16 spooky movies that won’t keep you up at night
Scary movies are fun — until, that is, it’s time to go to bed and you are suddenly scared of the dark and must force yourself to watch your favorite comfort show until all fear has left you. Spooky movies, like “Hocus Pocus” offer the perfect balance of humor and scary scenes — but nothing scary enough to keep you up past bedtime.
Here are 16 spooky movies to enjoy this Halloween.
1. ‘Ghostbusters’
After a trio of parapsychologists (Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray) lose their jobs at a New York City University, they decide to open a business as “Ghostbusters” — using their paranormal expertise to rid the city of ghosts.
Business is slow at first, but when the Ghostbusters accidentally unleash an army of supernatural beings, they receive more business than they bargained for. It is up to these ghost-fighting scientists to outwit the chaotic paranormal creatures and save New York City from complete destruction.
Rating: PG for some language and sexual material.
Where to watch: Peacock.
2. ‘Beetlejuice’
Newlyweds Barbara (Geena Davis) and Adam Maitland (Alec Baldwin) are condemned to spending the afterlife haunting their countryside home. The couple is used to minding their own business until a family moves into the home and begins making significant renovations.
Desperate to have the home to themselves again, Barbara and Adam attempt to spook the new family out — but to no avail. Without any other options, they turn to Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton), a rowdy ghost whose assistance suddenly escalates and becomes dangerous to the new family’s teenage daughter, Lydia (Winona Ryder).
Rating: PG for violence and frightening scenes and some language.
Where to watch: Max.
3. ‘The Sixth Sense’
Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment) is haunted by a sixth sense — he can see ghosts. Unsettled spirits frequently visit Cole asking for help with unresolved issues. Cole lives in constant fear, keeping his unique ability a secret.
He eventually shares his tormenting ability with child psychologist Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis), who is determined to find an explanation for Cole’s sixth sense.
Rating: PG-13 for intense thematic material and scary images.
Where to watch: Rent on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, YouTube TV.
4. ‘Harry Potter and The Order Of The Phoenix’
Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) is back. Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) knows this. So does Dumbledore (Michael Gambon), but the majority of the wizarding world is convinced Harry is making it up.
Harry is haunted by his encounter with the Dark Wizard during his previous school year and the untimely death of his classmate, Cedric Diggory (Robert Pattinson).
Rating: PG-13 for fantasy violence and frightening images.
Where to watch: Max, Peacock.
5. ‘Practical Magic’
Sisters Sally Owens (Sandra Bullock) and Gillian Owens (Nicole Kidman) come from a long line of witches. For generations, the Owens women have suffered from an ancient curse which dooms any many they fall in love with to a premature death.
When the curse takes another victim, Gillian turns to Sally for help hiding the body. The Owens sisters must use their magical abilities when handsome Police detective Gary Hallet (Aidan Quinn) comes sniffing for answers.
Rating: PG-13 for some violence and intense thematic events.
Where to watch: Hulu.
6. ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’
Typical teenager Buffy Summers (Kristy Swanson) has her true calling revealed to her by a mysterious man named Merrick (Donald Sutherland) — who has come to train her as the Slayer. Buffy quickly takes to vampire slaying but at the expense of normalcy. With help from fellow outcast Pike (Luke Perry), Buffy takes on the ruthless, ancient vampire, Lothos (Rutger Hauer), who is out to destroy Buffy at any cost.
Rating: PG-13 for comic violence and drug references.
Where to watch: Max.
7. ‘Edward Scissorhands’
For years, Edward Scissorhands (Johnny Depp) has lived isolated from his community. He is the unfinished creation of an eccentric inventor who died before he could make Edward proper hands. Despite his sweet demeanor and artistic capabilities, Edward’s scissor hands keep him hidden from others.
When a suburban family discovers Edward, he impresses the neighborhood with his artistic talents for trimming shrubs and even falls in love.
Rating: PG-13 for some violence, intense scenes and language.
Where to watch: Max, Disney+.
8. ‘Hocus Pocus’
Three centuries ago, the Sanderson sisters were condemned to death in Salem, Massachusetts, for practicing dark magic. Their nefarious spirits are awakened on Halloween night by teenager Max Dennison (Omri Katz), his younger sister Dani (Thora Birch) and their new friend Allison (Vinessa Shaw).
To save Salem from destruction, the kids must lure these diabolical witches back to their resting place.
Rating: PG for scary scenes and some language.
Where to watch: Disney+.
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9. ‘Goosebumps’
New kid in town Zach Cooper (Dylan Minnette) accidentally unleashes every monster from the “Goosebumps” book series. The mischievous beasts are prepared to take over the town and have no intentions of returning to their books.
Rating: PG for intense action and some rude humor.
Where to watch: Netflix.
10. ‘Scooby Doo’
It’s been two years since Scooby Doo and his sleuthing gang — Fred (Freddie Prinze Jr.), Daphne (Sarah Michelle Gellar), Shaggy (Matthew Lillard) and Velma (Linda Cardellini) — closed the doors on their detective business, Mystery Inc. The crew is reunited on Mystery Island to solve a puzzling paranormal mystery.
Rating: PG for some rude humor and scary action.
Where to watch: Max, Amazon Prime.
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11. ‘The Addams Family’
The Addams family is thrilled when Gomez’s (Raul Julia) missing brother, Fester (Christopher Lloyd) shows up on their doorstep.
When Fester cannot remember key details from his own life, Morticia Addams (Anjelica Huston) becomes skeptical the man staying in their home is an imposter. Through a devious plan, the Fester-impersonator gets the Addams family kicked out of their home and hopes to steal their fortune.
Rating: PG-13 for some violence and gore.
Where to watch: Paramount+.
12. ‘Dark Shadows’
Two centuries ago, Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp), was cursed, turned into a vampire and buried for eternity by a jealous witch (Eva Green). Now it is 1972 and Barnabas has returned with a vengeance, determined to restore his once-grand estate, get revenge on the woman who cursed him and make sense of the modern world.
Rating: PG-13 for comic violence, sexual content and some language.
Where to watch: Hulu, Max.
13. ‘Gremlins’
Billy Peltzer (Zach Galligan) is gifted a peculiar, cuddly creature for Christmas. As long as he follows a simple set of rules, his new pet, Gizmo, will remain docile. When two of the three rules of violated, the sweet creature transforms into a living nightmare, threatening to annihilate the entire town with chaos.
Rating: PG for some violence and intense scenes.
Where to watch: Rent on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, YouTube TV.
14. ‘Clue’
Six guests are anonymously invited to a dinner party at an isolate estate. As the guest arrive at Hill House, they are each given a pseudonym and introduced to the host (Lee Ving) who gives them each a weapon. Once the guests have gathered, the lights go out and the host is murdered.
Everyone is a suspect. The guests must uncover the murderer and avoid becoming the killer’s next victim.
Rating: PG for mild violence.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime.
15. ‘So I Married an Axe Murderer’
Charlie (Mike Myers) suffers from a fear of commitment. He hasn’t experienced a lot of success in his dating life until he meets Harriet Michaels (Nancy Travis), a beautiful butcher he even introduces to his parents.
But as news spreads of a serial killer — “Mrs. X” — who has killed a series of men on their honeymoons, Charlie’s parents suspect Harriett might be the killer. Writing his parent’s theory off as crazy, Charlie proposes to Harriett.
Rating: PG-13 for language and some comic violence.
Where to watch: Max, Amazon Prime.
16. ‘Casper’
Hidden within Whipstaff Manor is a massive fortune, but Carrigan Crittenden (Cathy Moriarty) keeps being run out by ghost — particularly Casper (Devon Sawa), a misunderstood, lonely ghost who means no harm.
Desperate to rid the manor of ghosts and track down the hidden treasure, Carrigan hires afterlife therapist Dr. James Harvey (Bill Pullman) to clear the mansion of ghosts. James and his daughter, Kat (Christina Ricci) move in and take on the responsibility of assisting the ghosts in moving on to the afterlife.
Rating: PG for mild language and thematic scenes.
Where to watch: Netflix.
