Does one have to be a bit older to appreciate some of the more creaky films? Is the subtext, just plain way over the heads of kids?

I didn't see some of the lesser known Universals until I was much older, but I wouldn't have liked the ones without a monster. So yeah, I think your correct about them being over the heads of kids. The Raven maybe not so much, since it has Karloff in disfigured makeup. That kinda makes him a monster I guess. I would have probably like that one even as a kid.