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Who you gonna call?
Who doesn't love a good horror flick! Really? Then, you'd best look away now.
Horror shorts for the classroom
Three short films that would work scarily well for different age groups at this time of year are The Lucky Dip, Meat the Campbells and The Sandman.
The Lucky Dip is suitable for infants. You can watch via the brilliant new Screening Shorts website by looking in the 'Films for your classroom' section. The site also has lots of ideas and activities for how to use the film in your classroom.
The Lucky Dip synopsis: "A young girl visiting the seaside slips into a gloomy arcade, unnoticed by her relatives. She tries to rescue a toy rabbit from a machine, but it’s pushed over by a scary-looking employee. As she flees with the rabbit, she falls through a hole in the pier. The rabbit, not the nice creature he’d appeared, abandons her. She’s pulled to safety by the scary man, who she’d misjudged, and is reunited with her family. This film doesn’t use dialogue, but music and a combination of cut out and 3D model animation create a rich, atmospheric environment."
Meat the Campbells is perfect for upper primary pupils. You can find it on our own amazing website here along with teaching activities.
Meat the Campbells synopsis: "When Mark hears the urban myth about the dietary habits of the new kid in school, the last thing he wants is to be invited round to dinner. His worst fears are realised when he has to endure a three-course meal at the Campbell family residence. Mark cannot decide whats worse, not knowing whats in the soup, or worrying that he could be the next course. Meat the Campbells is a dark, humorous and gruesome tale in which an invitation to dinner has never been so deadly."
The Sandman will place fear and terror on the pillows of all sleeping secondary pupils. So, for secondary teachers it's a must! Watch it here including suggestions for classroom activities.
The Sandman synopsis: "A small boy's fear of the dark at bedtime is explored to brilliant effect in this exquisitely crafted Oscar-nominated short film from animator Paul Berry."
Classic British horror from the vaults
The BFI Screenonline, which can be accessed from all school networks has some wonderful clips of vintage Britsh horror films for you to enjoy with your class. They would be fantastic starters for class discussions and inspiration for creative writing, art or drama. A superb overview of the horror genre can be found here with a more indepth anaylsis of the Hammer Films' output to be found here
Hopefully, some of you will be ghoulish enough to make your own short horror flick. The mockumentary Ghostwatch is great for those wishing to create a realistic Blair Witch style approach to the horror film. Or check out Mower Madness and The Enchanted Glade from the Scotland On Screen website for a more amateur but still very entertaining angle on the spooky tale. The Moving Image Education website has lots of practical advice and suggestions for getting started with any filmmaking project.
Censorship and horror films
Horror films are a perfect vehicle for discussing and understanding the age restrictions and classifications on placed on films by the British Board of Film Classification. The website also has lots of good materials for exploring the subject further with primary pupils and secondary pupils.
10 horror movies for kids (big and small)
This top ten list from Empire magazine is sure to prompt a heated discussion about horror movies. What films are missing from the list? What films would not be suitable for kids? Who would be in the top ten of scariest movie characters? What is it that makes a film scary?