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I'm sure we've discussed something like this before, but I think this is a much more specific topic. My daughter has gotten a kick out of movies and shows that have spoofed or paid homage to 50s Cold-War-era b-movies. She loved Planet 51, she's seen some Godzilla and I'm planning to show her The Iron Giant, and she's seen a few old cartoons and sitcoms that reference the same sort of topics.

I'd like to show her some more of the real thing. The difficulty is finding the best examples of movies with flying saucers, stop-motion monsters, scientists and military types, that will be appropriate for her. They have to be fun and easy to understand, but they can't be too scary or too slowly paced. Been looking at a few potential candidates, but generally finding either a bit too much death or a bit too much talking.

Any suggestions?

I bought a "Gamera" double-feature DVD at the dollar store a while ago and my kids (ages 9 and 5) loved that. They were rolling on the floor laughing at the ultra-cheap special effects. "It looks so FAKE!"

Last year around the holidays I picked up "Santa Claus Conquers The Martians" at the same dollar store, thinking the kids might get a kick out of that as well... but after watching it myself, I decided not to bother because I really think exposing them to such an epic stinker probably constitutes some form of child abuse.  :teddyr:

Robot Monster went over well here.

Ray Harryhausen's EARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS seems the most fitting choice for you there Andy. Perhaps a bit too much death though. I think I would have loved ATTACK OF THE MONSTERS (a Gamera film) and INVADERS FROM MARS (1953) as a teenager but they're honestly likely scary for a little one. 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH perhaps but no doubt one feels sad for the Ymir.

That's actually where this question came from. I watched Earth vs. the Flying Saucers the other night, thinking it might fit the bill, but there was quite a lot in the way of people getting shot and blown up and disintegrated. More than that, I think my daughter might be disturbed by the general getting mind-probed and turned into a zombie. That and the movie can get kind of slow and talky when the saucers aren't around. I think she'll probably like it, maybe in another year or so, but it's more than I'd want to start her out with.

Here's a couple of possibilities.

(http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w234/tcrine_photos/thunderbirds_are_go_poster_zps9a37e28e.jpg)

(http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w234/tcrine_photos/THE-MYSTERIANS.jpg)

I remember enjoying The Blob (50's) when I was younger.

I might also suggest The 3 Worlds of Guilver to get her started of on Harryhausen.

My daughter flipped for Ray Harryhausen....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q17dl_aUNf4


Plus she loved the old classic horror films,like The Mummy and the original Dracula.....ones with tons of atmosphere and not mostly gore.

Been thinking about The Blob. It's a fun movie, and we see very little of the thing actually eating people. Plus, Ro already loves the theme song.

Anything with mummies is definitely out. Ro is scared to death of mummies. Never understood why.

Ooops! Ignore part of my post.

I'd go with some  GAMERA flicks; too fake to be scary and that character was pretty much intended for kids anyway.

Not really cold-war related but the old ULTRAMAN episodes are pretty crazy & fun.

I'm not sure if anyone has said this yet but any kaiju film that's not overlly dark would be good, also any Harryhausen I'm sure a kid would like.

I remember really enjoying THE SEVENTH VOYAGE OF SINBAD when I saw it as a kid on a re-release at the drive-in.

She's seen some kaiju already - Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster, Godzilla vs. Monster Zero, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla so far. She enjoys those.

I will look into more Harryhausen movies. Quite a lot to choose from there.

"The Blob" (the original) terrified me as a child.  I would have night terrors about it, running through the house and screaming.  Those episodes are one possible reason my mother went gray early.

"The Giant Claw" is an awesome b-movie; my kids liked it quite a bit.  They also enjoyed "The Deadly Mantis," and some of the other giant bug movies like "Beginning of the End."  "Them" was a bit too intense for the youngest.  Ditto with "The Horror of Party Beach" - the fake blood and the amazingly bad suspense actually had the kids scared.  Go figure.

As a kid I loved the Harryhausen Sinbad movies. 

Good suggestions. She has noticed the picture of The Giant Claw that's usually at the bottom of the page in this forum. Might give that one a try.

The giant bug movies are exactly the sort of thing I want. I'd been unsure about them because I remember Them and Tarantula being perhaps a bit too intense in spots. But The Deadly Mantis and Beginning of the End might be just right.

I probably saw The Blob when I was in 5th grade.  I don't know your kids; you'll have to consider the appropriateness of these suggestions for yourself.

Other suggestions:
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (Disney)- Generally family friendly.  I've heard that the Squid can be scary; you might want to watch out for that.
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (Irwen Allen)- Similar to above, but in a modern setting.  Again watch out for the squid.
Journey to the Center of The Earth (1959)- Good visuals; nothing more scary than the above two suggestions.  Watch out for the lizard-monsters.
The Lost World (1960)- Fox tried to repeat Journey's success.  It's not as good as the Journey, but isn't a bad film.  More lizard-monsters, watch out for those.
The Mysterious Island (Harryhausen)  There's a giant crab, watch out for that.

I might also suggest Irwin Allen's TV shows. I remember liking Lost in Space a lot.

Mysterious Island is a really good suggestion although the giant bees and giant crab might be a tad bit scary.

Casper (1995) is a classic! The Nostalgia Critic even reviewed it! I don't have kids myself, because I'm only 16, but I loved Casper as a kid! :smile:

If she doesn't mind lizards, THE GIANT GILA MONSTER is pretty fun.

Oh,absolutely! That's a fun film indeed.

The Sinbad movies might work well, I agree. I would also suggest The 7 Faces of Dr. Lao as an intro to Harryhausen-type effects. Also, Don Knotts movies like The Ghost and Mr. Chicken and The Incredible Mr. Limpet are great for presenting horror and war elements in a fun, non-scary way.

Thought about The Ghost and Mr. Chicken as a possible Halloween movie to share. Ro is pretty familiar with Don Knotts from watching the New Scooby Doo Movies, and we've already watched The Reluctant Astronaut together.

We watched The Iron Giant a couple of nights ago. It was a big hit, and a very good introduction to 50s b-movie themes. Have to admit there are very few heartwarming family films in which a lovable character goes on a rampage against tanks and warships, then collides with a nuclear SLBM to save everyone.

Actually, as 7-year-old girls go, Ro is more familiar with the Cold War and nuclear arms than most. Not that I make a point of discussing these things, but it's kind of an essential part of understanding everything from Godzilla to the Space Race.

The first time I tried to watch "The Blob" as a kid (I was probably 7 or 8 at the time), I bailed out as soon as the Blob attached itself to the old guy's arm, I was too freaked out. It was years before I felt brave enough to try watching it again.  :teddyr:

The old man is really the one part of that movie I have doubts about. He seems to be genuinely suffering with it on his hand, and he takes much longer to eat. I think my daughter might empathize too much with him. I'm sure she could handle the rest of the movie, but that might upset her.

If The Ghost and Mr.Chicken is okay, try Blackbeard's Ghost.

Here's one of my favs for Halloween....Hocus Pocus.

Maybe really early Harryhausen - The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms? The inspiration for Godzilla.

Some other possibilities (I'd recommend though watching them to make sure nothing's too scary):

It Came From Outer Space (1953)
Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954)
The Invisible Boy
Teenage Caveman
Superman and the Mole Men
Gorgo

I remembered one I would suggest.  "Tobor the Great" (1954).

I too was kind of freaked out by The Blob as a kid.  I liked watching the movie, and while I didn't have nightmares it kind of scared me, and I'd lie awake at night and imagine the Blob oozing up the stairwell and into my room.

The Cat from Outer Space could be a good choice.  I'd also suggest The Lemon Grove Kids Meet the Monsters.  It's perfectly good for kids but it's strange enough to be entertaining for adults (I generally like Ray Dennis Steckler stuff).

Abbot and Costello's movies are good.  I suggest Jack and the Beanstalk, Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Abbot and Costello Meet the Invisible Man, and Abbot and Costello go to Mars.

I might also suggest Bert I. Gordon's The Magic Sword.  One word of warning: the FX, though cheesy, can be grotesque.  For example, in one scene, someone falls into swamp water. The water is acidic; when the person floats out all that's left is their skull.  The skull looks fake, but it still may be too much for a young child.  There are several other similar scenes. Watch the film, and use your own judgement.

The Iron Giant.....really good movie. :wink:

     These are movies I saw at the Dreamland, Tivoli, Palace, and Ohio as a kid....
THE MAGIC SWORD
JACK, THE GIANT KILLER
ATLANTIS, THE LOST CONTINENT (Beast- men might frighten)
 ALAKAZAM THE GREAT
GORGO
FANTASTIC VOYAGE
JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH
SWORD AND THE DRAGON
THE TIME MACHINE (Morlocks might be scary)
GULLIVER'S TRAVELS BEYOND THE MOON
AROUND THE WORLD UNDER THE SEA
SEVEN FACES OF DR. LAO

Anything old or "classic" bores most adults to tears, and I'm sure the same applies to kids as well.  It might work if all kids were mini-me versions of us badmovie forum members, but we should remember that they are not.  It's a sad commentary on people's taste in entertainment, but it's true.  Although it does sound like your daughter may be a rare exception Andy.

Some goodt suggestions in there, and I feel bad about not suggesting George Pal's version of "The Time Machine" myself.  That is an excellent film.  Watched it with my kids a while back and they enjoyed the movie.  My daughter, the oldest, found the scariest part to be the nuclear war destroying the city. 


I'm not sure it is so much being exceptions, as what they learn.  The nose-turned-up at older movies seems to be something they learn from others (mostly peers) as they get older and interact with them more than parents.

I think kids can have an advantage over adults, in a more active imagination and a more open mind. They can still see the flying saucer while we focus on the strings. They pick up their ideas of cheesy or boring or lame from the jaded adults around them, from their peers, or from years of being exposed to entertainment that leaves nothing to the imagination.

When I was talking to my wife about introducing the little one to more classic b-movies, her response was that the humour would go over Ro's head. At her age, she's not going to be able to make fun of the movie. I explained that this was the whole point. At her age, she doesn't have to enjoy the movie ironically. She can still enjoy it as it was meant to be enjoyed.

And I'd say that's how we all became fans. We didn't start out making fun of the movies. They were already fun. We look at the movies through our adult eyes and mock them, but there is a fondness there that comes from when we were younger and less fussy, and we genuinely thought those flying hubcaps and rubber suits were cool.

I think there are only two things that might make an old movie unsuitable for kids. It can be too scary (even if it seems terribly fake to us) or it can start to drag with a lot of stilted dialogue. Other than that, the only thing that would stop them from enjoying it is whatever prejudice they pick up from us. As long as it's easy to follow the story and things keep happening, kids won't necessarily be bored.

Agree with Andy.  Look at kids playing: they can make-believe without being distracted from the adventure by the hand that is holding the toys and making them move.  Movies simply can be adults at imaginary play - and kids naturally get that.

My daughter used to refuse to watch any film in B&W but now she adores them. In fact she really appreciates the atmosphere of a B&W horror movie. It may be an age thing but then she's never bothered with peer pressure.