(slideshow) 6 Scary, but not too scary, movies for kids

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9 (2009, PG-13)

Some horror movies give us a world on the brink of collapse. In 9, the world already has. The only things left are heartless, soulless machines … and a handful of steampunk-like ragdolls imbued with the soul of their maker, the last vestige of humanity left. The movie 9 is more dystopian sci-fi yarn (ragdolls? Yarn? Get it?) than a classic Gothic horror tale. But the landscape we see here is as bleak and unsettling as any lonely Transylvanian road. And while the film has no sex, no language, no blood, it's filled with some haunting imagery, danger, and even death. But it also gives us characters filled with courage, hope, and even love. The animated movie is on Netflix right now, and for older kids, it could well prove a memorable movie-watching experience.

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