It depends entirely on the age of the kid, and how hard-core the scariness is, of course!
But for older kids, say, in 3rd grade perhaps, the kind of scariness that you see in old-school Steven Spielberg movies like Indiana Jones and Close Encounters of the Third Kind is just fine!
By the time I was in 1st grade, I was growing up on things like Close Encounters of the Third kind and The Secret of NIMH, which are comparable perhaps to the Lord of the Rings movies- and I turned out fine!
Don't take my word for it- look around in my website and read my stories! It's all me in there! I turned out fine!
I turned out that well and became David S. Annderson in no small part because I grew up on things like Close Encounters of the Third Kind and the original Star Wars trilogy!
So go ahead!
Tell scary stories to kids!
Leave the hard-core horror for when they are ready
But the Indiana Jones Star Wars kind of stuff is perfect for kids once they reach elementary school age!
Take it from someone who remembers those times vividly!
Some of those movie with scary parts were my favorites!
God loves you!
Sincerely,
David S. Annderson
P.S. The Secret of NIMH is not just for kids- I got far more out of it when I watched it again as an adult- but all my favorite movies when I was a kid were not just for kids!