"Zombieland" and "Paranormal Activity" are two of the better scary movies to come along in quite some time. Unfortunately, both films are rated R, and both of feature content (violence imagery and language) you wouldn't want to watch with the kids.

And the PG-13 rated horror movie "Drag Me to Hell" (Universal, $29.98) as fun as it may be, is probably not what you'd want to watch with mixed company, either.

In fact, there's a real scarcity of quality scary movies and such for families.

Luckily, there are a few films and televisions programs now available on DVD that you can watch with the entire family.

One of these is the "Haunted Histories Collection"(A&E Home Video, not rated). The collection, which is available in a variety of formats and in forms, which features documentaries that were produced for the History Channel.

The original, five-disc release (2007, $24.95) boasts "Hauntings," "Vampire Secrets," "Salem Witch Trials," "The Haunted History of Halloween" and "Poltergeists." Three more volumes followed it.

But a new "mega-set" release (2009, $79.95), comprising 20 discs in all, expands that considerably — by compiling all of the earlier versions in one handy package.

There are now five discs devoted to "America's Most Haunted Places," five more to "Dracula, Witches, Voodoo and Exorcism," five more to "Hauntings, Zombies and Voodoo Rituals" and another five to "History's Spookiest Phenomena."

Some of documentaries are scarier and spookier than others. The Dracula stories, which examines some of the real-life influences and figures that inspired Bram Stoker and other vampiric legends, are quite good.

And they are surprisingly educational, as are the historical recreations and investigations of witchcraft and voodoo traditions and practices.

Also, the ghost stories portions are not as staged and phony as some like-minded television programs ("Most Haunted" and "Ghost Adventures" come to mind).

Other notable DVDs and DVD sets about monsters, ancient beasts, mythical creatures and other supernatural forces include:

"Dinosaurs Alive!" (Image, not rated, $19.98), a documentary mini-feature from 2007 about the prehistoric reptiles, featuring computer-generated imagery. The movie, which is narrated by Michael Douglas, was originally produced for exhibition in IMAX theaters.

"Friday the 13th: The Series — The Final Season"(Paramount, not rated, $49.99), a five-disc set featuring all 19 episodes from the last season of the series, which ran from 1987-90.