Halloween is right around the corner and whether you celebrate for the entire month of October or contain your spooky activities to a single day, there are a number of things you can do to mark the occasion. You might be heading out with the kids for some trick or treating, heading to a Halloween party, or staying in to eat candy and watch some on-theme movies. If it's option number three, that's where we come in.

The movies you watch when kicking back this Halloween may well be determined by the company you keep at home. Some of us don't have the luxury of sticking on the Saw box set and letting it play. There might be kids around, and watching some old guy torture people with his gory games isn't suitable for them. Don't worry though as there are plenty of spooky Halloween movies that you can watch with your kids, and we've handpicked a few of them for you to choose from.

Updated on October 6, 2024, by Sai Vsr: In this update, we bring to you a classic kids Halloween movie that has been cherished across generations. Check it out below.

  • It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

    Best Nostalgic Classic See at Amazon

  • Haunted Mansion

    Best Remake See at Amazon
  • via Amazon

    Ghostbusters 1 & 2 Blu-ray Set

    Best Classic See at Amazon

  • The Nightmare Before Christmas

    Best Animated Disney Movie See at Amazon

  • Addams Family Values

    Best Sequel See at Amazon
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  • coraline-movie-poster.jpg

    Coraline

    Best Animated Movie See at Amazon

  • Beetlejuice

    Best 1980s Classic See at Amazon

  • Hocus Pocus

    Best Live-Action Disney See at Amazon

Best Halloween Movies For Kids

Best Nostalgic Classic

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

Sincere Pumpkin Patch Awaits

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is a beloved animated Halloween special featuring the Peanuts gang. Join Charlie Brown and friends as they celebrate Halloween, go trick-or-treating, and await the arrival of the mythical Great Pumpkin. 

Pros & Cons
  • Beautifully crafted animation and soundtrack.
  • Timeless charm appeals to multiple generations.
  • Iconic characters and memorable quotes.
  • Lack of resolution for Linus' storyline.
See at Amazon Expand Collapse

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown remains a treasured Halloween tradition nearly 60 years after first airing. This Peanuts special immaculately captures the joys and letdowns of childhood holidays. It follows the gang during Halloween, concentrating on Charlie Brown's trick-or-treating misfortunes and Linus' unshakable faith in the Great Pumpkin.

The special's strength is its skill to blend humor with poignant moments, covering themes of faith, camaraderie, and determination. Iconic scenes, like Snoopy's imaginary WWI flying ace battles, exhibit the innovation that made Peanuts an cultural phenomenon.

Best Remake Haunted Mansion

Haunted Mansion, Take Three

Like PG-13 Comedy Drama Family Release Date July 28, 2023 Runtime 123 Minutes Director Justin Simien Writers Katie Dippold

Cast

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  • Rosario Dawson
  • Jamie Lee Curtis
  • Winona Ryder
  • Owen Wilson

The latest of three Haunted Mansion movies inspired by the ride with the same name, the 2023 edition centers around a family trying to turn their inherited home into a B&B only to discover it's haunted. Featuring a star-studded cast that includes Rosario Dawson, Danny Devito, and Owen Wilson.

Genres Comedy, Drama, Family Powered by Expand Collapse Pros & Cons
  • Hit cinemas very recently
  • Star-studded cast
  • There's a Muppets versions, and Muppets versions are always better

Disney ideas are so strong that sometimes all it takes is a ride at one of its parks and the next thing you know, an entire franchise of movies has been built off the back of it. It happened to Pirates of the Caribbean, and it has happened to Haunted Mansion too. This is the third time the ride has been turned into a feature film, and this might well be the one with the most star-studded cast. Somewhat overlooked at the cinema since it clashed with the arrivals of Barbie and Oppenheimmber, if you missed it on the big screen, pick it up for a viewing this Halloween. A more fitting time of year to watch it anyway.

Best Classic via Amazon

Ghostbusters 1 & 2 Blu-ray Set

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The Ghostbusters series has been rebooted time and time again, but more than three decades later, nothing compares to the original movies. This Blu-ray set includes both of the first movies starring Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd among other iconic Hollywood stars.

Powered by Expand Collapse Pros & Cons
  • Two classic movies in one low-price set
  • Opportunity to get a whole new generation into the original Ghostbusters
  • The second movie wasn't nearly as well-liked as the first

There are a lot of Ghostbusters movies out there as the series has been rebooted multiple times. You'd think since this is a guide to Halloween movies for kids in 2024, I'd have picked one of the modern remakes, but no. The newer takes on Ghostbusters are good, but nothing compares to the original concept, and kids today need to know that. Show them these iconic films and then they can watch the newer ones and if they don't agree that the originals are the best, well, I'd be very surprised. Fantastic actors starring in timeless classics. There's a reason the series has been rebooted so many times. Because the originals were that damn good.

Best Animated Disney Movie The Nightmare Before Christmas

This Is Halloween

Like PG Animation Fantasy Holiday Release Date October 29, 1993 Runtime 76 minutes Director Henry Selick Writers Caroline Thompson Franchise(s) Disney

Cast

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  • Catherine O'Hara
  • Glenn Shadix
  • Ken Page
  • William Hickey

Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas is a timeless family movie for the holiday season. When Jack Skellington discovers Christmas, he does everything in his power to bring it back to Halloween Town.

Genres Animation, Fantasy, Holiday Powered by Expand Collapse Pros & Cons
  • One of Disney's best movies, Halloween or otherwise
  • Will hopefully inspire ideas for some fantastic costumes
  • Young kids will want to watch it every day, Halloween or not

Okay, I've held off on pushing this on you for long enough and I think I should be rewarded for that. If you're going to pick up just one movie to watch this Halloween, then it should be The Nightmare Before Christmas. The one film on this list that I watch every Halloween (and every Christmas) without fail. Follow Jack Skellington - The Pumpkin King - on his adventure out of Halloween Town and his return, bringing Christmas back with him. A Disney classic no matter how you frame it, and one that can be watched any time of the year but feels particularly special when you watch it on October 31.

Best Sequel Addams Family Values

They're Creepy And They're Kooky

Like PG-13 Comedy Family Fantasy Release Date November 19, 1993 Runtime 94 Minutes Director Barry Sonnenfeld Writers Charles Addams, Paul Rudnick Producers Scott Rudin

Cast

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  • Anjelica Huston Morticia Addams
  • Raul Julia Gomez Addams
  • Christopher Lloyd Uncle Fester
  • Joan Cusack Debbie Jellinsky

Addams Family Values is a sequel to 1991's The Addams Family and centers around a rogue nanny who is after Uncle Fester's fortune. Tricking Fester into marrying her, the nanny sends Wednesday and Pugsley to summer camp, fearful that the kids are catching on to what she is trying to do.

Genres Comedy, Family, Fantasy Powered by Expand Collapse Pros & Cons
  • The best of many famous Addams Family movies
  • Don't need to have seen the first movie to understand this one
  • Available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime
  • Reminder that this was Raul Julia's final movie

The Addams Family is almost as synonymous with Halloween as the humble pumpkin, and while there have been plenty of movies and shows depicting the creepy and kooky family, none compare to this one. If you're struggling to place Addams Family Values, it's the one in which a nanny brought in to keep an eye on the kids turns out to be a cold-blooded killer who marries men and then bumps them off, inheriting their fortune. Uncle Fester is her target, and when Wednesday and Pugsley start to figure her out, the pair get shipped off to summer camp. Another timeless classic and perfect Halloween viewing.

Best Animated Movie coraline-movie-poster.jpg Coraline

Buttons For Eyes

Like PG Family Animation Thriller Fantasy Drama Release Date February 5, 2009 Runtime 100 minutes Director Henry Selick Writers Henry Selick, Neil Gaiman

Cast

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  • Dakota Fanning
  • Teri Hatcher
  • Jennifer Saunders
  • Dawn French

From the creator of The Nightmare Before Christmas, Coraline is an animated movie that centers around a young girl who discovers a mirror dimension in her new home. Frightened back to her own dimension by the "Other" parents who inhabit the alternate one, when she gets back, Coraline discovers her real parents have disappeared.

Genres Family, Animation, Thriller, Fantasy, Drama Powered by Expand Collapse Pros & Cons
  • Another Tim Burton hit
  • Available to buy and rent on Amazon Prime
  • Might freak out little kids

If you like The Nightmare Before Christmas but want to mix things up this Halloween, then you may as well stick with Tim Burton. No one does spooky animated movies quite like him, and Coraline is another terrific example of that. Coraline stumbles upon a mirror dimension in her own home, a reflection of her reality which even includes alternate versions of the people she knows. It's her Other Mother and Other Father that freak Coraline out, sending her back to her own dimension. However, when she returns, her real parents are gone, and she thinks the Other parents she ran from have probably got something to do with it.

Best 1980s Classic Beetlejuice

Tim Burton Really Likes Halloween

Like PG Fantasy Comedy Release Date March 30, 1988 Runtime 92 minutes Director Tim Burton Writers Michael McDowell, Warren Skaaren, Larry Wilson Producers Larry Wilson, Michael Bender Sequel(s) Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Cast

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  • Alec Baldwin Adam
  • Geena Davis Barbara
  • Winona Ryder Lydia
  • Catherine O'Hara Delia

When the recently deceased Maitlands find out the very-much-alive Deetz family have moved into their home, they enlist the help of 'bio-exorcist' Beetlejuice to scare away the new tenants.

Genres Fantasy, Comedy Powered by Expand Collapse Pros & Cons
  • Perfect time to watch as the sequel approaches
  • A lot of fun alongside its spooky theme
  • Hasn't aged quite as well as some of the other picks on this list

Anything and everything is eligible for a sequel or a remake nowadays, and more than 35 years after the first movie hit cinemas, Beetlejuice is getting a second movie. That means there has never been a better time to watch the original movie than this Halloween, possibly the last Halloween before we officially have a Beetlejuice 2. Return to the edge of your seat as some good-natured ghosts have a moment of weakness, consider hiring Beetlejuice, and despite deciding against it, the damage has been done. An absolutely fantastic performance from Michael Keaton, and just a year before he puts on another one in Batman. The man really was on a hot streak in the late '80s/early '90s.

Best Live-Action Disney Hocus Pocus Like PG Fantasy Comedy Family Release Date July 16, 1993 Runtime 96 minutes Director Kenny Ortega Writers Neil Cuthbert, David Kirschner, Mick Garris Producers David Kirschner, Mick Garris, Ralph Winter, Bonnie Bruckheimer, Steven Haft Sequel(s) Hocus Pocus 2

Cast

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  • Bette Midler Winifred Sanderson
  • Sarah Jessica Parker Sarah Sanderson
  • Kathy Najimy Mary Sanderson
  • Omri Katz Max Dennison

When a pair of siblings accidentally resurrect a trio of Salem-era witches while out trick-or-treating, they become embroiled in a battle of wits.

Genres Fantasy, Comedy, Family Powered by Expand Collapse Pros & Cons
  • Another classic that recently got a sequel
  • And another Halloween movie with a fantastic cast
  • If your kids have seen the sequel, they might struggle to get on board with the original

Speaking of 30-year-old classics getting sequels, Hocus Pocus got a follow-up movie in 2022. The actors who played the three witch sisters all returned to the roles and it was almost as if no time had passed at all. As good as the sequel is, there's no beating the original movie. Resurrected after 300 years, the Sanderson sisters attempt to pick up where they left off, and it's up to those who brought them back to send them back from where they came. Another Disney classic, and one that was originally released on the very same day as The Nightmare Before Christmas. Halloween 1993 must have really been something.

FAQ

Is Halloween Appropriate For Seven-Year-Olds?

Whether you think your children are ready for Halloween is naturally a decision that's up to the parent. Personally, I would say seven is more than old enough to be celebrating Halloween and it's likely they will have been engaging in Halloween activities at school long before that age.

Is Coraline Too Scary For A Seven-Year-Old?

Coraline might be an animated movie geared towards children, but it is still pretty scary in places. Much like deciding whether your children are ready for Halloween in general, determining whether Coraline, or any of the other movies above, is too scary for them is a judgment call. I certainly wouldn't recommend they watch it without an adult in the room with them.

What Halloween Movies Are Not Scary?

All Halloween movies are a little scary otherwise they wouldn't be Halloween movies. One of the animated picks above might be the best way to go if you're looking for the least scary option, or something that's as funny as it is scary like Hocus Pocus or Beetlejuice.

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Posts By  Josh Coulson