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5[[quoteright:270:[[WesternAnimation/RubyGloom https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cen_rub14_270.png]]]]
6->''In the heart of Transylvania\
7In the Vampire Hall of Fame, yeah\
8There's not a vampire zanier than '''Duckula!'''\
9He won't bite beast or man,\
10'Cause he's a vegetarian,\
11And things never run to plan for '''Duckula!'''''
12-->-- ''WesternAnimation/CountDuckula''
13
14Generally speaking, most (but not all) media for children is about sweetness and happiness, but in some cases, some of the children's media would take that very same sweetness and happiness and give it a [[Franchise/TheAddamsFamily creepy, kooky, mysterious, and spooky]] coat of paint by featuring scary things such as [[DontGoInTheWoods dark, mysterious forests]] where TheDarknessGazesBack, [[HauntedCastle creepy castles]], [[CreepyCemetery haunted graveyards]], or strange lands inhabited by ghoulish non-human beings. As ''WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas'' states, "Life's No Fun Without A Good Scare!"
15
16Spooky Kids Media consists of books, movies, TV series, or video games that are aimed at children and feature creepy characters, scary settings, and other spooky imagery. Even though they're family-friendly and, for the most part, still generally sweet and happy in their overall tone just like their non-spooky counterparts, these stories may also provide some NightmareFuel for a younger or more sensitive kid, and some of these are scarier than others.
17
18A HalloweenEpisode in a show for kids often qualifies as well. Sometimes, much of the setting is nice, but the character may spend a short, but perilous time in the scary setting (old Disney animated films often use this approach).
19
20Compare: SurprisinglyCreepyMoment, DefangedHorrors, ThingsThatGoBumpInTheNight, and WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids
21
22Contrast: KidsShouldntWatchHorrorFilms and WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids.
23
24----
25
26!!Examples:
27[[index]]
28[[foldercontrol]]
29
30[[folder:Advertising]]
31* ''Advertising/MonsterCereals'': A collection of six cereals with mascots themed around comedic and cowardly versions of classic movie monsters.
32[[/folder]]
33
34[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
35* ''Anime/{{Devilman}}'', which, on top of having an almost completely different premise than the [[Manga/{{Devilman}} original manga]], ''heavily'' [[LighterAndSofter watered down]] the dark themes and removed all the biblical origins of the demons, and retains the MonsterOfTheWeek formula the original started with for its whole run.
36* [[/index]]Franchise/{{Digimon}}:[[index]]
37** ''Anime/DigimonTamers'' starts out as a seemingly normal MonsSeries, but things eventually take a turn for the dark, all culminating in the reveal of the D-Reaper, a rogue AI doing only what it was programmed to do: delete everything it touches. And it's not afraid to physically and psychologically torture a grieving ten year old to feed on her grief to help accomplish its goal. The franchise can go way worse, but it's a wake-up call for children watching it back in the time where things don't take this dark of a turn.
38** ''Anime/DigimonGhostGame'' is focused entirely around supernatural phenomena, actually caused by Digimon, with a focus on "kid-friendly horror". Don't be fooled by the "kid-friendly" pretense, though -- later episodes flat-out drop that and go straight into NightmareFuel territory (as much as a Sunday morning anime can allow, at least).
39* ''Manga/GeGeGeNoKitaro'': Probably the oldest example from the list, having at least 6 anime series, 2 live-action films, and a dozen of video games. It's about a one-eyed ghost boy named Kitaro himself and his {{youkai}} friends. Adaptations vary on just how scary they are.
40* ''Anime/ThrillerRestaurant'': A compilation of ''[[GhostStory kaidan]]'', which is known in Western as the kids version of ''Tales of the Crypt''.
41* ''Anime/GhostStories'': Only the original Japanese and second English dub, as the first dub is a mature GagDub. A group of school kids deal with {{youkai}} and other supernatural phenomenon.
42* ''Anime/YokaiWatch'': A fifth grader finds a watch that lets him interact with {{youkai}}. While some of the yokai are friendly and harmless for the most part, the series doesn't shy around from the few that ''do'' pose a danger and seek to harm humans.
43* ''Anime/YokaiWatchShadowside'': A [[DarkerAndEdgier darker]], [[ActionizedSequel more actiony sequel]] starring Nate's daughter.
44[[/folder]]
45
46[[folder:Comic Books]]
47* ''ComicBook/AnyasGhost'': A girl with self-esteem issues falls into a hole in the middle of nowhere and meets the ghost of a girl who was supposedly murdered, promising to help her find out who did so.
48* ''ComicBook/BeetleAndTheHollowbones'': The series is set in a {{Halloweentown}}.[[/index]]
49* ''Creature Feature'' : A horror/comedy comic series [[Music/CreatureFeature based around the band of the same name]], about our two [[HeroicComedicSociopath "protagonists"]], Curtis and Erik, going on bizarre misadventures based around their songs.[[index]]
50* ''ComicBook/GothamAcademy'': A group of students investigate a haunting and other oddities at their boarding school.
51* ''ComicBook/YorickAndBones'' is about an undead skeleton.
52** ''ComicBook/YorickAndBonesFriendsByAnyOtherName''
53[[/folder]]
54
55[[folder:Comic Strips]]
56* ''ComicStrip/{{Lio}}'' is often macabre and full of BlackComedy, but Lio is a young boy and most likely his intended audience is as well.
57[[/folder]]
58
59[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
60* ''WesternAnimation/TheAddamsFamily2019'': A child friendly CGI film adapting the comic strip about a creepy family in a creepy house.
61* ''Anime/AfterSchoolMidnighters'': Three girls partake in a {{kimodameshi}} hosted by actual monsters for the chance to see one wish fulfilled.
62* ''WesternAnimation/TheBoxtrolls'': Cheesebridge is a posh Victorian-era town obsessed with wealth, class and the stinkiest of fine cheeses. The only thing that its residents are more obsessed with is their [[ThingsThatGoBumpInTheNight fear of the evil, murderous monsters that dwell in the sewers]]. At least, [[NotEvilJustMisunderstood that's the legend residents have always believed]].
63* ''WesternAnimation/{{Coco}}'': A young aspiring musician enters the Land of the Dead and meets the spirits of his ancestors.
64* ''WesternAnimation/{{Coraline}}'': A stop-motion adaptation of the book. A young girl explores her house and discovers an alternate version of her home. It seems idealistic at first but is more ominous than it seems.
65* ''WesternAnimation/CorpseBride'': A Tim Burton movie about a man who is about to get married in a NobilityMarriesMoney scheme who ends up accidentally married to an undead woman.
66* While no Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon film is explicitly framed as kid-friendly horror, several of them have noticeably more frightening characters and situations than others:
67** ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'' has the titular Beast, a TragicMonster ForcedTransformation victim who menaces trespassers to his palace (presented as a sort of HauntedCastle and inhabited by occasionally creepy {{Animate Inanimate Object}}s) in the early going, and is so frightening when he loses his temper that at one point the heroine flees into a snowy forest full of wolves to escape him...only for him to rescue her from them, formally launching his CharacterDevelopment. Come the third act, a TorchesAndPitchforks mob goes after him and manages to be ''more'' frightening than he ever was before the Enchanted Objects fight back.
68** ''WesternAnimation/TheBlackCauldron'''s cadaverous Horned King explicitly seeks the titular object to raise an army of the dead, and ''does'' in the climax, though it doesn't get very far before the heroes defeat him. The film has a deliberately DarkerAndEdgier StandardFantasySetting than usual for Disney, and ended up their first PG-rated animated feature ''after'' a few particularly grim scenes were trimmed for going too far for this trope.
69** Poor ''WesternAnimation/{{Pinocchio}}'' is put through the wringer on the way to his HappilyEverAfter, with ''multiple'' antagonists ready to exploit and destroy him in turn -- puppeteer Stromboli (who intends to chop him up into firewood once he's no longer profitable), the Coachman (who takes boys to Pleasure Island to turn them into donkeys who are sold to circuses, salt mines, etc.), and Monstro the whale (a mindless eating machine whose very name inspires terror among all other sea creatures).
70** Much of ''WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty'' is lighthearted, but the evil fairy Maleficent is one of the most menacing Disney antagonists even ''before'' she goes OneWingedAngel as a dragon. She's also the most ''popular'' antagonist of the canon to the point that [[Film/{{Maleficent}} a pair]] [[Film/MaleficentMistressOfEvil of live-action]] PerspectiveFlip films recast her as a ''protagonist'' whom the audience has sympathy for, and which also fall under this trope.
71** ''WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs'' draws a lot of inspiration from 1930s horror cinema for the scenes featuring the Evil Queen and her "harmless old peddler woman" -- read: WickedWitch -- alter ego (her transformation from the former to the latter is heavily inspired by the 1931 version of ''Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde''), while Snow White's initial flight into the forest is portrayed as a surreal nightmare from her fear-distorted point of view. The film actually served as a huge inspiration for Italian horror filmmakers of the 1960s and '70s, who had not been allowed to see conventional horror films in the Fascist era.
72* ''WesternAnimation/{{Frankenweenie}}'': A Tim Burton film that tells the story about young Victor Frankenstein and his dog, a reanimated bull terrier named [[FrankensteinsMonster Sparky]]
73* ''Franchise/HotelTransylvania'':
74** ''WesternAnimation/HotelTransylvania'': Dracula owns a hotel for supernatural beings.
75** ''WesternAnimation/HotelTransylvania2'': Dracula's daughter Mavis and her boyfriend Johnny get married and have a seemingly human son. Drac wants to train Dennis to become a vampire.
76** ''WesternAnimation/HotelTransylvania3SummerVacation'': Dracula, his family, and his friends go on a monster cruise.
77** ''WesternAnimation/HotelTransylvaniaTransformania'': Johnny gets turned into a monster, and Drac and his friends get turned into humans.
78* ''WesternAnimation/HowardLovecraftAndTheFrozenKingdom'': Creator/HPLovecraft and his works turned into a kids' animated adventure.
79* ''WesternAnimation/MadMonsterParty'': A Creator/RankinBass film where Doctor Frankenstein holds a monster convention on his island base to announce his retirement and appoint his timid pharmacist nephew as his successor, resulting in zany schemes to get rid of him.
80* ''WesternAnimation/MightyMightyMonsters'': A movie trilogy revolving around three monster teens who after getting expelled from monster school because of their history of pranks are forced to attend a human one as punishment.
81* ''WesternAnimation/MonsterHouse'': A trio of kids dealing with a monstrous living house.
82* ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc1'': This film concerns the lives of the monsters hidden under the kids' beds and in the kids' closets.
83** ''WesternAnimation/MonstersUniversity'': The prequel to the above movie.
84* ''WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas'': A film conceived and produced by Creator/TimBurton and directed by Creator/HenrySelick, about a living skeleton from a Halloween-centric town who becomes enamored with Christmas and tries to usurp Santa. Due to its plot, it can be ''both'' a Halloween and Christmas film.
85* ''WesternAnimation/ParaNorman'': A boy who can speak to the dead saves his town from zombies, ghosts, and witches.
86* ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo''
87** ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndTheGhoulSchool'': Scooby and Shaggy are hired as gym teachers at a finishing school for monster girls.
88** ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndTheReluctantWerewolf'': Shaggy is turned into a werewolf by Count Dracula himself to compete in a race against other real, famous monsters.
89** ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooOnZombieIsland'': The first truly ''horror''-themed ''Scooby Doo'' work. Now in their 20s, Mystery Inc reunites to visit an island full of real zombies.
90** ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndTheWitchsGhost'': Mystery Inc encounter both an evil warlock and the eponymous ghost witch.
91** ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndTheGoblinKing'': Scooby and Shaggy have to enter the world of magic to stop an evil magician-turned-sorcerer from turning everyone and everything on Earth into Halloween monsters.
92** ''WesternAnimation/HappyHalloweenScoobyDoo'' : The Scooby gang teams up with Elvira and Bill Nye to take down the Batman villain Scarecrow and an army of jackal pumpkins.
93* ''WesternAnimation/WendellAndWild'': An orphan strikes a deal with two demon brothers to help them escape to the Land of the Living in exchange for bringing her parents back from the dead.
94[[/folder]]
95
96[[folder:Films -- Live Action]]
97* ''Film/TheAddamsFamily'': Films based on ''The Addams Family'' show, but DarkerAndEdgier like the original comics.
98** ''Film/AddamsFamilyValues''
99* ''Film/TheDarkCrystal'': Fantasy film in which two fairy humanoids must repair a magical crystal to save their dying world. Said world is dominated by the creepy Skeksis, a race of humanoid creatures with heads of birds of prey.
100* ''Film/ErnestScaredStupid'': One of the movies in the ''Film/ErnestPWorrell'' franchise, the titular character unintentionally unleashes a [[OurTrollsAreDifferent troll]] before Halloween, and he resolves to kill said-antagonist.
101* ''Film/{{Ghostbusters|1984}}'': In which MadScience takes on occult terror, and wins, hilariously.
102** ''Film/GhostbustersII'': A sequel to the original film that sees the Ghostbusters tackling a river of slime that thrives on negative emotions and the ghost of an ancient tyrant.
103** ''Film/Ghostbusters2016'': A continuity reboot with an all-female team of Ghostbusters.
104** ''Film/GhostbustersAfterlife'': An {{Unreboot}} sequel/spinoff to ''Ghostbusters II'' about a new team of Ghostbusters.
105* ''Film/Goosebumps2015'': The movie adaptation of ''Literature/{{Goosebumps}}'' is a horror/fantasy comedy. Stine and his daughter Hannah must combat every single one of Stine's creations after Zach and his friend Champ accidentally unleash them from the very books themselves.
106* ''Film/{{Halloweentown}}'': A franchise which focuses on a parallel world filled with monsters. The dangers don't come from them (a majority of them are friendly and just live their lives like any human) but from the evil forces that try to take it over.
107** ''Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge''
108** ''Halloweentown High''
109** ''Return to Halloweentown''
110* ''Film/{{The Haunted Mansion|2003}}'': A 2003 family film adaptation of the theme park ride by Disney.
111** ''Film/MuppetsHauntedMansion'': A 2021 HalloweenSpecial crossing the property over with Franchise/TheMuppets.
112* ''Film/TheHauntingHour: Don't Even Think About'': A TV movie based on Creator/RLStine's ''The Haunting Hour: Chills in the Dead of Night'' short story anthology.
113* ''Film/HocusPocus'': A 1993 [[HalloweenSpecial Halloween-themed]] Creator/{{Disney}} film [[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids "for kids"]]. Three kids have to fight for their lives against three homicidal witches hunting them.
114** ''Film/HocusPocus2'': A 2022 sequel to the above in which three teenage girls accidentally resurrect the same three homicidal witches.
115* ''Film/TheLittleVampire'': A LiveActionAdaptation of the books. A young boy befriends a family of vampires.
116* ''Film/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents'': A film based on the first three books. Three orphaned siblings get sent to live with their abusive distant relative who only wants their inheritance and is willing to resort to murder to get it.
117* ''Film/ReturnToOz'': A TruerToTheText film based on the second and third ''Land of Oz'' books. Dorothy returns to Oz, only to be chased by monsters and nearly beheaded by an evil princess.
118* ''Film/ScoobyDoo2002'': The Mystery Inc crew have to solve a mystery at a haunted island/resort.
119** ''Film/ScoobyDooMonstersUnleashed'': The Mystery Inc crew encounter real-life monsters based on their old enemies.
120* ''Film/TowerOfTerror'': A girl and her Uncle try to solve the mystery of a haunted hotel where on one Halloween Night sixty years earlier, a mysterious lightning strike killed five guests riding an elevator to a party on the top floor.
121[[/folder]]
122
123[[folder:Literature]]
124* ''Literature/AlfieTheWerewolf'': A series that starts with a young boy who discovers he's a werewolf on the night of his seventh birthday.
125* ''Literature/AmericanChillers'': An anthology series and spinoff of the earlier ''Literature/MichiganChillers'' series, this time with a national focus, as each book revolves around kids encountering spooky events in a particular state.
126* ''Literature/BaileySchoolKids'': Students keep getting new teachers and other authority figures who seem to be monsters and aliens.
127** ''Literature/GhostsDontEatPotatoChips'' is the fifth book of the series.
128* ''Literature/BoneChillers'': An anthology series following in the steps of ''Literature/{{Goosebumps}}''.
129* ''Literature/{{Bunnicula}}'': An AffectionateParody of the horror genre about a rabbit alleged to be a vampire.
130* ''Literature/CampZombie'': Corey and Amanda head off to a summer camp at Camp Harvest Moon, a place with a reputedly questionable past. Strange events begin to occur.
131* ''Literature/{{Coraline}}'': A girl moves into her new house and finds another world hidden away inside the walls. She soon finds this alternate universe isn't as pleasant as seems.
132* ''Literature/DareToBeScared'': 2000s horror short-story anthology series, often inspired by world folklore and featuring shockingly grisly endings.
133* ''Literature/DeadlyPaulJennings''
134* ''Literature/TheDemonHeadmaster'': The eponymous character wants to brainwash everybody to bring order to the world and shows a [[WouldHurtAChild willingness to kill children.]]
135* ''Literature/DisneyChills'': Dissatisfied kids make deals with/find [[ArtifactOfDoom Artifacts of Doom]] from Disney villains. Horror ensues.
136* ''Literature/EdgarAndEllen'': CreepyTwins cause mischief in their town.
137* ''Literature/EerieIndiana'': A tie-in series to the [[Series/EerieIndiana TV series of the same name]].
138* ''Literature/FrannyKStein'': A little girl who strives to be a mad scientist working on several ghastly experiments.
139* ''Literature/FiveNightsAtFreddysFazbearFrights'': People run into creepy animatronics, usually to their regret.
140* ''Literature/FungusTheBogeyman'': The life of a Bogeyman with the job of scaring humans.
141* ''Literature/{{Ghostgirl}}'': A teenager chokes on a gumball, dies, and must now finish high school amongst other undead students.
142* ''Literature/GalaxyOfFear'': A ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'' series for middle readers in the vein of ''Goosebumps'', except leaning more towards SciFiHorror.
143* ''Literature/GhostGirl2021'': A girl who loves telling ghost stories finds herself in a living one.
144* ''Literature/GhostsOfFearStreet'': A spinoff of the ''Literature/FearStreet'' series, but more in the vein of the ''Literature/{{Goosebumps}}'' books (save for all the cast attending Shadyside Elementary School rather than varying locations), starring pre-teens as opposed to the high school students of the parent series.
145* ''Literature/{{Goosebumps}}'': Surreal stories about children who find themselves in scary situations.
146** ''Literature/GiveYourselfGoosebumps'': A spinoff series in the style of the "Choose-Your-Own-Adventure" books.
147** ''Literature/GoosebumpsHorrorLand'': A spinoff series, the first new stories released since the end of the ''Goosebumps Series 2000'' line.
148* ''Literature/TheGraveyardBook'': When a young boy's family is killed, he takes refuge in a graveyard. The dead there take him in, and dub him Nobody Owens (although his friends call him Bod).
149* ''Literature/GraveyardSchool'': A series of novels in the same vein as ''Literature/{{Goosebumps}}''; unlike that series, the stories all revolve around a central cast and location.
150* ''Literature/GroundedForAllEternity'': A group of kids from hell come to Earth on one of the craziest nights of the year—Halloween.
151* ''Literature/HocusPocusAndTheAllNewSequel'': A {{novelization}} and SpinOffspring of the film. A group of teenagers fight against evil witch sisters on Halloween.
152* ''Literature/TheHorribleBagOfTerribleThings'': A boy tries to find his sister in another world inside a grabbag, with creepy and often deadly things inside.
153* ''Literature/TheLittleVampire'': A book series about a boy who befriends a friendly vampire family.
154* ''Literature/MichiganChillers'': An anthology series where each book revolves around kids encountering spooky events in a particular town in Michigan. Has a spinoff series, ''Literature/AmericanChillers'', with a national focus.
155* ''Literature/MostlyGhostly'': A boy helps two ghost kids find out how they died, and must defeat the evil ghoul who possibly kidnapped their parents.
156* ''Literature/TheMummyMonsterGame'': Three kids play computer/video games set in Egypt, revolving around beating challenges while outwitting ancient Egyptian monsters.
157* ''Literature/MrMidnight'': A Singaporean series of children's horror stories that proves the ''Goosebumps'' craze isn't limited only to the US.
158* ''Literature/TheNightmareRoom'': Another children's horror series written by R.L. Stine. This was adapted into a 2001 television series for Creator/KidsWB.
159* ''Literature/TheRestaurantOfManyOrders'': A restaurant that tricks customers into preparing themselves as food for a host of man-eating creatures inside.
160* ''Literature/ScaryStoriesToTellInTheDark'': While the stories may be scary for an eight-year old, older audiences will find them more cheesy than anything else. Instead, what makes the books so scary (and [[MoralGuardians controversial]]) are the illustrations that accompany them.
161* ''Literature/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents'': A creepy series about the life of three siblings orphaned and sent to live with a malicious distant relative.
162* ''Literature/ScaryGodmother'': Predominantly Halloween-themed stories about a girl who befriends monsters and the titular "Scary Godmother".
163* ''Literature/ShiversMDSpenser'': An anthology series following in the steps of ''Literature/{{Goosebumps}}'', with the tendency to be darker.
164* ''Literature/ShortAndShivery'': A series of spooky anthology novels, with stories based on legends and folktales from around the world.
165* ''Literature/{{Spinetinglers}}'': An anthology series following in the steps of ''Literature/{{Goosebumps}}''.
166* ''Literature/{{Spooksville}}'': A boy moves into a TownWithADarkSecret and teams up with a few other kids to deal with the weird situations they find themselves in.
167* ''Literature/TalesForTheMidnightHour'': A horror anthology series by J.B. Stamper, focusing largely on sci-fi or fantasy horror.
168* ''Literature/TheresSomethingAboutSam'': Max invites the new kid Sam to his birthday sleepover in spite of the newcomer's oddities making him hesitant, and he quickly realizes Sam is like that for [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent a reason]].
169* ''Literature/VarjakPaw'': A kitten must save his family by venturing outside his home.
170* ''Literature/{{Weenies}}'': Horror anthology series.
171* ''Literature/{{WhichWitch|1979}}'' is about witches in a contest to see who can perform the greatest feat of dark magic.
172* ''Literature/WickedPaulJennings''
173[[/folder]]
174
175[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
176* ''Series/TheAddamsFamily'' and ''Series/TheNewAddamsFamily'': The adventures of a wacky, morbid family.
177* ''Series/AreYouAfraidOfTheDark'': A children's horror show made by Creator/{{YTV}} in Canada and aired on Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} in the U.S. The story revolved around a club of teenagers called the "Midnight Society" who meet around a campfire in the woods once a week to tell horror stories.
178* ''Series/BlackHoleHigh'': Canadian series known as ''Strange Days at Blake Holsey High'' in the US and elsewhere. On the SciFiHorror scale, the series leans more toward science fiction but the spooky elements are still very present.
179* ''Series/{{Deadtime Stories|AnnetteAndGinaCascone}}'': In the new show, a babysitter shows up at the house of two kids to read them a "deadtime story", bringing them the actual physical books themselves. As she reads them the story, we then see the story itself play out, occasionally cutting back to the "real world" where the babysitter and kids interrupt and provide comments.
180* ''Series/EerieIndiana'': Marshall Teller, a recent transplant from New Jersey whose family has just moved to the desolate town of Eerie, and Simon Holmes, an Eerie native, investigate the weirdness that inhabits the titular town.
181* ''Series/Goosebumps1995'', the television adaptation of [[Literature/{{Goosebumps}} the book series of the same name]], focuses on live-action adaptations of the horror stories from the book series.
182** A second [[Series/Goosebumps2023 adaptation in 2023]] with a more serialized approach.
183* ''Series/TheHauntingHour'': Another R.L. Stine series based on "The Haunting Hour" short story collection and spin-off of the [[Film/TheHauntingHour TV movie]]. The series was DarkerAndEdgier than ''Goosebumps'' was, and when it aired on Creator/TheHub, it was always preceded by a warning from The Hub that the series was rated TV-PG and shouldn't be seen by kids under 7 unless with family. (The ''Goosebumps'' series did have the same warning on Creator/FoxKids, but it was always TV-Y7).
184* ''The Hilarious House Of Frightenstein'': A SketchComedy series starring [[Creator/VincentPrice Vincent Price]], set in Castle Frightenstein in Frankenstone, featuring a vampire MadScientist and other monsters.
185* ''Series/TheMunsters'': A MundaneFantastic DomCom that originally ran from 1964 to 1966 about a working-class family of would-be monsters.
186* ''Series/MysteryHunters'': An educational kid's show focusing on mysterious, scary, and occult things.
187* ''Series/RoundTheTwist'': Three children and their widowed father live in a lighthouse, which is WeirdnessMagnet for all kinds of bizarre, creepy, and supernatural events.
188* ''Series/TheSarahJaneAdventures'': A spin-off of ''Series/DoctorWho'' aimed at children and broadcast on a children's channel, but had some material that was as creepy as the original (most notoriously the story "Day of the [[MonsterClown Clown]]"). The main "kids" element was that it didn't have the original show's occasional DownerEnding tendency.
189* [[/index]]''Series/SaturdayNightLive'': Spoofed via ShowWithinAShow. One sketch ("Der Lacheln Beherrscht" from the 2001 episode hosted by Creator/JuliaStiles) depicted a German kids' show with some rather terrifying imagery. The American kids in the audience react badly and the show's American broadcast is canceled.[[index]]
190* ''Series/SecretsOfSulphurSprings'': A horror/mystery series on Creator/DisneyChannel.
191* ''Series/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents'': A TruerToTheText series based on the books series. Three orphans are sent to a relative who abuses them and plots to steal their inheritance. After they escape him, he continues to pursue them, trying to capture the three and willing to murder anyone who gets in his way. All the while the orphans find out some dark secrets about their parents.
192* ''Series/SoWeird'': Fiona Phillips accompanies her rock-star mom on her national tour and investigates the supernatural along the way.
193* ''Series/TruthOrScare'': A documentary series geared around supernatural events, cryptids, and creepy historical events.
194* ''Series/YoungDracula'', about a thirteen year old immigrant from [[{{Uberwald}} somewhere unspecified in Eastern Europe]], whose family moves to a run-down castle in the British Isles, and who is quite appreciative of just being a normal kid in a normal [[TheGoodOldBritishComp secondary modern school]] where nothing ever happens. He ''really'' doesn't want to grow up to be a vampire.
195[[/folder]]
196
197[[folder:Music]]
198* Surprisingly enough, ''Music/CreatureFeature'' falls into this. Despite their usage of the words "Damn" and "Hell", their lyrics are mostly clean and most of their music is fun and upbeat, [[Main/LyricalDissonance even though the lyrics are quite dark and morbid]]. Both [[Main/PerkyGoth Curtis and Erik]] are very sweet in real life and most of their songs are influenced by their own twisted childhoods, including: Halloween, horror films, the great works of Creator/EdgarAllanPoe and Creator/EdwardGorey and other ThingsThatGoBumpInTheNight. They even have their own [[ComicBook/CreatureFeature comic book series]] for children ages 12 and up.
199* The "Nightmare Revisited" album, which is a cover album of the score and songs from ''WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas''.
200* Music/{{Voltaire}}'s "Spooky Songs for Creepy Kids," especially since "Brains!" and "Land of The Dead" are from the Creator/CartoonNetwork series ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy''.
201[[/folder]]
202
203[[folder:Podcasts]]
204* The kid-friendly version of ''Podcasts/RealGhostStoriesOnline'', which is a daily paranormal podcast featuring real, horrific ghost stories and other tales of the paranormal and supernatural.
205[[/folder]]
206
207[[folder:Theatre]]
208* ''Theatre/TheAddamsFamily'': A musical comedy adaptation of the above-mentioned ''Addams Family'', the plot revolves around Wednesday Addams, now a young woman, falling in love with a young man from a more conventional family and the culture clash that ensues.
209* ''Theatre/{{Wicked}}'': The musical adaptation of the [[Literature/{{Wicked}} Gregory Maguire novel of the same title]], only [[{{Disneyfication}} family friendly]], involving the origins of the WickedWitch of the West prior to the events of the ''Literature/TheWizardOfOz''.
210[[/folder]]
211
212[[folder:Theme Parks]]
213* ''Franchise/TheHauntedMansion'': Takes its visitors through a ghost filled haunted mansion and its cemetery with a heavy dose of humor.
214[[/folder]]
215
216[[folder:Toys]]
217* The ''Toys/MonsterHigh'' dolls: A series about supernatural beings and monsters going to high school.
218[[/folder]]
219
220[[folder:Video Games]]
221* ''VideoGame/AttackOfTheMutant'': A SilentProtagonist gets off the bus at a stop they didn't want to. Turns out this stop is the headquarters of the infamous supervillain, the Masked Mutant, who can transform into anything and anyone.
222* ''[[VideoGame/{{Coraline}} Coraline: The Video Game]]'': TheGameOfTheBook adaptation of the ''Coraline'' movie, an interactive adventure game where players have to guide the titular heroine through various weird scenarios, including a showdown with the nefarious Other Mother.
223* ''VideoGame/DecapAttack'': A goofy-looking mummy and his skull head companion set out to restore a skeleton-shaped island that has been broken apart by the evil Max D. Cap, all the while confronting all sorts of spooky but equally silly enemies and bosses.
224* ''VideoGame/EscapeFromHorrorland'': Set as a sort-of sequel to the ''Literature/{{Goosebumps}}'' book "One Day at Horrorland". The player is the friend of Lizzie, a bossy young girl who was babysitting her brother, Luke, and his friend, Clay, for the night. Suddenly, cosmic forces transport the protagonists into a bizarre place called Horrorland. You need to rescue Luke and Clay and then [[TitleDrop escape from Horrorland]].
225* ''VideoGame/GoosebumpsNightOfScares'', a tie-in video game to the 2015 movie, with an ExpansionPack released in 2020 titled ''Dead of Night'' (same page). Imagine a SurvivalHorror game, for younger audiences.
226* ''VideoGame/GrabbedByTheGhoulies'': Wherein a teenager has to save his girlfriend from a haunted house.
227* ''VideoGame/{{GYLT}}'': A little girl searching for her lost cousin finds her town destroyed and also finds her school ransacked and filled with dangerous monsters. Now she has to solve the mystery of her cousin's disappearance, and the origin of the creatures, which are mysteriously connected.
228* ''VideoGame/MonsterBash'' stars a little Pajama-clad kid named Johnny Dash who battles fearsome monsters and evil creatures with his slingshot to rescue his pet Dog Tex from the evil Count Chuck, who has captured pets from all over the world to turn them into monsters.
229* [[/index]]The ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' franchise has dabbled in this a couple times:[[index]]
230** ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon'' starts out as a typically cute and colorful ''Pokemon'' game, but rapidly heads into this territory once the [[EldritchAbomination Ultra Beasts]] show up.
231** ''VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeonExplorers'' embraces this trope wholeheartedly, with a villain who not only traps children in unending nightmares, but also poses as an "ally" who suggests that it's ''all your fault and the best way to fix things is to kill yourself.''
232* The ''VideoGame/LuigisMansion'' series fully embraces this:
233** ''VideoGame/LuigisMansion1'': The brother of [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros everyone's favorite Italian plumber]] wins a haunted mansion in a contest he didn't enter and has to save his sibling by ridding the house of ghosts using a modified vacuum cleaner.
234** ''VideoGame/LuigisMansionDarkMoon'': A sequel to the above, in which Luigi must bust ghosts and save his brother again through multiple mansions while chasing a ghost puppy.
235** ''VideoGame/LuigisMansion3'': Another sequel, in which Luigi must bust ghosts and save his brother for the third time inside a hotel.
236* ''VideoGame/SorcerersLair'': A brother and sister duo explore a spooky mansion inhabited by a sorcerer.
237* ''VideoGame/SpiritsAndSpells'': In which a pair of trick-or-treaters have to enter the land of the dead to save their friends.
238* ''VideoGame/TilMorningsLight'': A teenage girl must use her wits to escape a haunted mansion, and break the curse that fell over it.
239* ''VideoGame/YokaiWatch'': A {{mon}} series where a kid fights and befriends {{youkai}}.
240[[/folder]]
241
242[[folder:Web Animation]]
243* ''WebAnimation/DiaDeLosMuertos'': An animated short where a girl discovers an underworld of living skeletons celebrating the Mexican holiday known as the Day of the Dead.
244[[/folder]]
245
246[[folder:Western Animation]]
247* ''WesternAnimation/AaahhRealMonsters'': A Nickelodeon Klasky-Csupo series about three young monsters who attend a school to learn how to scare people.
248* ''The Addams Family'': The 1973 and 1992 animated versions focus on a creepy family with macabre interests.
249** ''WesternAnimation/TheAddamsFamily1973''
250** ''WesternAnimation/TheAddamsFamily1992''
251* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'': The premise is mostly about a boy and his shapeshifting dog having adventures in a oddball fantasy land. But a lot of the places they visit have some very morbid atmosphere where death is a very real possibility. Not to mention some horrific creatures and imaginary they run into to the point it feels more like a {{Deconstruction}} of the fantasy genre.
252* ''WesternAnimation/ArchiesWeirdMysteries'' which has the Riverdale gang tangling with paranormal and extraterrestrial beings.
253* ''WesternAnimation/{{Beetlejuice}}'': A Tim Burton-produced show presenting a LighterAndSofter AlternateContinuity for [[Film/{{Beetlejuice}} the 1988 live-action film]]: Meet Lydia Deetz, a PerkyGoth girl attending a private school in a sleepy little Connecticut town while trying to deal with her well-meaning but eccentric parents. One day she comes across Beetlejuice, the manic self-described "Ghost With the Most", who befriends her and whisks her off from her ordinary life into frequent adventures in the {{Cloudcuckooland}} world of the Neitherworld.
254* ''WesternAnimation/BradysBeasts'': Monsters are commonplace and make popular household pets.
255* ''WesternAnimation/{{Bunnicula}}'': A loose adaptation of the books of the same name, starring a vampire rabbit and his friends (a jumpy cat and a dopey dog) as they have encounters with monsters and the supernatural.
256* ''WesternAnimation/CampLakebottom'': Three kids attend a summer camp staffed by monsters and prone to supernatural occurrences.
257* ''WesternAnimation/CaspersScareSchool'': A 2009 animated series based on the CGI film Casper's Scare School starring WesternAnimation/CasperTheFriendlyGhost.
258* ''WesternAnimation/CityMonsters'': A series following the lives and misadventures of four monster kids attending a human elementary school while trying to uphold their reputation as "civilized monsters."
259* ''WesternAnimation/CountDuckula'': A cartoon about a vampire duck.
260* ''WesternAnimation/CourageTheCowardlyDog'': A series about the [[NervousWreck nervous]] but [[CowardlyLion courageous]] titular dog who constantly has to deal with creepy creatures, hostile people, and weird phenomena to protect himself and his owners in [[TownWithADarkSecret The Middle of Nowhere]].
261* ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'': While an action show primarily, it also has ghosts as its main focus and can get pretty scary sometimes.
262* ''WesternAnimation/{{Darkstalkers}}'' is a very [[DenserAndWackier dumbed down]] example of this. Which is baffling when you consider that [[VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}} the video games]] [[{{Gorn}} had violence]] [[{{Fanservice}} and nudity]] [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids that clearly aimed for a demogrpahic of teens and young adults]].
263* ''WesternAnimation/DeadEndParanormalPark'', about a haunted house-based theme park that is actually a gateway to the demon realm.
264* ''WesternAnimation/DrakPack'': Starring Frankie, Howler, and Drak Jr., three teenage boys who are capable of turning into a Frankenstein's Monster, a Werewolf, and a Vampire.
265* ''WesternAnimation/ExtremeGhostbusters'': A sequel series of ''The Real Ghostbusters''. This version lives up to its namesake as it focuses more heavily on the darker aspects of the series with the new team of Ghostbusters fighting terrifying monsters and horrors. The team is put in danger much more frequently than in the original, to the point of being nearly killed in a few cases. The tone is a bit more cynical as well.
266* ''WesternAnimation/FrankensteinsCat'': Based on a children's book by Curtis Jobling, ''Frankenstein's Cat'' is centered around Doctor Frankenstein's first experiment; a cat is created by the Doctor out of nine different cats, leading to his name being Nine.
267* ''WesternAnimation/FilmationsGhostbusters'': The cartoon version is a sequel to the original live action series. While that one has light-hearted and silly villains, here the ghosts are slightly more malicious leading to a few tense moments.
268* ''WesternAnimation/FrankeldasBookOfSpooks'': A Mexican horror anthology about a friendly ghost writer telling cautionary tales of [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor being careful for what you wish for]] and facing your fears, all while trying to escape the house she's trapped in.
269* ''WesternAnimation/FreakyStories'': Described as "a [[Franchise/TheTwilightZone Twilight Zone]] for kids", the show is an AnimatedAnthology about urban legends hosted by a cockroach and a maggot.
270* ''WesternAnimation/FrightKrewe'': A horror oriented series about kids fighting ghosts and monsters in New Orleans.
271* ''WesternAnimation/TheGhostAndMollyMcGee'': A perky and optimistic tween is cursed by a ghost to be haunted by him forever, only to declare said spectre to be her best friend instead.
272* ''WesternAnimation/GravedaleHigh'': A Creator/HannaBarbera cartoon set in a school where [[AllGhoulsSchool the pupils and staff]] are [[MonsterMash an assortment of monsters]], except for TokenHuman teacher [[Creator/RickMoranis Mr. Schneider]].
273* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'': Twins spend a summer with their great-uncle in a TownWithADarkSecret. It's the closest to Lovecraftian Horror that Disney can get while still being a children's show.
274* ''WesternAnimation/GremlinsSecretsOfTheMogwai'': It’s to be expected, given [[Franchise/{{Gremlins}} what it’s a prequel to]]. Expect plenty of dislocated jaws, dismemberment, {{Chinese Vampire}}s, and soul-swallowing from this series.
275* ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'': The GrimReaper walks around with two weird (in their own ways) kids. Supernatural events and creatures appear in every episode.
276* ''WesternAnimation/GrizzlyTalesForGruesomeKids'': A British {{Nightmare Fuel}}led SpaceWhaleAesop animated series, narrated by host Nigel Planer.
277* ''WesternAnimation/HiddenSide'': Toys/{{Lego}}'s theme/show/app centered around two teens uncovering the secrets of the spooky town of Newbury and [[WhoYouGonnaCall capturing ghosts]] with their cellphones.
278* ''WesternAnimation/{{Hilda}}'': The show is about three young protagonists encountering creatures like trolls, ghosts, giants, nightmare spirits, and a big black dog with glowing eyes.
279* ''WesternAnimation/HotelTransylvaniaTheSeries'': An animated prequel series to the ''Hotel Transylvania'' films that focuses on Mavis and her monster friends.
280* ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'': The show is about an AmusingAlien attempting to conquer Earth. The show was short-lived due to its disturbing content, but it has a cult fanbase.
281* ''WesternAnimation/JumanjiTheAnimatedSeries'': Animated adaptation of the live action movie that veers into its own AlternateContinuity where the majority of the series takes place within the board game and EverythingTryingToKillYou is in full effect for the protagonists.
282* ''WesternAnimation/TheLastKidsOnEarth'': Four friends try to survive a ZombieApocalypse while dealing with supernatural creatures, and an [[GalacticConqueror interdimensional entity]] wanting to conquer Earth.
283* ''WesternAnimation/MakingFiends'': NaiveNewcomer Charlotte thinks she can befriend Vendetta, a horrid little girl who makes monsters, or fiends, through baking. Vendetta cannot stand Charlotte's happy-go-lucky nature, and will often go to great lengths to destroy Charlotte (or at least get her out of the way for a little bit).
284* ''WesternAnimation/MartinMystery'': An extremely loose adaptation of the comics of the same name, reimagining the characters as teenagers confronting monsters and other supernatural horrors.
285* ''WesternAnimation/TheMarvelousMisadventuresOfFlapjack'': Despite the premise of a seafaring adventure, the series has plenty of creepy episodes, imagery and moments.
286* ''WesternAnimation/MightyMax'': A little kid is thrust into the responsibility of TheChosenOne, and through his journey faces plenty of horrific monsters & demons. The show will often feature mentions or offscreen deaths, plenty of scary moments for kids, terrifying monsters and the BigBad winning on a few occasions. [[spoiler: The GrandFinale even goes so far as to kill two of the lead characters onscreen, and the Big Bad almost winning until the last second.]]
287* ''WesternAnimation/MonaTheVampire'': A little girl imagines herself as a vampire superhero and regularly confronts (imaginary) supernatural monsters along with her two best friends.
288* ''WesternAnimation/MonsterBeach'': Two kids hang out at a beach with a group of friendly but quirky SurferDude monsters. The main cast includes an ogre, a werewolf, CuteMonsterGirl versions of FrankensteinsMonster and the Film/CreatureFromTheBlackLagoon, and a TerrifyingTiki.
289* ''WesternAnimation/MonsterFarm'': A kid moves to a farm inhabited by farm animal versions of famous monsters, including a goat version of Godzilla, a Frankenstein pig, and a vampire rooster.
290* ''WesternAnimation/MonsterLovingManiacs'': Three siblings train as monster experts under the tutelage of their HunterOfMonsters grandfather. Count Dracula is a major antagonist, and there is a recurring plot involving a spectral mirror demon.
291* ''WesternAnimation/MovilleMysteries'': Three teenagers encounter bizarre happenings and supernatural creatures around their hometown.
292* ''WesternAnimation/OverTheGardenWall'': Brothers travel through a mysterious forest while stalked by a horrifying beast.
293* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'': The series centers around witches and demons in The Boiling Isles, a land brimming with all sorts of strange and horrific creatures. The main characters are a witch who [[spoiler: transforms into a monster if she doesn't drink a special potion]], a demon with a skull for a head, and a human NightmareFetishist.
294* ''WesternAnimation/PhantomInvestigators'': A horror comedy about a group of twelve-year-olds who regularly fight ghosts and demons. While the show's pretty comedic and has an intentionally campy nature, it's also not afraid to get legitimately dark at points.
295* ''WesternAnimation/TheRealGhostbusters'': An AlternateUniverse of the film that explores more of the spooky vibe of the original movie. The heroes tend to fight a lot of paranormal demons and EldritchAbomination with the usual odd DemonicPossession here and there. While it does try to downplay it with the jokes, it doesn't make it any less scary (unless you count [[SeasonalRot the later seasons]]).
296* ''WesternAnimation/RottingHills'': A boy moves to a town populated by zombies.
297* ''WesternAnimation/RubyGloom'': The show is about a group of monsters and creepy creatures living in a gothic mansion on the outskirts of a {{Halloweentown}}. The main cast includes, among other creatures, a cyclops, a skeleton, a two-headed Frankenstein-like monster, and a talking raven.
298* ''WesternAnimation/ScaryGodmother'': Two Halloween specials where a girl befriends friendly monsters.
299* ''WesternAnimation/SchoolForVampires'': A German/Italian horror-comedy children's animated television series, which, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin not surprisingly]], centers around a group of vampire children learning everything that a vampire needs to know at the School for Vampires.
300* The ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo'' franchise: One of the oldest examples. A group of teenagers and their dog wander around the country (or even the world) and constantly stumble upon monsters and ghosts. Usually this is a [[ScoobyDooHoax hoax]], but some incarnations have the gang stumble onto the real deal.
301* ''WesternAnimation/ScreamStreet'': When a preteen werewolf's transformations kick in, he is sent to the titular neighborhood of monsters and befriends a vampire and a mummy.
302* ''WesternAnimation/SkeletonWarriors'': A sci-fi version of the terrible army of the dead sweeping the world.
303* ''WesternAnimation/TheStrangeChores'': Two friends and a ghost carry out various supernatural tasks for an aging HunterOfMonsters.
304* ''WesternAnimation/SuperMonsters'' features the children of the world's most famous monsters attending a night time preschool.
305* ''WesternAnimation/TalesFromTheCryptkeeper'': A LighterAndSofter animated spin-off of the horror series ''Series/TalesFromTheCrypt'' with kids as the main characters.
306* ''WesternAnimation/{{Toonsylvania}}'': Short-lived animated series that featured segements about classic movie monsters.
307* ''WesternAnimation/TheTrapDoor'': A claymation show where a blob creature, a bug and a talking skull who live in a castle owned by an unseen but powerful being deal with monsters coming from under the titular trap door.
308* ''WesternAnimation/{{Tutenstein}}'': An educational cartoon about a girl who befriends the mummy of a pharaoh.
309* ''WesternAnimation/{{Vampirina}}'': A Creator/DisneyJunior series about a friendly family of vampires.
310* ''WesternAnimation/VictorAndValentino'': Two half-brothers encounter various, predominantly Mexican, supernatural beings in their hometown.
311* ''WesternAnimation/ZombieHotel'': A cartoon about [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a hotel run by zombies]].
312[[/folder]]
313[[/index]]

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