I am going to be writing a series of posts for GeekMom that tracks the progression and possible side-effects of slowly allowing my sons to watch “good” horror films. Michael is 14 and Sammy is 12; they have always been thought of by others as mature for their age, yet regardless of that, I have always been reluctant to let them watch R-rated movies, until recently.
I've heard my sons complain for years that their friend's parents allow their friends to watch whatever they want; my response to that has always been that every household has different rules that work for each one, respectively. I have never lived under the illusion that my children didn't watch movies or television shows that I deemed inappropriate for them while they were spending time at said friends' houses. They will let certain quotes, quips and lines from movies will slip from their lips, not realizing that just because I don't allow them to watch those kinds of films doesn't mean that I don't watch them myself and know what they are referring to. In the last few months, I have slowly began letting them watch certain R-rated films, under my supervision of course, and there are some that I only let my oldest son watch. I feel that, as their mother, I can responsibly introduce them to something they have looked forward to for so long, and at the same time, continue to restrict their exposure depending what I believe they can or cannot handle. In my personal opinion, parents should easily know what might be too intense, frightening or mature for their children, and they should make choices taking into consideration the child's age and content of a particular film or television show.
Last summer, I let my sons watch the first Alien film, which I consider tame for a restricted movie, judging by today's standards. Sammy watched the entire movie while curled up next to me on the couch; Michael lost interest about 30 minutes into it and went to his room. It was almost a full year later before they watched Aliens, the second film in the franchise. This quickly snow-balled into them both, but mostly Sammy, becoming enamored of the Alien*,* Predator*,* and Alien vs Predator movies. I was a bit skeptical of whether or not I should be letting them watch all of this, but some of it was being viewed while they were with their dad, which I have no control over, and some they were watching in my home. I began to realize that they were still my normal sons: unmannerly, gaseous, full of bathroom humor, unique, amazing and wonderful.
Perhaps the difference in their response to these films comes from the fact that their dad watches the movies with them when they are at his home, and I do the same when they are with me. I considered it a milestone when, a few weeks ago, I took Michael to see his first R-rated horror film in the theater. I was anxious to watch Cabin in the Woods, and he was thrilled that I was actually allowing it and facilitating it. We had a wonderful time at the theater; the movie wasn't overtly scary and it packed some great laughs that had us shamelessly guffawing in full view of the other nice, normal folks in the theater. We ended the night with ice cream and smiles, and me fully appreciating the time we spent, knowing that a teenaged-boy actually wanting to hang out and have fun with his mom every now and then is a rare thing indeed.
Some of the best memories I have from my own childhood are of watching Monster Fest on Friday nights and scary flicks on Saturday nights. Those were the father-daughter times I had with my dad, after my mom and sister had gone to bed and the house was dark and quiet. We would sit in front of the television, munching on microwaved popcorn while the glow of campy wonders such as Night of the Living Dead, Army of Darkness and Night of the Comet shined on our faces. I learned very well from from my dad at which point in a horror film you should roar, grab your movie-watching partner, and watch in delight as they jump five feet in the air. I'm sure my youngest son Sammy is grateful to his Papaw for that one, considering that he rarely sits next to me anymore when we are on the couch watching something suspenseful, even Doctor Who. Fans of the series know that the Angels and the Silence can be quite frightening!
While my boys are out of school for the summer, as a special treat to them and a way to spend inexpensive, quality time at home, I am going to allow them to watch scary flicks with me. My plan is to do view them about once or twice a week, pre-selected by me of course, and discuss with them what they thought about each one afterward. I know that some parents reading this may think that I will be scarring my children for life, possibly turning them into some kind of person that enjoys viewing the suffering of others. If you are reading this and you think that, I just want to assure you that my children know the difference between reality and movies. They know that as much as we discuss our plans in the event of the zombie apocalypse, that it's all tongue-in-cheek and not to be taken seriously. I know that my sons will watch these films at some point when they are not home with me, maybe even worse ones, so I feel a little better knowing that they will be watching them with me for the first time. Besides, all it takes is a little Googling by you, the reader of this post, to realize that I am not the average soccer mom. I don't do chick flicks. (Well, except when I'm having hormonal imbalances and crave Reese's Peanut Butter Cup shakes.) I certainly don't do “mani-pedis” with my best gal pals, while watching a marathon of Sex and the City.
What I do is time with my boys. I would rather stay home, watching bad horror or kung fu movies with Michael and Sammy, than do anything else that my awesome hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana has to offer. In about five years, both of my sons will be in college. I hope that we can all look back and remember the great times we had over sugary soda, popcorn, bad special effects and jump-scares, right in our own living room. After all, I have nothing but fond memories of doing the same with my dad – although I have to admit that still to this day, any child's toy that slightly resembles a Good Guy Doll sends chills up my spine. Thanks, Dad!
The proposed list of scary films that my sons and I will watch this summer:
- Army of Darkness
- C.H.U.D.
- The Gate
- Critters
- Troll and Troll 2
- Creepshow
- Carrie
- Christine
- The Fog (1980)
- The Fly (original black and white version)
- The Thing (1982)
- Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
- The Omen (1976)
- Phantasm
- Halloween (1978)
- Friday the 13th
- American Werewolf in London
- Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
- Child's Play
- Dawn of the Dead
- The Blair Witch Project
