You don’t have to be a jaded adult or know-it-all teen to appreciate a good horror movie. Even kids need a few cinematic scares now and then, especially around Halloween.

Here are a few films that wield the power to startle and entertain younger viewers:

“Bedknobs and Broomsticks”

Long before Harry Potter waved his wand, a 1971 Disney effort showcased the tale of three orphans who accompany an apprentice witch on her journey to retrieve a magic spell.

“Mars Attacks!”

Filmmaker Tim Burton (“Sweeney Todd”) delivers a star-studded, comedic thriller about an invasion of bubble-headed Martians who possess ray guns and a morbid sense of humor.

“Monster House”

A trio of teens learn that the house across the street is really a living being – and it’s hungry – in this frightening animated adventure.

“The Monster Squad”

A gang of kids thwarts the plans of Dracula as he attempts to take over the world by uniting the Wolf Man, Creature from the Black Lagoon and Frankenstein’s Monster in this good-natured action-fantasy.

“Poltergeist”

Steven Spielberg produced this effects-heavy thriller about a suburban family who moves into the world’s most haunted house. As the youngest daughter says while peering into a snowy TV screen: “They’re here!”

“Scared Stiff”

Comedic duo Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis find themselves on a spooky Caribbean island in a 1953 flick that features zombies, witches and a suit of armor that walks on its own.

“Them!”

Nuclear testing in the New Mexico desert causes a colony of ants to grow to the size of SUVs in this intense, Oscar-winning effort from the 1950s.

“Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit”

Rendered in stop-motion animation, an absent-minded professor, Wallace, and his silent, reliable dog, Gromit, learn the dark secret behind who is devouring their quaint English town’s prize-winning vegetables.

“The Witches”

At an English seaside hotel, a boy stumbles upon a convention where purple-eyed, wig-wearing witches have gathered to put a devious plan into action that will rid the country of all its children.

“Zathura”

A mysterious board game sets a pair of brothers on a journey into space in this underrated adventure from “Iron Man” director Jon Favreau that features some scary sequences involving a malfunctioning robot and flesh-eating lizard aliens.