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The Science Fiction Horror and Fantasy Film Review

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Theme: Children's Monster Movies

Children’s Monster Movies are similar to standard Monster Movies but for several key differences. In these, the protagonists are children (usually around or before adolescence). Unlike the regular monster movie, where the monster of the show threatens the social order, the threat here will usually be more intimate – a neighbourhood, at most a town.

Children’s Monster Movies will often subvert familiar tropes such as having the monster be misunderstood and feared by others but befriended by the children and often will involve plots where they are struggling to save the creature.

Others can be light knockabout items involving the Famous Monsters or works featuring cuddly adorable versions of monsters as heroes.


A Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting (2020)

20 October 202220 October 2022

Rating: ★★

Monster-Hunting Babysitters/Young Adult

Director: Rachel Talalay
Actors: Tamara Smart, Oona Laurence, Tom Felton, Troy Leigh-Anne Johnson, …
Category: Fantasy

Chupa (2023)

17 September 202317 September 2023

Rating: ★★

Cute Baby Chupacabra

Director: Jonas Cuaron
Actors: Evan Whitten, Demian Bechir, Christian Slater, Ashley Ciarra, …
Category: Fantasy

Doug’s 1st Movie (1999)

8 March 200831 August 2020

Rating: ★★

Animation/Children’s TV Series Spinoff

Director: Maurice Joyce
Actors: Frank Welker, Alice Playten
Category: Fantasy

Frankenweenie (2012)

28 November 201219 October 2024

Rating: ★★

Universal Frankenstein Homage/Boy Resurrects Dog/Stop-Motion Animation

Director: Tim Burton
Actors: Charlie Tahan, Catherine O'Hara, Martin Short, Martin Landau, …
Category: Horror

Frog Dreaming (1986)

5 September 200219 September 2024

Rating: ★★★

Monster/Aborigine Magic/Children’s Film

Director: Brian Trenchard-Smith
Actors: Henry Thomas, Tony Barry, John Ewart, Katy Manning
Category: Fantasy

Fungus the Bogeyman (2004)

26 February 20074 June 2025

Rating: ★★½

Secret World of Filth-Loving Bogeys

Director: Stuart Orme
Actors: Martin Clunes, Fay Ripley, Alice Connor, William Todd Jones, …
Category: Fantasy

Fungus the Bogeyman (2015)

13 March 201729 March 2021

Rating: ★★½

Secret World of Filth-Loving Bogeys

Director: Catherine Morshead
Actors: Timothy Spall, Joanna Scanlan, Marc Warren, Keeley Hawes, …
Category: Fantasy

Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015)

23 January 201630 August 2021

Rating: ★★

Animation/Famous Monsters Comedy

Director: Genndy Tartakovsky
Actors: Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Asher Blinkoff, …
Category: Fantasy

Hotel Transylvania (2012)

28 September 201230 May 2022

Rating: ★★

Animation/Hotel for Famous Monsters

Director: Genndy Tartakovsky
Actors: Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kevin James, …
Category: Fantasy

Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018)

25 November 201827 January 2022

Rating: ★★

Animation/Famous Monsters Comedy

Director: Genndy Tartakovsky
Actors: Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, Kathryn Hahn, Asher Blinkoff, …
Category: Fantasy

Hotel Transylvania: Transformania (2022)

29 January 202229 January 2022

Rating: ★★

Animation/Famous Monsters Comedy

Director: Derek Drymon, Jennifer Kluska
Actors: Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Brian Hull, Kathryn Hahn, …
Category: Fantasy

Little Monsters (1989)

1 March 200125 October 2019

Rating: ★★★

Secret World of Monsters Under the Bed

Director: Richard Alan Greenberg
Actors: Fred Savage, Howie Mandel, Ben Savage, Daniel Stern, …
Category: Fantasy

Mad Monster Party? (1967)

5 August 200018 May 2020

Rating: ★★★

Famous Monster Bash/Stop-Motion Animation

Director: Jules Bass
Actors: Boris Karloff, Phyllis Diller
Category: Fantasy

Magic in the Water (1995)

22 February 19994 January 2025

Rating: ★★

Children Discover Sea Monster

Director: Rick Stevenson
Actors: Mark Harmon, Joshua Jackson, Harley Jane Kozak
Category: Fantasy

A Monster Calls (2016)

28 January 20177 April 2021

Rating: ★★★

Boy Befriends Giant Monster

Director: J.A. Bayona
Actors: Lewis MacDougall, Liam Neeson, Sigourney Weaver, Felicity Jones, …
Category: Fantasy

Monster House (2006)

10 November 200620 December 2021

Rating: ★★★★

Animation/Living House Amok

Director: Gil Kenan
Actors: Steve Buscemi, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Sam Lerner, Spencer Locke, …
Category: Fantasy

A Monster in Paris (2011)

16 June 20129 January 2025

Rating: ★★★

Animation/Genteel Singing Monster

Director: Bibo Bergeron
Actors: Vanessa Paradis, Gad Elmaleh, Sebastien Desjours, Francois Cluzet, …
Category: Fantasy

The Monster Squad (1987)

24 May 201514 November 2020

Rating: ★★★

Kids vs the Famous Monsters

Director: Fred Dekker
Actors: Duncan Regehr, Tom Noonan, Andre Gower, Stephen Macht, …
Category: Horror

Monsters, Inc. (2001)

4 November 20017 August 2021

Rating: ★★★★

Pixar Animation/Monsters in the Closet

Director: Pete Docter, David Silverman, Lee Unkrich
Actors: John Goodman, Billy Crystal, Steve Buscemi, James Coburn, …
Category: Fantasy

Monsters University (2013)

21 June 20137 August 2021

Rating: ★★

Pixar Animation/Monsters in the Closet

Director: Dan Scanlon
Actors: Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Helen Mirren, Joel Murray, …
Category: Fantasy

Monsters vs Aliens (2009)

4 April 200921 March 2025

Rating: ★★★

Animation/Friendly Monsters vs Alien Invaders

Director: Rob Letterman, Conrad Vernon
Actors: Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett, …
Category: Science Fiction

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

8 February 200423 April 2020

Rating: ★★★★★

Halloween Denizens Take Over Christmas/Stop-Motion Animation

Director: Henry Selick
Actors: Chris Sarandon, Danny Elfman, Catherine O'Hara, William Hickey, …
Category: Fantasy

P.G. Psycho Goreman (2020)

30 January 202128 November 2024

Rating: ★★★

Kids Befriend Evil Intergalactic Tyrant

Director: Steven Kostanski
Actors: Nita-Josee Hanna, Owen Myre, Matthew Ninaber, Steven Vlahos, …
Category: Science Fiction

Son of Godzilla (1968)

12 November 20022 May 2020

Rating: ★★★

Japanese Monster Bash

Director: Jun Fukuda
Actors: Akira Kubo
Category: Science Fiction

The Water Horse (2007)

19 January 200811 June 2024

Rating: ★★½

Loch Ness Monster

Director: Jay Russell
Actors: Ben Chaplin, Emily Watson, David Morrissey, Marshall Napier, …
Category: Fantasy

Where the Wild Things Are (2009)

2 November 20099 June 2025

Rating: ★★★★

Boy Frolics With Friendly Monsters

Director: Spike Jonze
Actors: Max Records, Catherine Keener, Mark Ruffalo, James Gandolfini, …
Category: Fantasy

The Willies (1990)

14 December 202314 December 2023

Rating: ★★★

Horror Anthology

Director: Brian Peck
Actors: James Karen, Sean Astin, Clu Gulager, Joshua Miller, …
Category: Horror

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Theme Essays

  • Films About Atlantis
  • Werewolf Films
  • Virtual Reality
  • Imprisonment Thrillers
  • Films Depicting NASA and the Space Program
  • Human Bloodsports and Death Games
  • Animals Attack Films
  • Films About Plague and Pandemic
  • Disaster Movies
  • Steampunk Films
  • Documentaries
  • Films About Halloween
  • Films About Prophecy
  • Magicians and Sorcerers
  • Secret Societies
  • Real-Life People in Fiction
  • Techno-Thrillers
  • Twins in Fantastic Cinema
  • Asylums
  • Possession Films
  • Films About Imaginary and Magical Lands
  • Religion in Fantastic Cinema
  • Romantic Comedies
  • Film Noir
  • Spy Films
  • Jekyll and Hyde Films
  • Films That Make Dubious Claims to Being True Stories
  • Coming of Age Stories in Fantastic Cinema
  • Films About Cryogenics and Suspended Animation
  • Alternate History Films
  • Disturbed Psychology as Portrayed on Film
  • Law Enforcement in Fantastic Cinema
  • Weird Westerns
∧

Copyright Richard Scheib 1999-2025

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