If reading out Halloween stories is not your thing, then why not watch some really cool Halloween special flicks this year. So, what are you waiting for? Bring in some popcorn, cozy up and enjoy some family time. Here is our list of the 51 best Halloween movies for kids.
Best Halloween Movies for Kids
Halloween is a great time for kids to enjoy. With the ever increasing popularity of Halloween among people, especially kids, these scary movies (not too scary) are simply great to set the Halloween mood for the whole family.
1. ParaNorman (2012)
The main character, Norman, is just like other kids who see dead people. Some scenes are slightly scary to feature zombies.
2. Frankenweenie (2012)
This movie is not scary but the underlying theme about losing a pet is heartbreaking. It is a great homage to the great movie ‘Frankenstein’ (1931) as well as to B-horror movies of the 1950s.
3. Coraline (2009)
Based on popular “children’s horror” novel by Neil German, Coraline is an adaption of Alice in Wonderland. The story revolves around Caroline (the heroine) who is unhappy about moving to a new house and discovers a door to an alternative world where she finds attentive, doing versions of her real parents and other exciting wonders.
4. Monster House (2006)
This is overall a fun movie that doesn’t shy away from being just perfectly scary for kids.
5. Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie (2005)
The storyline of the movie revolves around the Pooh Bear who eats all the candies to kill the excitement of trick or treat during Halloween in the Hundred Acre Wood. So, Roo and Lumpy begin a quest to capture a scary Gobloon who would grant their wish. Perfect setting for pre-school kids!
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6. Corpse Bride (2005)
This is another gem from twisted imagination of Tim Burtson. Victor, a clumsy and nervous young man, happens to marry a dead bride accidentally. He is taken to the Land of Dead and tries to escape so as to get reunited with his true fiancé in time for their wedding.
7. Harry Potter
While Harry Potter is an anytime movie for kids, Halloween is probably the best time to watch it. There is magic and witches too to entertain any age group.
8. Tower of Terror (1997)
The movie revolves around Buzzy Crocker and his niece Anna who investigate the story of what really happened on Halloween night 1939 at The Hollywood Tower Hotel.
9. Halloweentown (1998)
This movie is the first of a magical trilogy. The story gets interesting when Marnie follows her grandmother to a strange place called Halloweentown.
10. Casper (1995)
This is another great Halloween movie with a sweet story of a young girl who moves into a mansion with her ghost-chasing father. Here, she befriends Casper, the 12-year old friendly ghost of a boy.
11. Hocus Pocus (1993)
This is a great Halloween movie because it is the best and probably the most important part of Halloween. The initial scene of the movie features the three Sanderson sisters sucking the soul out of a little girl and killing her in the process.
12. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
This is both a Halloween and a Christmas movie, not meant for very young children, however.
13. Ernest Scared Stupid (1991)
Ernest happens to unleash a band of trolls accidentally upon a small town on Halloween. This turns children into wooden dolls. Now, he tries to work on setting things right.
14. The Addams Family (1991)
This movie is a wonderfully macabre adaption of the classic 1960s show. This movie doesn’t feature any specific scary scenes.
15. The Witches (1990)
This is a great Halloween movie as the witches and Halloween go hand in hand. To talk about scary scenes, the scene where the Grand High Witch reveals her identity for the first time is nightmare-inducing.
16. Beetlejuice (1988)
The story revolves around a newly-dead couple who discover that a family has moved into their house. So, they hire a bio-exorcist to scare them away.
17. The Monster Squad (1987)
This is a fun monster movie that features classic Universal monsters, like Frankenstein, Dracula, The Mummy, The Wolf Man, and the Gill-man.
18. Labyrinth (1986)
Packed with fantastical Jim Henson puppets, this movie contains magic enough to enchant the kiddos.
19. The Worst Witch (1986)
This is a sweet movie about a triumphant underdog to entertain kids who are too young for Hogwarts adventures.
20. The Black Cauldron (1985)
This is simply perfect for young fantasy lovers. The hero yearns for adventure and finds it in saving his magical pig from evil Horned King.
21. Return to Oz (1985)
This is a live-action fantasy, first Oz film by Disney, which works really well as a sort of horror movie for kids.
22. Gremlins (1984)
This movie revolves around a small town terrorized by monsters during Christmas time.
23. Ghostbusters (1984)
This is a comedy classic as well as a fun take on the paranormal. However, some of the ghosts are little scary. There is also a bit of adult humor.
24. Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)
Inspired by Ray Bradbury’s novel of the same name, the movie revolves around the influx of an eerie carnival in Illinois.
25. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
The supernatural plotline of this movie lends itself quite nicely to the Halloween.
26. The Watcher in the Woods (1980)
This is a supernatural mystery about a teenage girl, Jan, who moves with her family to a creepy rural English manor. After living there, strange things begin to happen. All this leads her to investigate the 30-year old disappearance of young girl named Karen. The movie contains quite a few scary scenes and is, therefore, recommended for older kids.
27. Halloween is Grinch Night (1977)
This is a lesser-known Halloween-themed prequel filled with enough entertainment to spook the kids.
28. Young Frankenstein (1974)
This is a wacky comedy about the grandson of Dr. Frankenstein who follows in his mad scientist footsteps. It is a fun parody of classic horror movies.
29. Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971)
This is a Disney Classic featuring wizards, witches, and magic bed-knobs. It would surely lead your kid to use “bed-knobs” in regular conversation.
30. It’s the Great Pumpkin (1966)
This classic TV special feels like a rite of passage for anyone who has grown up watching it. It is imply the perfect movie to share with the kids.
31. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1949)
This is a short classic that talks of a stuffy school teacher who makes an effort to win the love of the prettiest girl of the town through his act of bravery. This is a mild movie for a kindergartner.
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32. Scooby-Doo: HALLOWEEN HASSLE AT DRACULA’S CASTLE (1984)
This Halloween celebrate with Scooby-Doo and the gang! Frankenstein, Dracula, The Mummy and more can’t escape from Scooby-Doo!
33. Casper meets Wendy(1998)
One of the best Halloween movies for kids is this one. The movie is based on Harvey Comics cartoon characters Casper the Friendly Ghost and Wendy the Good Little Witch. The film is a sequel to Casper: A Spirited Beginning.
James and the Giant Peach (1996)
The film is a combination of live action and stop-motion animation. Kids love this movie for the Halloween.
34. The little ghost (1997)
What’s better than fun and horror for kids. In this movie, a young boy and his family go to a castle haunted by the ghost of a young princess who died centuries ago. The ghost starts to become friendly and the boy stops being afraid of her.
35. Phantom of the megaplex (2000)
The central character, played by Taylor Handley, is Pete Riley, the 17-year-old assistant manager of the theatre. He has to cope with malfunctioning equipment, disappearing staff, and a broken popcorn machine, among other headaches.
36. The little vampire (2000)
It is a comedy horror film based on the children’s book series of the same name by Angela Sommer-Bodenburg about a young boy who tries to save a young vampire and his family from a ruthless vampire hunter.
37. Monsters, INC. (2001)
The film centers on two monsters employed at the titular energy-producing factory Monsters, Inc. – top scarer James P. “Sulley” Sullivan and his one-eyed partner and best friend Mike Wazowski.
38. The haunted mansion (2003)
One of the best Halloween movies for kids starts with a storyline like an eighteenth-century wealthy landowner named Gracey falls in love with a multiracial woman. Watch the movie to know the full story.
39. Spookley: the square pumpkin (2005)
This computer-animated film is based on the book The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin by Joe Troiano.
40. Wallace & Gromit- the curse of the were-rabbit (2005)
The film follows eccentric inventor Wallace and his intelligent mute dog Gromit in their latest venture as pest control agents, as they come to the rescue of a village plagued by rabbits before an annual vegetable competition.
41. Mom’s got a date with a vampire (2007)
Mom’s Got a Date with a Vampire is a horror-comedy film and a must watch the film on Halloween with the entire family.
42. Hotel Transylvania (2012)
The film tells a story of Count Dracula, the owner of a hotel called Hotel Transylvania where the world’s monsters can take a rest from human civilization.
43. Goosebumps (2015)
Goosebumps is a horror comedy film based on the children’s book series of the same name by R.L. Stine. The movie has won various awards for its outstanding plot.
44. Spooky buddies (2011)
In this movie on Halloween night where the townspeople storms to the mansion where Warwick the Warlock gather the ingredients in order to summon the Halloween Hound.
45. Curious George: a Halloween boo fest (2013)
The story revolves around George’s who is excited about celebrating his 1st Halloween in the country. Bill tells George & Allie a spooky story about a scarecrow called “No Noggin” who haunts the countryside on Halloween, & kicks people’s hats.
46. Scooby-doo (2002)
It is a live-action/computer-animated family horror comedy adventure film, based on the long-running Hanna-Barbera animated television series of the same name.
47. Igor (2008)
The movie is a science fantasy about the stock character Igor, dreaming to win first place at the Evil Science Fair.
49. Monsters vs Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space (2009)
This is one of Halloween movies for kids which was produced especially to be watched on this day.
50. A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)
The gist of the movie is that a massive fire kills their parents, three children are delivered to the custody of cousin and stage actor Count Olaf, who is secretly plotting to steal their parents’ vast fortune.
51. The Scream Team (2002)
The film revolves around two kids. Their grandfather is dead and Ian thinks his grandfather’s spirit is trying to tell them something, finding some library news clippings about a man named Zachariah Kull, who was accused of burning his home with his wife in it.
