37 All-Time Best Family Halloween Movies
From sweet Halloween cartoons for little ones to scary movies for kids who are ready for a bit of a fright, these are picks for all ages. Serve up some spooky treats and settle in with your boys and ghouls for a Halloween family movie that will get everyone in the spirit!
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Hocus Pocus (1993)
Amanda Banta: The Sanderson sisters return to life three centuries after being hanged as witches, finding that things are much different and Halloween is now a holiday for kids. Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker star in one of the all-time best family movies for Halloween. Enough said.
Casper (1995)
Carly Follett: Casper the friendly ghost lives in the old Whipstaff Manor with his three mischievous uncles, when a ghost therapist arrives with his daughter to exorcise them.
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Amanda Banta: Jack Skellington, leader of Halloween Town, crosses holidays and stumbles into Christmas Town. Parents of young or sensitive kids should be aware that this classic family Halloween movie involves Santa being abducted and has some "bad guy" characters.
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)
Amanda Banta: The Peanuts gang's activities are fall highlights - pumpkin picking, leaf raking, trick or treating - and Charlie and Lucy do their thing with the football. The Great Pumpkin looms as a Santa-type figure for Halloween and though it fails to appear, fan favorite Linus never wavers in his belief.
Hotel Transylvania (2012)
Rated PG
Amanda Banta: Adam Sandler plays Dracula as an overprotective dad who has built Hotel Transylvania to keep his daughter hidden away and safe from humans. Dracula opens the hotel to his expansive group of friends, and there is plenty of humor created by the kid-friendly monsters.
Monsters, Inc. (2001)
Kelly R.: Mike and Sulley help power the city of Monstropolis with children's screams. When a little girl wanders into their domain, they are determined to return her safely home and discover that there are emotions more powerful than fear. Sensitive kids might be spooked at times, but it's a perfect not-too-scary family movie for Halloween that allows younger kids to enjoy some safe thrills.
Coco (2017)
Jennifer Torres: Coco takes place in Mexico and centers on family. Miguel's passion is music and he is transported to the Land of the Dead where he reconnects with lost loved ones and learns why music is such a large part of his life. The celebration of The Day of the Dead is beautifully depicted in this adventure to another world. It's a special, not-too-spooky movie for the whole family!
Tim Burton's Corpse Bride (2005)
Rated PG
Tim Ponisciak: This is a great stop motion animation movie from Tim Burton. It also has some great voice actors in Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. On his way to meet his future bride in an arranged marriage, the pending groom accidentally marries a walking-dead woman instead! It's a short one, too, so it's an easy family Halloween movie to watch after trick or treating is over.
Curious George: A Halloween Boo Fest (2013)
Not Rated
Sue Krawitz Tandoc: Everybody's favorite monkey is having non-scary adventures in one of the best animated Halloween movies for kids! George prepares for the town Boo Festival and wants to come up with an ideal costume and participate in the haunted house when he hears the story of the headless scarecrow, No Noggin.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
Rated PG
Kelly R.: The first Harry Potter movie has the widest age appeal and isn't quite as dark as its followers increasingly become, but they are all perfect family movies for Halloween!
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Rated PG
Kelly R.: This is one of my family's all-time favorite Halloween movies for kids and adults! There's some iffy language and some pretty frightening situations, but my kids first saw it and loved it when they were 4 and 7. Sprinkle some Reese's Pieces on your popcorn and you have the perfect Halloween family movie night.
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Rated PG-13
Shila: This creepy Tim Burton movie about a solitary man with scissors for hands who is thrown into a suburban lifestyle is one of the classic Halloween movies for tweens and teens!
Double, Double, Toil and Trouble (1993)
Not Rated
Stephanie W.: If you get a kick out of reliving your favorite classic 90s movies with your kids, don't forget about this one from the Olsen Twins! The girls learn that their great aunt has been cursed by her own twin, and must set things right. It's a fun family Halloween movie that your kids will love!
Halloweentown (1998)
Amanda Banta: After learning she is a witch, a young girl travels to Halloweentown, which is full of ghosts, goblins and other supernatural creatures and needs to be saved from evil forces. The late Debbie Reynolds stars as the witch grandmother of the hero. Halloweentown was an original TV movie on the Disney Channel and spawned a series of additional movies.
Spookley the Square Pumpkin (2004)
Amanda Banta: Spookley is square. All other pumpkins are round. You can see where this is going. This Halloween cartoon has a strong message of anti-bullying, and the movie has a light enough story to be enjoyed by young children.
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