Halloween is almost here, which means that your kid is probably asking to watch scary movies with you. So Kveller rounded up some spooky films likely to please the entire family. These movies celebrate the season, without being outright scary or gratuitous.
1. Curious George: A Halloween Boofest (2013) (Amazon)
Curious George goes to the local Boo Festival where he learns a lot about fall and fun. (3 and up)
2. Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie (2005) (YouTube)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xgs5sIBYcs
Watch Pooh celebrate Halloween in the Hundred Acre Wood, where he and his friends go on a mission to capture a scary Gobloon who will grant their wishes. (3 and up)
3. Casper (1995) (YouTube)
Casper is the friendly ghost who won’t give your kids nightmares — and who will fill you with ’90s nostalgia. Because who doesn’t love when Casper whispers “can I keep you?” (6 and up)
4. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) (YouTube)
This one is definitely a classic and maybe a little obvious, but that’s also a true testament to a good film. It’s one of Tim Burton’s classics that will make you love Halloween. (6 and up)
5. Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) (YouTube)
This Disney classic with Angela Lansbury centers around Nazis and World War II, but also witches and wizards. Yet it somehow manages to remain kid-friendly throughout. (6 and up)
6. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001) (YouTube)
The first Harry Potter movie and any of the films in the franchise are perfect fodder for a “non-Halloween” Halloween celebration — full of magic and wizards and lessons about friendship and hardship. (The first few movies are aimed at younger kids, ages 6 and up, while the later ones are better suited to tweens and teens.)
7. Hotel Transylvania (2012) (Amazon)
This animated movie and its two sequels (Hotel Transylvania 2 and 3) focus on Dracula and his daughter in a light-hearted, family-friendly way. (6 and up)
8. Labyrinth (1986) (Amazon)
Who doesn’t want to watch a movie with David Bowie and Jennifer Connolly? Bowie plays the Goblin King in this Jim Henson puppet movie that will bring you back to the ’80s. (8 and up)
9. Beetlejuice (1988) (YouTube)
Another ’80s classic every kid needs to see is Beetlejuice, starring Winona Ryder, Geena Davis, Alec Baldwin, and Michael Keaton in this Tim Burton classic. It’s all about embracing your weird side and managing a strange, dysfunctional, but lovable family. (10 and up)
10. Frankenweenie (2012) (Amazon)
Another Tim Burton film, this one follows a Frankenstein storyline, but with a dog! It’s super cute and light. (10 and up)
11. Young Frankenstein (1974) (Netflix)
You can’t have a Halloween list without Mel Brooks, especially one where Gene Wilder plays a hilarious grandson of Doctor Frankenstein. The jokes never get old. (10 and up)
12. Hocus Pocus (1993) (Amazon)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UUMsInka2s
The Sanderson Sisters are three witches from the Salem witch trials that suck the youth from little girls. Bette Midler kills it. (Appropriate for tweens and teens)
13. The Addams Family (1990) (Amazon)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyyJYyIexq8
It’s another ’90s classic that is about a strange, unusual family without any super scary plot or gore. Plus, Anjelica Huston and Christopher Lloyd make this comedy well worth watching. (Teens)
14. Edward Scissorhands (1991) (Amazon)
This Winona Ryder and Johnny Depp classic is whimsical, sad, and hits all the right themes: young love, being an outsider, and finding balance. Also, the soundtrack is perfect. (Teens)
15. It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966) (YouTube)
