You want to have a fun Halloween movie night with your kids but you aren’t sure what to watch. Sound familiar? What family-friendly films can everyone enjoy? You want something spooky, but not so scary that the kids won’t sleep afterward.
We’ve got you covered. In this post, you’ll find ten of our favorite semi-spooky Halloween movies with a recommended minimum watching age. You’ll also get a warning about the scares each movie contains. (If you need more information about any of the frightening elements, check out the movie’s parent’s guide on IMDb.)
It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)
Synopsis: The whole Peanuts gang gets ready for Halloween. Linus hopes to see the Great Pumpkin.
Scares: None.
Age Recommendation: 1+
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Synopsis: Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King, is tired of doing Halloween the same way every year. But when he discovers Christmas, he decides to give it a try.
Scares: Halloweentown is full of semi-scary monsters. Scenes with Oogie Boogie can be frightening.
Age Recommendation: 8-10+
The Corpse Bride (2005)
Synopsis: Victor accidentally marries a corpse the night before his wedding. He must decide between finding a way back to his fiance or joining the land of the dead forever.
Scares: The initial scene with the Corpse Bride is deliberately frightening and a majority of the characters are corpses.
Age Recommendation: 8-10+
The Addams Family (1991)
Synopsis: Gomez Addams reunites with his long-lost brother, Fester. Little does he know that Fester is actually part of a scheme to steal the Addams family fortune.
Scares: The whole Addams family is macabre as part of their appeal. There is also some sexual innuendo.
Age Recommendation: 10-12+
Addams Family Values (1993)
Synopsis: Uncle Fester falls in love with a woman with sinister plans. Wednesday Addams goes to summer camp where she deals with annoying campers and romantic feelings.
Scares: About the same as the first movie.
Age Recommendation: 10-12+
Hocus Pocus (1993)
Synopsis: On Halloween night, three children bring a group of witches back from the dead. They have to find a way to stop them before they steal all the children in Salem.
Scares: The witches get burned and hung. The peril can also be frightening.
Age Recommendation: 10-12+
Paranorman (2012)
Synopsis: A young boy who sees ghosts is tasked with stopping a witch from destroying his town. But the truth about the witch is more complicated than he thought.
Scares: There are a lot of zombies and implications of townspeople hanging a child.
Age Recommendation: 12+
Coraline (2009)
Synopsis: Coraline moves to a new house and discovers a door leading to another world. While the other world seems ideal, it isn’t as easy to leave as it is to enter.
Scares: The whole movie is quite creepy, especially the Other Mother, who gets more monstrous as the story progresses.
Age Recommendation: 12+
Goosebumps (2015)
Synopsis: A teen accidentally unleashes R. L. Stine’s monsters on his town. He and his friends, along with the author himself, have to find a way to stop them and put them back in their books.
Scares: There are a lot of monsters and jump scares.
Age Recommendation: 13-15+
Ghostbusters (1984)
Synopsis: Four men start a business catching ghosts in New York City. But when they find a portal about to release evil ghosts into the city, they have to find a way to save everyone.
Scares: There are a lot of scary ghosts and some adult content throughout.
Age Recommendation: 15+
There are plenty of fun Halloween movies for those who don’t like horror, monsters, or gore. Any of these would make a great family movie night.
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