He's my boy, and if I could watch those classic horrors again with a clean slate, I'd want to at least understand a little more about life so I could appreciate the films more.
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post #25 of 27
4/14/10 at 6:52pm
From the Corner...
http://chud.com/forum/showthread.php?t=116010
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post #26 of 27
4/14/10 at 7:21pm
As long as the little tyke isn't parroting "I think I can smell your wife's pussy stink on my pistol" to her schoolteacher, she ought to be fine.
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post #27 of 27
4/14/10 at 8:48pm
Thread Starter 
She's really good at not using profanity at all. She understands she's not allowed to talk that way.

At first I had no intention of showing her anything beyond PG-13, until I found out she'd seen so many R rated films already. The first film she watched from my collection was Sleepy Hollow. I'd bought it used and it didn't have the slip cover, so I had thought it was actually PG-13. Oops.

Her mother is informed about every film I show her, but when you consider that she actually thought it would be alright to let her see Inglorious Basterds... I think the whole permission thing is rather a moot point. Either way, she knows of everything I let her watch, and she hasn't had a problem with any of them.

I was relieved to discover today that she in fact has NOT seen The Devil's Rejects, and I fully intend to keep it that way for as long as possible. She'd seen Zombie's Halloween at her father's house some time ago (Among many others that I certainly don't approve of her watching yet) which is something that's simply beyond my control. He thinks Zombie's Halloween films are superior to the originals, so you can clearly see the level of misguided nonsense that I'm up against there. I'm fairly certain she'll tell me she got to see Zombie's H2 at his house in the near future, so I think damage control is a must in that area.

I'm constantly explaining to her how the FX are achieved in the films I show her. She's fully aware that the actor who played Major Cooper in Day of the Dead had his head tucked back under the table, and the actor playing the zombie with his guts spilling out had his lower half tucked under in the same way. Suffice it to say, she knows who Savini is. She also understands that practical FX are much better than CGI, as I'm constantly showing her examples of both and she can already see why practical is better.

But I've still got my work cut out for me in convincing her that a) The original Halloween is SO much better than Zombie's POS, and b) B&W does NOT mean that a movie sucks.
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