From classics like Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! to modern takes like Monster High, the horror genre for younger viewers has evolved over the decades without ever falling out of fashion. And now it seems to be on a notable upswing.

According to a recent Dubit Trends survey, two- to 15-year-olds in some key countries have developed a greater interest in horror over the last two years. Its popularity rose by 40% in the US and 24% in the UK between 2022 and 2023. And from 2021 to 2022, it grew 36% in Canada and 19% in Australia.

Digging a little deeper, Dubit reports that kids love horror because it helps them develop self-preservation instincts, exercises their imagination and provides a rush of adrenaline. Additionally, the data suggests that when this content is done right, it offers young viewers a safe way to confront their fears.

Producers are aware of this, and some are delving into the genre for the first time with different approaches to entertain and thrill the next generation of kids.

Demons & monsters

In the US, DreamWorks Animation is producing Fright Krewe, its first supernatural-focused horror show for pre-teens. The 2D-animated series (10 x 22 minutes) revolves around a group of misfit teens who want to save New Orleans from a demonic threat. Disney owned Hulu and NBCUniversal streamer Peacock ordered the series in June for an early October launch.

Created by horror master Eli Roth (Hostel) and James Frey, Fright Krewe aims to fill a void in the market for pre-teens, say executive producers and showrunners Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco. “Tweens are very attracted to the horror genre. They are looking for content that is scarier than the shows they were watching before, but maybe they’re not quite ready for gore yet,” explains Songco.

She and Lewis, who have worked together on other kids series—most recently as co-executive producers of Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous—decided to lean into supernatural elements because older kids are attracted to the unknown. And combining scares with topics teens can relate to, such as friendship, makes Fright Krewe work for them, says Lewis.

DreamWorks was already looking for a way to tap into a burgeoning demand for horror when the Fright Krewe series concept came through the door. “For the last few years, we’ve seen more of an appetite from buyers for projects in this spooky/scary arena,” says SVP of TV development Ben Cawood. “There seems to be a desire to find those types of shows that will give you a jump-scare or quick jolt to boost the viewer’s adrenaline.”

Unlike DreamWorks, France’s Cyber Group Studios is focusing on comedy in its first 2D-animated spooky series, which it presented at Cartoon Forum last month and is pitching to buyers at MIPCOM.

Aimed at kids ages six to 11, Erica & Trevor vs. Spooky Monsters (pictured, 26 x 22 minutes) follows a 10-year-old boy and his 16-year-old babysitter as they try to stop movie monsters that have entered the human world.

The mix of comedy and horror is evergreen and universal, says Pierre Belaïsch, Cyber Group’s SVP of creative development and artistic production. “Most kids, of any age and from any country, love spooky and comedy. So a series with this mix will always have international reach. Kids are attracted to that roller coaster of emotions they get from these kinds of productions…one moment they feel scared, then they can laugh about it.”

Erica & Trevor vs. Spooky Monsters also aims to appeal to co-viewing audiences through ’80s pop culture references to things like VHS tapes, Walkmans and video rental stores. Making this broader demographic connection is very important to buyers now, says the studio’s chairman and CEO Dominique Bourse.

Horror is timeless

Co-produced by Ireland’s Dream Logic Studios and Melusine Productions in Luxembourg, Tales of Terror (10 x 11 minutes) is a 2D-animated miniseries rendered in a distinctive Victorian-gothic style. UK distributor Serious Kids is on board as an executive producer.

Targeting kids ages seven to 12, the series stars an 11-year-old boy who loves to listen to his uncle’s spooky stories—until he realizes that some of them are true. Based on a book series by Chris Priestley, Tales of Terror has already started production, with delivery set for winter 2024/2025. The partners are looking for buyers.

The timelessness of the horror genre and Serious Kids’ past success with spooky concepts attracted the distributor to Tales of Terror, says founder and CEO Genevieve Dexter. For example, 18 broadcasters have acquired the 30-minute Halloween special The Ghastly Ghoul (Dream Logic and Lupus Films) from Serious Kids since its premiere in October 2022 on Sky Kids in the UK and German channel KiKA.

The 10-part Tales of Terror miniseries is a gothic ghost story told in a distinctive 2D-animation style.

The scary sweet spot

One of the biggest challenges when it comes to producing a horror series for kids is striking the right tonal balance. The content needs to scare kids, but not so much that it discourages them from watching, or causes their parents concern. “Broadcasters traditionally don’t do horror because it can be quite difficult to find that sweet spot,” says ABC Australia’s head of children’s content Libbie Doherty.

ABC has done well with its live-actioner Crazy Fun Park, which has sold to international broadcasters including BBC (UK), YLE (Finland), NRK (Norway), LRT (Lithuania), TVNZ (New Zealand) and RTV (Slovenia) since it launched earlier this year on ABC ME. Distributed by the Australian Children’s Television Foundation (ACTF), the 10 x 30-minute series centers around a teen who meets the ghost of his dead best friend in an abandoned theme park.

Crazy Fun Park works because its difficult subject matter is depicted in a way that’s appealing to teens, says ACTF head of content Bernadette O’Mahony. “That’s why we decided to take the series.”

Looking to build on Crazy Fun Park’s success, ABC Australia has greenlit a new comedy show with a horror touch called The Spooky Files (10 x 24 minutes). Aussie studios Tony Ayres Productions and Megaboom Pictures are co-producing the series, which targets eight- to 10-year-olds. It explores the fears kids experience while growing up, with a balanced mix of horror and comedy that frightens kids without scaring them off.

License to thrill

The horror genre is also gaining momentum off screen. Teens, in particular, keep showing interest at retail in spooky consumer products, says Jakks Pacific senior marketing director Jeremy Sueper. That’s why the toyco has expanded its offering for these young scare-seekers based on one of the things they like the most: video games.

In May, the company inked deals with Texas-based Rooster Teeth Productions and Joey Drew Studios in Canada to launch a line of action figures, plush toys, games and costume accessories based on the Bendy video game series. The new products build on the brand’s existing costumes that Jakks’ Disguise division has been making since 2018.

Jakks has focused on video games because they translate well to the consumer products arena, says Sueper. “It’s easier to create toys for fans of an already developed property and grab their attention.” Adds Disguise president and general manager Tara Cortner: “The aesthetic of a horror overlay on a game makes it very appealing for a Halloween costume.”