It’s a little strange to write about fall and Halloween movies right now when it’s still 100 degrees out, but I’m all about the holiday season and I’m ready to start celebrating fall, even if it doesn’t feel like it yet. I love setting the mood with festive shows and movies, but I tend to be really cautious about what I show my kids at what ages. I was prone to lots of nightmares as a kid and I try my best not to hand that down to my own kids.
Also, I’m not a big fan of the scary aspect of Halloween. I want it to be fun for everyone, so these are all family friendly favorites, with no horror or slasher films. I’m also breaking up these movies into older kid and younger kid movies, to give an idea of what ages I might show them to kids. Of course, to each their own, and you know your kid and family best, so do what works for you.
15 Halloween Movies for Older Kids:
In my opinion, older kids would be around 8-10 and up. Some eight-year-olds might be okay with a movie like Hocus Pocus, while others may not. Use your best judgement. I’m never afraid to turn something off it’s not a fit, so definitely do what works for you and yours. For example, I haven’t shown my kids Nightmare Before Christmas yet, because Tim Burton’s art can be a bit much for kids and could cause nightmares. I think that my older kids might be interested in it this year, though.
1.Hocus Pocus – Starting with a true classic here. I love this one. My kids were finally old enough to enjoy it last year, and the sequel was fantastic.
2. Hocus Pocus 2 – Speaking of which, here’s the sequel. So good. I think I liked it even better than the first, which is saying a lot. I think it’s rare for a sequel to be as good as the first. The original cast just knocked it out of the park.
3. Nightmare Before Christmas – I loved this as a kid. I think my own kiddos are old enough to appreciate this. I wouldn’t show it to young kids, it’s a little too scary for them.
4. Hotel Transylvania – A hotel for monsters is disrupted by a human guest in this cute and funny Halloween movie for older kids.
5. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire – We loved watching the newest Ghostbusters movie! It was fun to see a remake of a movie I loved as a kid.
6. R.L. Stine’s Monsterville: The Cabinet of Souls – From the creator of Goosebumps, this fun Halloween movies features teenagers face off against the supernatural in a creepy funhouse.
7. The Addams Family 1 & 2 – The creation of the Wednesday spinoff has brought The Addams Family back to the forefront. This creepy family is perfect for Halloween season. In the first one, the quirky Addams family faces off against con artists trying to take their fortune. I haven’t shown these to my kids yet, but I hope to in the future.
8. Beetlejuice – It’s so funny to see how popular this movie still is, because I remember when it came out! That’s how old I am, lol. I haven’t shown this to my kids yet, but I think they’ll be old enough soon.
9. Frankenweenie – Another Tim Burton masterpiece. I find his work a little too spooky for young kids, so keeping this in the older kids category. A young boy brings his pet dog back to life, with unexpected consequences.
10. Halloweentown – The first Halloweentown came out back in 1998! This is the third installment where Marnie brings magical students to her high school. It’s one of the newer ones from 2004. If your kiddos like it, you could always go back and show them the whole series.
11. The Little Vampire – A young boy befriends a young vampire and helps him and his family in this highly rated film that is still popular from 2000!
12. Paranorman – A boy who can see and speak to ghosts must save his town from a zombie uprising in this Oscar nominated film. It’s on our list to watch.
13. Monster House – Three kids discover that a spooky house in their neighborhood is alive in this Oscar nominated film. I think we watched this last year and it was cute.
14. The Witches – An all-star cast brings this Halloween favorite to life. This reimagines an old movie based on Roald Dahl’s book about a boy and his grandmother who face off against witches.
15. The Haunted Mansion – Do you love the Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland? This movie is inspired by that attraction and features an incredible cast.
15. Halloween Movies for Younger Kids:
There’s plenty of fun fall and Halloween movies for younger kids. These use brighter colors and more kid-friendly stories and themes. Some of these I would show to toddlers and then go up from there.
1. It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown – A classic for a reason! So cute.
2. Casper, The Friendly Ghost – I loved this one years ago, but had completely forgotten about it. I am excited to share this with my kids this year. I think this one would be a good bridge between younger kids and older kids.
3. Spookley: The Square Pumpkin – A square pumpkin learns to embrace his differences and finds his place in the patch. Adorable.
4. Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween – The Heffalump and his friends have Halloween adventures in this adorable Halloween film for young kids.
5. Mickey’s House of Villains – Mickey and friends face off against Disney villains in this movie from. 2002.
6. Curious George: A Halloween Boofest – Get ready for a spook-tacular good time, with the first, full length, Curious George Halloween movie.
7. Cocomelon & Friends Halloween Special – A sweet and kid-friendly Halloween show.
8. My Little Pony Spooktacular Pony Tales – A special Halloween episode featuring the ponies’ spooky adventures from 2010.
9. The Cat In The Hat Knows A Lot About Halloween – Love Dr. Seuss books? Martin Short brings this one to life in this fun Halloween special with Dr. Seuss’s Cat in the Hat.
10. Nicktoons Halloween: Tales of Fright – Who remembers the Nickelodeon shows? We loved Rugrats as kids! This fun movie reminds me of those shows.
11. Scooby Doo and the Legend of the Vampire – A great Scooby Doo episode for Halloween! My oldest is really getting into books and movies surrounding mysteries being solved, so this is perfect for this year.
12. Scooby Doo and the Ghoul School – Another great Scooby Doo Halloween special.
13. Paw Patrol Halloween Heroes – We went through a major Paw Patrol phase over here and this Halloween special is so cute.
14. The Dog Who Saved Halloween – Tired of animated films? This one might appeal to a wider range of ages and will especially delight dog lovers!
15. Super Monsters Save Halloween – This was such a hit last year. So cute. Love the little characters and it’s on Netflix, which makes it easy if you use that streaming service.
*I pay for all of these with my own money, but if you choose to make a purchase through my links, I may receive a commission at no cost to you. Cheers!
More Fun Halloween Ideas for Kids:
This is one of my favorite holidays and I’ve shared a lot of free printables, book ideas and more on the blog. Here’s just some of the more popular Halloween posts:
- 9 best Halloween picture books for young kids
- Best FREE Halloween BOO Kit!
- 5 Halloween printable freebies in one place!
- 10 spooktakular Halloween color by number printables:
- 5 Cute Halloween Makeup Looks that are so easy!
- 8 Posable Skeletons For Your Home
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I hope this inspires you to embrace the season! Putting this together reminded me of some of the movies I want to show my kids this year and maybe it gave you some ideas, too.
Let me know if you have a favorite that should be on this list!
Have a fabulous day,
E
