Family Halloween Movies For Scaredy-Cats to Watch
As fun as Halloween is when you’re a kid, it's decidely not for parents. What kind of sick holiday encourages children to both eat their weight in candy and cause masked mischief? And then there’s the movies — dear god, the movies. An early horror education is great, but maybe 6 is a little young to be watching Hannibal Lecter eating a guy's face.
Luckily, there are some family-friendly Halloween movie options out there. Whether you’re looking for a film for your kids, or you’re just a childless adult who doesn’t enjoy fear, blood or gore in your Halloween films (fair), these are the holiday movies for you. Some are available to stream on Netflix, and some you’ll have to rent on Amazon.
Netflix
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Tim Burton’s classic animated musical admittedly can get a little scary, but the message of love that ultimately prevails in Halloween Town make this story a beautiful one to watch with the whole family.
Coraline (2009)
Based on the Neil Gaiman novel by the same name, Coraline is an excellent animated film that brings major Halloween vibes with black cats and ghosts, but leaves the disturbing gore at home.
Corpse Bride (2005)
Another animated feature from Tim Burton, Corpse Bride provides Victorian-era ghostly vibes without getting too disturbing. Plus, it’s really good.
Spooky Buddies (2011)
Apparently there is a straight-to-DVD Halloween special from the Air Bud franchise called Spooky Buddies. It’s highly unlikely the film is good, but it is on Netflix. How can you go wrong with Golden Retriever puppies in costumes?
Hulu
The Addams Family (1991)
The kooky adventures of this eccentric and creepy family may not be Academy Award-winning, but it’s undeniably a classic. The Addams Family is also the only noteworthy, family-friendly Halloween film on Hulu.
Family-Friendly Movies elsewhere
Casper (1995)
Honestly, that computer-animated friendly ghost from the ‘90s is still funny in 2017. Forget all that blood-on-the-walls garbage, this is how ghosts should be.
Hocus Pocus (1993)
It’s not October if you don’t spend at least one night in the clawed, witchy hands of Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker. And keep your eyes peeled for a Hocus Pocus sequel that is currently in early development.
Ghosbusters (1984)
Bill Murray and Dan Akroyd will have you laughing in the face of phantoms, because you ain’t afraid of no ghosts.
Ghostbusters (2016)
Say what you will about the 2016 Ghostbusters remake, but it’s a great feel-good Halloween film—especially if you have young girls interested in science or engineering.
Halloweentown (1998)
This is not only one of the best Disney Channel original movies, it’s also one of the best Halloween movies of all time. Nothing beats Debbie Reynolds as a witch.
ParaNorman (2012)
If you want all the tropes of a horror film without actually getting scared, this recent animated zombie/ghost film is the film for you. Listen closely and you might recognize the voices of Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck, Leslie Mann and John Goodman.
The Harry Potter films
You probably don’t need a summary for what the Harry Potter films are all about. Of the eight films, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001) is probably the most Halloween-appropriate, thanks to an eventful Halloween feast.
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)
It’s the werewolf (sorry, were-rabbit) film for all ages that is surprisingly faithful to traditional werewolf lore, in its own way. Nothing but 24-carrot gold bullets can stop this vegetable-eating monster.
Beetlejuice (1988)
Yet another from Tim Burton, Beetlejuice may be slightly off-putting, but it’s certainly not scary. Plus, you can’t beat the cast of this fantasy classic: Michael Keaton, Alec Baldwin, Gina Davis, Catherine O’Hara and Winona Ryder.
The Little Vampire (2000)
OK, it’s not the best film, but child actor Jonathan Lipnicki is cute (Stuart Little, Like Mike) and it’s a good vampire movie for kids.
Frankenweenie (2012)
The final Tim Burton film on this list, Frankenweenie reunites Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara as voice actors in this stop-motion-animated tribute to the “mad scientist” horror genre.
Monster House (2006)
Monster House is an excellent family-friendly substitute to the haunted house horror film. It’s clever, funny and even scary at times—but never too scary, of course.
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