Greg Ruth wrote an essay about how horror is beneficial for kids, appropriately named “Why Horror is Good for You (and Even Better for Your Kids)”. He explains how horror for kids has slowly been diminishing at the children’s expense. He argues that kids today are sheltered and not introduced to horror the way that they used to be. In this process, kids have not been taught to enjoy being scared. Ruth describes his own love for horror and how he, himself enjoys scaring people in his comics like many of his favourite authors. He argues that horror plays with our intrinsic instincts and fear response as well as being used as a way to make people enjoy the experience of being scared and not to fear it. This fear can actually help us understand
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Ruth explains how in his own writings this is true as well. This allows children to imagine themselves in the place of the main character fighting and triumphing over the antagonist, and teaches them confidence because they know that if they can defeat the monster in that horror movie, then they can defeat anything. The main reason horror is important for kids is because they need to learn to acknowledge that they have fear and learn how to defeat it. Children need to be taught to face fear and create coping strategies rather than ignore it altogether, which is what they’re being taught to do. Horror stories that are appropriate for teaching children the lessons that they require, are not that different from horror stories adults watch. Well done horror stories are not traumatic to look at, but have a sophisticated sort of tactic to induce fear in the audience. This fear tactic must lead to a satisfying ending so not to terrify the children but to teach them a lesson.
Introducing children to horror does not mean that all horror is appropriate for kids. There are varying degrees of horror that are appropriate for different levels of childhood. If you are unsure whether or not it is appropriate, Ruth suggests that you don’t show it to your children just to be safe. The whole point of showing horror movies to children is not to terrorize them but to show them that fear is not something they should be afraid of. He states that if you use horror in the right way it can function as an effective learning
Ruth explains how in his own writings this is true as well. This allows children to imagine themselves in the place of the main character fighting and triumphing over the antagonist, and teaches them confidence because they know that if they can defeat the monster in that horror movie, then they can defeat anything. The main reason horror is important for kids is because they need to learn to acknowledge that they have fear and learn how to defeat it. Children need to be taught to face fear and create coping strategies rather than ignore it altogether, which is what they’re being taught to do. Horror stories that are appropriate for teaching children the lessons that they require, are not that different from horror stories adults watch. Well done horror stories are not traumatic to look at, but have a sophisticated sort of tactic to induce fear in the audience. This fear tactic must lead to a satisfying ending so not to terrify the children but to teach them a lesson.
Introducing children to horror does not mean that all horror is appropriate for kids. There are varying degrees of horror that are appropriate for different levels of childhood. If you are unsure whether or not it is appropriate, Ruth suggests that you don’t show it to your children just to be safe. The whole point of showing horror movies to children is not to terrorize them but to show them that fear is not something they should be afraid of. He states that if you use horror in the right way it can function as an effective learning