Alert reader Molly writes:

As a mom I love to watch the show with my family, but limit episodes that I think are too violent or scary for my 5 year old. My daughter loves the host segments and all the Godzilla/Gamera ones, Squirm and Russian fairy tales. I remember growing up watching Dr. Who with my parents and getting really scared over some of the goofy monsters. I was wondering what episodes other Misties find especially great for the kiddos. Also wondering if some younger fans remember being scared of a monster or effect that is totally lame when seen as an adult.

Molly: Those Daleks freaked me out when I was little, too! I would definitely pick the later Gamera movies as good for kids, since that’s who they were really aimed at. I’m surprised “Squirm” makes your list–I would think a five-year-old girl would run screaming from a room full of worms. One of the nice things about MST3K is that it tends to defang some of the scariest stuff. When you’re not taking a movie seriously, it’s hard to get frightened by it. I think any of the Russo-Finnish Quartet work well for kids, as does “The Magic Sword.”

Parents? What are your kids’ favorite episodes?