making Horror Stories for kids is a tricky balancing act, but many modern TV series have become more and more adept at it. Many of the scariest TV shows for kids are products of the late 80s and early 90s, when spooky content for younger audiences was a bit more common. After a brief hiatus, more modern series from the late 2010s and early 2020s dared to venture back into the children’s horror space, providing thrills and chills to younger viewers.
Scary Kids’ shows typically come in one of two flavors. Some are simply standard animated series that aren’t afraid to get a little more grown-up or mature with their themes, often dabbling in horror or mystery territory amidst more lighthearted comedy. The most common variety of horror shows for children is the horror anthology series, already a proven format for adults thanks to series like Black mirror And The Twilight Zone.
10
Goosebumps
Released in 2023
A time-horror name ever since the scariest Goosebumps Books were released in the 90s, RL Stine’s famous series of children’s horror stories has seen many film and television adaptations. The last series to wear the Goosebumps Moniker is Disney+’s streaming show of the same name, rebooting the original 90s series with a modern makeover.
Unlike the original Goosebumps show, each season tells a continuous story rather than each episode or two being its own self-contained horror short. Not long after its release, 2023s Goosebumps became insanely popular on streaming, Clearly indicates a desire for scary stories yet appropriate for children.
While the show’s content never veers too far into flat-out horror territory, each season weaves an uncomfortable mystery for its likable teen protagonists to sift through. Acting as a kind of stranger things-light, Goosebumps is a solid supernatural thriller with a surprising amount of gore that is the line of children’s programming.
9
Over the Garden Wall
Released in 2014
In just one short time, Over the garden wall became not only one of the most revered horror stories for kids ever made, but one of Cartoon Network’s greatest masterpieces of all time. Starring siblings Wirt and Greg, the oddly dressed stepbrothers attempt to find their way home after getting lost in some mysterious forest. To make matters worse, they are soon trailed by a mysterious beast, whose evil ambitions may be more subtle than they realize.
Over the garden wall has become mandatory fall viewing every year for many animation fans, presenting a perfect blend of endearing comedy and a timeless cozy atmosphere. But make no mistake, the series can be quite macabre when it needs to be, with the brief reveal of the beast’s true form being a truly shocking moment. The psychological horror inflicted by the supernatural influences present in the show also keeps even returning viewers on their toes.
8
The Secret of Sulfur Springs
Released in 2021
Breaking the mold of what a horror series for kids can be, The Secret of Sulfur Springs is a drama and teen mystery series with more than a few disturbing elements. Set in the fictional town of Sulfur Springs, Louisiana, the show follows a pair of friends who find a portal to the past in an old, decrepit house.
The Secret of Sulfur Springs Is able to experimentally explore some sensitive topics in a child-friendly way, touching on themes of death and trauma. The show also manages to present one of the best time-travel sequences in television history, being remarkably consistent with an elaborate plot spanning two different decades that would easily be fumbled by a lesser show. sad, The Secret of Sulfur Springs Was canceled after three seasons, but deserves more credit for being one of the best serialized kids shows not afraid to get scary.
7
Gravity falls
Released in 2012
Another powerful mystery series, Gravity falls Quickly became a new classic hit cartoon for Disney, being well-remembered even over ten years later. Taking place in the titular sleepy town of Oregon, Gravity falls Takes place over the course of one summer as siblings Dipper and Mable Pines spend the season with their great uncle, the shifty can man Grunkle Stan. While Grunkle Stan’s “Mystery Shack” is fake in every way, the brother-sister duo soon discover that Gravity Falls is home to a lot of very real supernatural phenomena.
The way Gravity falls Slowly shifts from episodic, lighthearted adventures to a masterfully-crafted overarching story full of well-planned mysteries needs to be learned. Although comedy is the show’s bread and butter, some episodes can be downright terrifying, with imagery fit for any children’s cartoon, let alone on the Disney Channel. Keep a fairly loyal fan to this day, Gravity falls is a great choice to reach for budding horror fans.
6
Are you afraid of the dark?
Released in 2019
One of the earliest horror anthology series aimed at kids was the original Are you afraid of the dark? The series has resonated with audiences throughout the ages, restarting once in 1999 and once more in 2019, which has been one of the best modern children’s shows to delve into terrifying themes and subject matter. The episode series uses a framing device of a group of kids called “The Midnight Society” who come around a campfire to swap scary stories, thus introducing them to the audience.
The 2019 revival weaves a serialized narrative around the lives of the Midnight Society themselves, often linking their stories to the events of the season unfolding outside of them. like american horror story, The ages of Are you afraid of the dark? Each follows a particular theme and brings their own cadre of kids forming the Midnight Society, usually naming them after famous horror writers and directors. The scariest Are you afraid of the dark? Episodes prove the show’s value as an awfully great series, even if it’s primarily aimed at younger viewers.
5
Creeps out
Released in 2017
A British-Canadian joint venture, Creep out is a relative newcomer to the horror anthology series scene that has quickly made a name for itself as a wonderful source of kid-appropriate scares. Like the infamous Crypt Keeper of Tales from the Crypt, Creep out has its own sinister figure that ties every story she presents together, the mysterious masked figure known as “The Curious.” Each episode features the interesting at the beginning and end of its spooky story, which typically incorporates some kind of moral or lesson.
Creeps out It remains remarkably consistent in crafting modern horror stories Gen Z and Gen Alpha kids can relate to better than the 90s relics of old.
Even if Creep out Never getting overtly gory or jumpscare heavy, it manages to inject a deep sense of dread into many of its greatest hits.. Like any anthology series, some episodes are better than others, however Creep out It remains remarkably consistent in crafting modern horror stories Gen Z and Gen Alpha kids can relate to better than the 90s relics of old. Compared to the likes of Goosebumps, Creed Out He’s not afraid to get remarkably bleak, with many episodes ending in appropriately bleak finales.
4
Scooby-doo! Mystery Incorporated
Released in 2010
Still considered to be one of the best Scooby-doo! The series that was once made, Scooby-doo! Mystery Incorporated He is perhaps the only one among them who can sometimes be truly terrifying. Taking place in the earliest days of the band’s mystery-solving years, Scooby-doo! Mystery Incorporated Brings Shaggy, Scooby, Daphne, Velma and Fred back together in their hometown of Crystal Cove. Thriving on tourism from strange monster sightings, the gang joins together to determine just how many of the supposed cryptids and ghouls inhabiting the area are real.
Unlike most Scooby-doo! media, Scooby-doo! Mystery incorporated Actually incorporate supernatural elements at times, whether its fantastic technology or really paranormal entities. It is also one of the few shows featuring Scooby-Doo to be serialized, presenting an over-arching mystery that slowly simmers in the background before reaching a boiling point. With a much darker tone and some genuinely life-threatening villains, Scooby-doo! Mystery Incorporated Has a deserved reputation as the only one Scooby-doo! Series that could actually be considered scary.
3
House of Anubis
Released in 2011
A rare straightforward drama aimed at kids and pre-teens alike The Secret of Sulfur Springs, House of Anubis was a mystery series on Nickelodeon following the adventures of a young girl who moves from the US. it. to the UK to attend the Anubis House Boarding School. It wasn’t long before Nina was accused of a role in the disappearance of another girl, who disappeared around the time of her own appearance. This leads Nina to quickly become embroiled in a maddening search for answers.
House of Anubis was a refreshingly deep and heavy serialized thriller styled as a telenovela for kids. The truth behind the inciting disappearance of Joy Mercer is quickly found to be stranger and more supernatural than anyone could have ever expected, leading to many memorable, thrilling sequences. An emotional roller coaster with plenty of truly shocking moments, House of Anubis Deserves more praise as a gripping horror show aimed at kids.
2
Ghostwriter
Released in 2019
Are you afraid of the dark? wasn’t the only legacy horror series for kids to be rebooted for modern audiences in 2019. Enter ghost writer, A revival of the original 1992 series that was brought back to Apple TV+. Just like the first show, the series centers around a group of kids chosen by the titular Ghostwriter, a mysterious supernatural being who can only communicate through cryptic messages, to solve various mysteries.
To make matters even weirder, the new series expands on the Ghostwriter’s abilities, giving it the power to manifest real-life versions of fictional characters to harass (and teach a lesson to) its chosen coterie of children. . While the first two seasons follow the same cast, the third and final season introduces a new Ghostwriter team. The new one Ghostwriter May focus less on horror and more on literacy compared to its predecessor, but still provides many spooky and creepy moments when the mysterious specter tries to communicate from beyond the grave.
1
RL Stine’s The Haunting Hour
Released in 2010
Goosebumps Was not the only series based on the work of RL Stine to make a name for itself in the television arena. The Haunting Hour: The Series is an exciting adaptation of Stine’s anthology books, The Haunting Hour: Chills in the Dead of Night And Nightmare hours. tells a new horror story every episode, The Haunting Hour: The Series Presented four seasons worth of gruesome encounters with supernatural forces, just like that Goosebumps.
What sets The Haunting Hour: The Series apart from Goosebumps is its decidedly darker tone and more terrifying scares, and gets far more serious than its more famous sister series ever did. While after child birth, The Haunting Hour: The Series Does not pull its punches in the same way Goosebumps Often does, and does not bother with multiple-episode overarching stories. This makes it one of the most serious scary Horror Shows always aimed at children, with ghosts, aliens and witches in a room.