Scary movies for teens: 20 horror picks rated PG or PG-13

You don't need an R rating to be scared. These 20 horror movies are all rated PG or PG-13, which makes them a good fit for teens, sleepovers and Halloween nights with mixed ages.

They're sorted from mild to properly scary, so you can match the movie to the group.

First scares

Spooky fun for younger teens or anyone easing into horror.

  • Still from Coraline (2009)1
    • Animation
    • Family
    • Fantasy

    Coraline

    7.9 TMDB rating20091h 40mRated PG

    Creepy and beautifully made. A good first scary movie for younger teens.

  • Still from Hocus Pocus (1993)2
    • Fantasy
    • Comedy
    • Family

    Hocus Pocus

    7.0 TMDB rating19931h 36mRated PG

    A Halloween favorite for all ages.

  • Still from Beetlejuice (1988)3
    • Fantasy
    • Comedy

    Beetlejuice

    7.4 TMDB rating19881h 32mRated PG

    Spooky, silly and very quotable.

  • Still from Monster House (2006)4
    • Animation
    • Comedy
    • Family

    Monster House

    6.7 TMDB rating20061h 31mRated PG

    A haunted-house adventure made for a first scary movie.

  • Still from Goosebumps (2015)5
    • Adventure
    • Horror
    • Comedy

    Goosebumps

    6.3 TMDB rating20151h 43mRated PG

    After moving to a small town, Zach Cooper finds a silver lining when he meets next door neighbor Hannah, the daughter of bestselling Goosebumps series author R.L. Stine. When Zach unintentionally unleashes real monsters from their manuscripts and they…

Jump-scare hits

Big scares, fun to watch with a group.

  • Still from Insidious (2011)6
    • Horror
    • Thriller

    Insidious

    7.0 TMDB rating20111h 42mRated PG-13

    A family discovers that dark spirits have invaded their home after their son inexplicably falls into an endless sleep. When they reach out to a professional for help, they learn things are a lot more personal than they thought.

  • Still from The Ring (2002)7
    • Horror
    • Mystery

    The Ring

    6.7 TMDB rating20021h 55mRated PG-13

    Journalist Rachel Keller investigates a strange videotape that may be behind the untimely deaths of four teenagers. There is an urban legend about this tape: the viewer will die seven days after watching it. Rachel tracks down the video... and watches it.…

  • Still from Five Nights at Freddy's (2023)8
    • Horror
    • Thriller

    Five Nights at Freddy's

    7.3 TMDB rating20231h 50mRated PG-13

    Recently fired and desperate for work, a troubled young man named Mike agrees to take a position as a night security guard at an abandoned theme restaurant: Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria. But he soon discovers that nothing at Freddy's is what it seems.

  • Still from Happy Death Day (2017)9
    • Comedy
    • Horror
    • Mystery

    Happy Death Day

    6.7 TMDB rating20171h 37mRated PG-13

    A time-loop slasher that's more fun than frightening.

  • Still from M3GAN (2022)10
    • Science Fiction
    • Horror

    M3GAN

    7.0 TMDB rating20221h 42mRated PG-13

    A killer-doll movie that's as funny as it is creepy. Great for a mixed group.

Tense thrillers

Less gore, more holding your breath.

  • Still from A Quiet Place (2018)11
    • Horror
    • Drama
    • Science Fiction

    A Quiet Place

    7.4 TMDB rating20181h 31mRated PG-13

    Constant tension. Even the group goes quiet.

  • Still from Signs (2002)12
    • Thriller
    • Science Fiction
    • Horror

    Signs

    6.7 TMDB rating20021h 46mRated PG-13

    A family living on a farm finds mysterious crop circles in their fields which suggests something more frightening to come.

  • Still from The Others (2001)13
    • Horror
    • Mystery
    • Thriller

    The Others

    7.6 TMDB rating20011h 41mRated PG-13

    Grace is a religious woman who lives in an old house kept dark because her two children, Anne and Nicholas, have a rare sensitivity to light. When the family begins to suspect the house is haunted, Grace fights to protect her children at any cost in the…

  • Still from 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)14
    • Thriller
    • Science Fiction
    • Drama

    10 Cloverfield Lane

    7.0 TMDB rating20161h 44mRated PG-13

    After a catastrophic car crash, a young woman wakes up in a survivalist's underground bunker, where he claims to have saved her from an apocalyptic attack that has left the outside world uninhabitable.

  • Still from Split (2017)15
    • Horror
    • Thriller

    Split

    7.3 TMDB rating20171h 57mRated PG-13

    Though Kevin has evidenced 23 personalities to his trusted psychiatrist, Dr. Fletcher, there remains one still submerged who is set to materialize and dominate all the others. Compelled to abduct three teenage girls led by the willful, observant Casey,…

Classics

The older movies that started it all, still effective.

  • Still from Jaws (1975)16
    • Horror
    • Thriller
    • Adventure

    Jaws

    7.7 TMDB rating19752h 4mRated PG

    When the seaside community of Amity finds itself under attack by a dangerous great white shark, the town's chief of police, a young marine biologist, and a grizzled shark hunter embark on a desperate quest to kill the beast before it strikes again.

  • Still from Poltergeist (1982)17
    • Horror

    Poltergeist

    7.2 TMDB rating19821h 54mRated PG

    The Freelings' suburban home becomes the center of paranormal activity that opens a portal to the 'other side'. With help, they must cross over to get their daughter back.

  • Still from Gremlins (1984)18
    • Fantasy
    • Horror
    • Comedy

    Gremlins

    7.1 TMDB rating19841h 46mRated PG

    A creepy-funny Christmas classic. Too scary for little kids.

  • Still from The Sixth Sense (1999)19
    • Mystery
    • Thriller
    • Drama

    The Sixth Sense

    8.0 TMDB rating19991h 47mRated PG-13

    Following an unexpected tragedy, child psychologist Malcolm Crowe meets a nine year old boy named Cole Sear, who is hiding a dark secret.

  • Still from Tremors (1990)20
    • Comedy
    • Horror
    • Science Fiction

    Tremors

    7.0 TMDB rating19901h 36mRated PG-13

    Val McKee and Earl Bassett are in a fight for their lives when they discover that their desolate town has been infested with gigantic, man-eating creatures that live below the ground.

Still can't decide? Let the random movie generator pick one for you.

How to pick one together

  1. Ask the group how scared they want to be: spooky, jumpy or tense.
  2. Pick from that section and watch the trailer first. It's the quickest way to check the scare level.
  3. Agree on a pause rule before you start, so nobody stops it at the scariest moment.

Frequently asked questions

What are good scary movies for teens?

A Quiet Place (2018), Insidious (2011), The Ring (2002), Happy Death Day (2017) and Coraline (2009) are popular PG and PG-13 picks.

What's the scariest PG-13 horror movie?

Insidious (2011), The Ring (2002) and The Others (2001) are often called the scariest PG-13 horror movies.

Is there an app to help pick a movie together?

Yes. In ReelMatch everyone swipes through trailers on their own phone and the app shows the movies you all said yes to. It's free on iPhone and Android.

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Images, ratings and runtimes from TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB. Ratings are US ratings.