Horror For Kids: How The Genre Conquered The '90s

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The 1990s was a really compelling time for the horror genre. There was more highbrow fare like The Silence Of The Lambs (1991) and The Sixth Sense (1991), movies that were Oscar-worthy and started many interesting and deep conversations about what the genre could do. The decade also brought corny teen screams like I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) and, well, Scream (1996).

There was another piece of the horror genre in the '90s: TV shows aimed at child audiences that were pretty scary. Many people have happy memories of these series today. Why was the '90s the right time for these shows?

5 Overrated 90s Horror Movies

There are many kids horror TV shows from the '90s, from live-action favorites Goosebumps and Are You Afraid Of The Dark? to the animated series Freaky Stories and Tales From The Cryptkeeper. It's possible to argue that the '90s was the absolute perfect time for horror series aimed at kids because '90s content was so cheesy (but in a fun and charming way). These child characters figure out the mystery, solve problems, and do it all while trying not to get too freaked out, but there is a sweet innocence to these stories since, of course, they're so young.

Goosebumps and Are You Afraid Of The Dark? definitely had a huge influence on kids growing up in the '90s, and many people still think really highly of these shows today. Goosebumps shared storytelling lessons: great jump scares, smart twist endings, and good characters. Both shows had self-contained stories with a main character with enough of a backstory to hook and interest audiences (even if it was just moving to a new house/town with a frustrating sibling). Are You Afraid Of The Dark? has scary storytelling lessons, too, as the most memorable part was