A Glean movie guide
Spooky But Safe: Thrills for 12-Year-Olds
The perfect gateway to mystery.
Suspenseful adventures and mild scares that won't keep them up all night.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Coraline
A visually stunning dark fantasy that masters eerie atmosphere without crossing into true horror.
Wandering her rambling old house in her boring new town, 11-year-old Coraline discovers a hidden door to a strangely idealized version of her life. In order to stay in the fantasy, she must make a frighteningly real sacrifice.
- 02
Monster House
A perfect gateway thriller featuring a living, breathing house with a mind of its own.
Monsters under the bed are scary enough, but what happens when an entire house is out to get you? Three teens aim to find out when they go up against a decrepit neighboring home and unlock its frightening secrets.
- 03
ParaNorman
A charming stop-motion adventure that balances supernatural ghosts with a heartwarming message.
In the town of Blithe Hollow, Norman Babcock can speak to the dead, but no one other than his eccentric new friend believes his ability is real. One day, Norman's eccentric uncle tells him of a ritual he must perform to protect the town from a curse cast by a witch centuries ago.
- 04
The Goonies
A classic treasure hunt filled with underground traps, pirate legends, and mild peril.
Young teen Mikey Walsh and his friends set off on a quest to find Pirate One-Eyed Willie's treasure in hopes of saving their homes from demolition. However, on their quest to find the treasure, they run into a family of recently escaped criminals, determined to capture the kids and reach the treasure first.
- 05
Ghostbusters
An iconic blend of supernatural action and comedy that makes ghost-hunting feel like a blast.
After losing their academic posts at a prestigious university, a team of parapsychologists goes into business as proton-pack-toting "ghostbusters" who exterminate ghouls, hobgoblins and supernatural pests of all stripes. An ad campaign pays off when a knockout cellist hires the squad to purge her swanky digs of demons that appear to be living in her refrigerator.
- 06
Jurassic Park
A masterclass in building tension through prehistoric encounters and high-stakes survival.
A wealthy entrepreneur secretly creates a theme park featuring living dinosaurs drawn from prehistoric DNA. Before opening day, he invites a team of experts and his two eager grandchildren to experience the park and help calm anxious investors. However, the park is anything but amusing as the security systems go off-line and the dinosaurs escape.
- 07
The Nightmare Before Christmas
A beautifully spooky musical that celebrates the whimsical side of Halloween and Christmas.
Tired of scaring humans every October 31 with the same old bag of tricks, Jack Skellington, the spindly king of Halloween Town, kidnaps Santa Claus and plans to deliver shrunken heads and other ghoulish gifts to children on Christmas morning. But as Christmas approaches, Jack's rag-doll girlfriend, Sally, tries to foil his misguided plans.
- 08
Goosebumps
A fast-paced monster mash that brings classic literary creatures to life with plenty of laughs.
After moving to a small town, Zach Cooper finds a silver lining when he meets next door neighbor Hannah, the daughter of bestselling Goosebumps series author R.L. Stine. When Zach unintentionally unleashes real monsters from their manuscripts and they begin to terrorize the town, it’s suddenly up to Stine, Zach and Hannah to get all of them back in the books where they belong.
- 09
Spirited Away
A surreal and breathtaking journey through a world of spirits, witches, and magical transformations.
A young girl, Chihiro, becomes trapped in a strange new world of spirits. When her parents undergo a mysterious transformation, she must call upon the courage she never knew she had to free her family.
- 10
Super 8
A nostalgic mystery that captures the thrill of a small-town investigation and a hidden creature.
In late 1970s Ohio, a group of friends filming a homemade zombie movie witness a devastating train derailment. Soon after, their quiet town is gripped by unexplained disappearances, strange phenomena, and a growing sense of fear, as they uncover that something terrifying has been set loose.
- 11
The Witches
A dark Roald Dahl adaptation featuring memorable practical effects and a clever child protagonist.
A young boy named Luke and his grandmother go on vacation only to discover their hotel is hosting an international witch convention, where the Grand High Witch is unveiling her master plan to turn all children into mice. Will Luke fall victim to the witches' plot before he can stop them?
- 12
The House with a Clock in Its Walls
A gothic family mystery filled with magical clocks, hidden secrets, and mild tension.
When ten-year-old Lewis is suddenly orphaned, he is sent to live with his Uncle Jonathan in a creaky (and creepy) old mansion with a mysterious ticking noise that emanates from the walls. Upon discovering that his uncle is a warlock, Lewis begins learning magic, but when he rebelliously resurrects an evil warlock he must find the secret of the house and save the world from destruction.