The Hole in the Ground arrives in cinemas this week – the latest horror to explore the terrifying realities of raising children. The stress, the lack of sleep, and the anxiety of bringing up these little monsters to be well-rounded human beings. Which is all the more complicated if they turn out to be actual monsters, of course, as often happens in horror films. 

And horror can teach us a lot more about parenting that you might think – the dos, don’ts, and how not tos – when it comes to good, wholesome parent-child relationship. Here are nine essential lessons on parenting from horror movies.

Lock The Doors – As Seen In: The Hole In The Ground

Kids wander – they’re adventurous, investigative little tykes. Which is all fine if you live in a secure environment with all the right safety measures in place: stair gate, play pen, garlic hanging in the door to ward off evil spirits… that kind of thing. But if you move to an isolated cottage in the Irish wilderness, surrounded by spooky woods, like Sarah (Seána Kerslake) in The Hole in the Ground, you never know where the kids will get to. How long before they wander into the woods and return with super-strength and a strangely sinister demeanour?