Horror media that was meant for children used to be more prevalent than it is now. Back in my day (why do I sound like an old man when I'm 25?) horror that was aimed at children was quite common. When I say horror, I don't mean Halloween specials that aired on television or "cute" Halloween movies, I mean real creepy horror that was marketed to children. I'm talking about horror that was about children, but also wasn't afraid to depict ghosts, demons, zombies, and corpses in all of their gory and decaying glory. I'm talking about horror that taught kids lessons while terrifying them at the same time. However, if we're lucky, we might see a resurgence in children's horror in the next few years and due to a few recent successes within the film and television industries.

While growing up in the 90s, I would often read the Goosebumps books by R.L. Stine. These were a series of short novels that told creepy stories surrounding children and various elements that children specifically found terrifying, such as untrustworthy adults and the feelings of helplessness a child feels when they know that adults won't help them because they don't believe them. This series eventually had a live-action kids show based on the stories. While at times many of the episodes came across as cheesy (watching these scary stories depicted on a low budget television show didn't have the same effect as imagining the horror while reading) it still had enough genuine creepiness to make it a kids version of "B-movie" horror schlock that made it a lot of scary fun.

The other show that was released at the time, however, was vastly superior in the horror department compared to the "Goosebumps" television show. That show was "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" and it wasn't afraid to depict some surprisingly gruesome and terrifying stories for children. The show while not showing it outright, wasn't afraid to elude to murder, being eaten, or being turned into a monster. The show was like a kid friendly version of "Tales from the Crypt". Each episode used the framing device of a group of kids called "The Midnight Society" sitting around a campfire and telling scary stories to each other. This helped the show feel more authentic and made each story feel like a genuine scary story a child would come up with to scare his/her friends. It was responsible for giving us mountains of nightmare fuel for years to come (especially that one episode with the pool zombie).

Since then, I have yet to see much horror aimed at a child audience. Sure, we get the occasional horror themed animated film, such as "Paranorman" and "Coraline", but those are few and far between. It feels as though Halloween was slowly but surely sanitized for children over the years. While I'm not completely against "cute" Halloween films and television shows (I actually like the "Hotel Transylvania" films), I feel like we are losing the genuinely scary and terrifying elements that make Halloween so special and unique compared to other holidays. It's the one day that we get to revel in death, the unknown, ghosts, monsters, demons, and creatures beyond space. It's the only time of the year that we celebrate and explore the darker halves of our human psyche, such as fear and evil. However, the recent attitudes from sheltering parents and certain religious officials have pushed us to sand the edges off of the "scary" media for children more often.

I can only hope that the recent successes of "Stranger Things" and the remake of "It" that child-centric horror is on its way to a comeback. While "Stranger Things" is more mystery and scifi, it does use many horror elements and techniques to the point that it could be considered a bit of a horror series to some. While "It" is a horror film that is technically for adults (its rated R after all), The film revolves around children, childhood bonds, specific childhood fears, childhood trauma, child psychology, and how children have to face a great evil by coming together because the adults are useless. I feel that children would get more out of seeing the film than adults could (while they're under adult supervision of course, it's still rated R). Hopefully the massive success of these two pieces of media could peak interest in child horror and usher in countless shows and films that have the same spirit as those from the 90s. Have a horrendous and horrifying Halloween everybody.