Our Favorite Family-Friendly Halloween Movies
Watching a spooky movie during the Halloween season is the best way to get in the spirit, but spooky doesn’t have to mean absolutely terrifying. We’ve come up with a list of some of our favorite family-friendly Halloween movies that won’t keep the little ones up at night.
Nightmare Before Christmas
When thinking about Halloween favorites, there’s no doubt that a Tim Burton film always comes to mind. This Halloween classic has given spooks for more than two decades and is in regular syndication year after year for thousands of families to enjoy. While it is set in the spirit of Christmas, Halloween Town’s pumpkin king Jack Skellington uses his sinister ways to capture Santa Claus and hijack Christmas, but his plan is met with disastrous consequences that could affect his hometown.
Beetlejuice
What’s a Halloween movie list without two Tim Burton films? After a freak accident, newlyweds Adam and Barbara just can’t seem to live in a blissful marital afterlife after a family moves into their home. They seek the help of Betelgeuse, a supernatural spirit that convinces the couple he can scare away the family after many failed attempts by the couple, but his services quickly turn into more harm than help for the couple. Filled with just the right amount of laughter and suspense, Betelgeuse will cause up a stir that will have the entire family on the edge of their seats and bellyaching from laughter.
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Frankenweenie
Saddened by the loss of his dog Sparky, a young Victor Frankenstein uses science to bring Sparky back to life. Things go well, until other kids in the neighborhood get the same idea and wreak havoc on the entire community. Paying homage and parodying the original 1931 novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the film will teach the entire family about love and friendship in a comical way.
Casper
Named the “friendly ghost” because of his kind demeanor and sweet personality, Casper will be a Halloween ghost that the kiddies aren’t afraid of. When teenager Kat arrives with her dad Dr. Harvey to summon the ghosts at Whipstaff Manor, Kat befriends Casper and gives him what he always wanted – a friend. They must also deal with Casper’s uncles as Dr. Harvey tries to stop the ghosts from haunting the mansion. This film will teach everyone about love and family, and what it means to stick together.
Halloweentown
A Disney Channel Original Movie, Halloweentown follows the life of Marnie, a teenage girl who finds out her grandmother is a witch and is training her to be the same. When Marnie and her family get stuck in Halloweentown, they use their powers to conquer an evil demon that puts the entire town in danger while also revealing some surprising secrets.
Related: 8 Halloween Party Games Your Kids Will Love
Scooby-Doo Halloween Movies
Scooby-Doo and the gang are always up to something, unfolding spooky mysteries and exposing bad guys at all costs. The whole family will enjoy solving mysteries and laughing at all the antics Scooby and Shaggy get into. Three good ones are Scooby-Doo! And the Goblin King, Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School, and Scooby-Doo! Meets the Boo Brothers. You can find them all on iTunes.
The Haunted Mansion
Comedian Eddie Murphy will make the entire family laugh in this family-friendly horror comedy. Murphy plays Jim Evers, a career-driven real estate agent who drags his family to an abandoned mansion in Louisiana. When the family discovers that there are many secrets hidden behind the mansion walls, it is up to Evers to save his family before its too late. And of course, there are plenty of laughs to go with it.
Hocus Pocus
Family Halloween movie night just isn’t the same unless there are witches involved. Three kids, Max, Allison, and Dani, accidentally resurrect three evil witches after wandering into a cottage in the town of Salem, Massachusetts. With the help of a magical cat, Max and his gang must steal the spell book and stop the witches, who will stop at nothing to become immortal.
