Summary
Halloween season is finally here, and everybody is already picking out the final touches to their costumes, decorating their houses, and drawing up the perfect Halloween movie marathon. While most enthusiasts of this season will be doing a rewatch of the entireHalloweenmovie franchise, not everyone wants to watch seriously scary movies.
People who just aren’t too fond of the genre or have young children around won’t be rushing to binge the most frightening and gory movies available and might wantsomething a bit tamer that all can enjoy. Luckily, there are plenty of brilliant classics that, while fitting the festive mood, won’t traumatize young viewers.
10Casper
Most people will think of frightening movies likePoltergeistor13 Ghostswhen thinking of movies revolving around restless spirits, but not all movies are like this, just like how not all ghosts are unfriendly menaces looking to frighten or even harm residents of their home.
Casperis one such movie and ghost and isa childhood stapleHalloween movie. But sadly for the Harvey family, Casper isn’t the only spirit on the premises. Deciding to work together, Casper and the Harvey family attempt to rid their home of the evil spirits while learning more about the benevolent ghost child Kat eventually comes to befriend.
9Ghostbusters
Ghostbustersis a supernatural comedy movie that has gone down as one of the greatest in movie history, boasting genuine humor, a brilliant cast, and one of the most memorable songs that people still listen to and sing along with to this day. Though multiple reboots and sequels have tried to ride its coattails to success, nothing has come close to touching it.
Ghostbustersfollows the stories of a team of four parapsychologists who decide tomake their living busting ghosts, as the title suggests. The business is anything but easy, as the ghosts aren’t just going to go quietly. As supernatural activity begins ramping up all over New York, the team definitely has their hands full.
8Fantasia
Disney has movies for all ages and all events, with Halloween being the perfect time for a rewatch ofFantasia, which puts a funny, family-friendly spin on the witches that worship the holiday. In this classic Disney title, Mickey is blessed with magic that he uses to enchant mops and other household cleaning supplies to clean his mage’s tower for him.
Featuring funny magical antics, plenty of Disney charm, and a fantastic soundtrack to boot, there is little not to love in this classic title. With a run time totaling over two hours, it’s certain to keep the kids entertained for a good while.
7Corpse Bride
Themaster of the macabre, Tim Burton, always manages to make gruesome and gothic movies without them being too dark or disturbing for a younger audience. This is true ofCorpse Bride, a stop-motion movie that delves into the sanctity of marriage and the afterlife, with a sprinkling of humor and catchy songs for good measure.
In this movie, rich heir Victor accidentally marries himself to a restless, undead bride after practicing his vows in a dark forest. He is dragged to the underworld by his new bride, Emily, who seems oblivious to his attempts to return to the land of the living. Meanwhile, opportunistic Lord Barkis Bittern has moved into Victor’s place to marry Victoria, intent on killing her to inherit her family’s riches.
6Hocus Pocus
A timeless movie exploring a trio of Salem witches navigating the changes of the modern world,Hocus Pocusis a movie that will have the whole family in stitches. The charisma and chemistry of the three leads are undeniable, and those who watch will be torn on whether to cheer on the protagonists orthe evil witches.
After two children light the black candle that is the key to returning them to life, Winifred, Sarah, and Mary return to wreak havoc just in time for Halloween night. It’s thematically appropriate for the holiday and will delight audiences of all ages.
5The Addams Family
Based on the classic black and white TV series,The Addams Familytells another delightfully dark, yet funny story about thetitular eccentric familythat adores all things gothic and macabre. In this movie, a con artist attempts to steal the Addams family fortune by placing her son, Gordon, who eerily resembles Gomez’s long-lost brother Fester, in their house. The hilarious long-con all turns out to be true, in a sense, as Gordon was Fester the whole time.
Hilarious and charming,The Addams Familywill enchant the entire family with their humorous and odd antics and even teach the importance of family.
4Hotel Transylvania
Being public domain, many writers, game studios, and moviemakers have put their own unique twist on the character of Dracula and his mythos, spinning new and interesting tales. While most aren’t so family-friendly, theHotel Transylvaniamovies certainly are.
In this new and bold take on the classic gothic work of fiction, Count Dracula invites all his ghoulish friends to his hotel to celebrate his daughter Mavis’s 118th birthday, as she enters adulthood in vampire years. But things are thrown into chaos when an ordinary human called Johnathan infiltrates the hotel. Drac scrambles to keep his secret safe from Mavis and the other guests to hilarious effect.
3Goosebumps
Those who were kids in the 90s probably recall the book series known asGoosebumps, which features a frightening kid-friendly tale of terror, usually revolving around an American teen that finds themselves, friends, and family in jeopardy from some supernatural threat that can rangefrom werewolves to sentient dummies.
Goosebumpsplays into its popularity as a book series, having RL Stine exist as a writer with a bookshelf full of his creations. But, these books aren’t just for casual reading, as they contain a monster strapped within their pages. When two friends break into his house and independently unleash Slappy, the two must team up with the author and his daughter to put a stop to his dastardly plans.
2Scooby-Doo
The legendary cartoon revolving around the Mystery Gang solving cases of unexplained phenomena made its way to the big screen back in the early 2000s to make a feel-good Halloween flick. TheScooby-Doomovie centers around the same gang from the show, but they have all split up in the hope of pursuing other things.
That is until they are all invited to a horror-themed tropical resort, creatively named Spooky Island, all intent on solving the mystery on their own, but nothing can keep the Scooby gang from teaming up to solve a mystery, not even themselves. Fans of theScooby-Dooshow will find much to enjoy here, and this will definitely serve as a family-friendly spook-fest.
1The Nightmare Before Christmas
While debates still burn on whether this is truly a Christmas or Halloween movie, one thing is certain: this movie is so good fans should watch it for both holidays.The Nightmare Before Christmasis a classic Disney staple everyone should see more than once, with an interesting plot, a colorful cast of characters, and truly one of the best movie soundtracks of all time.
Thisspooky yet festive moviefollows the story of Jack Skellington, a beloved celebrity of Halloween Town who has grown tired of his status as the Pumpkin King and wishes for something new. That is when he stumbles upon Christmas town, and while trying to bring that festive cheer to the residents of Halloween town, he unwittingly places Santa Claus and his friend/admirer, Sally, in the dangerous clutches of the dreaded Oogie Boogie,The Nightmare Before Christmas' main antagonist.
