The idea

The idea that scary stories can be positive for kids has precedents among psychologists. The psychoanalyst Bruno Bettelheim (in The Uses of Enchantment) has argued that classic fairy tales help children work through the intrapsychic turmoil of early childhood. Anxiety is part of life, and these stories can help you deal with it. Even if you don’t buy that, it is not difficult to see how certain lessons of resiliency and good judgment might be gleaned from stories like "Hansel & Gretel." From here, it is a short jump to viewing children’s movies as modern fairy tales.