Halloween is when we dress up in costumes, read spooky stories, carve pumpkins, and our favorite…gather around the TV for some classic Halloween movies, shows, and more! Here is the list of our favorite Halloween movies and shows you may have forgotten about.
Top 10 Halloween movies for families:
ParaNorman (2012) Paranorman is a stop-motion movie from Laika Studios, which has made Coraline, Boxtrolls, Kubo, and the Two Strings and the Missing Link. Stop-motion animation fits Halloween well. The movie references many classic Hollywood horror and monster films and has some comedic elements that won’t bore the adults too much. (Stream on Roku/Free or rental Amazon)
Muppets Haunted Mansion (2021) Our kids loved the Haunted Mansion with Eddie Murphy. If you have ever been on the Disney World/Land ride, you will see many references pulled directly from the ride. Having Muppets involved will hold the attention of the young ones while not being too scary. (Stream on Disney+)
Monster House (2006): There are a lot of movies where a group of kids band together to save the town before Stranger Things came out. Monster House is a CGI animation movie of three friends investigating a possessed house (Stream on HULU, Roku, Freevee /Free).
Any Dreamworks/Pixar special: Typically, you can find these on ABC starting mid-October.
A few of our favorites are:
- Toy Story of Terror
- Scared Shrekless
- Thriller Night
- The Pig Who Cried Werewolf
- Monster vs. Aliens Mutant Pumpkins from Outerspace
- Night of the Living Carrots
Hubie Halloween (2020) You know what you are getting with Adam Sandler movies. This is rated PG-13, so there may be some more adult references that kids may pick up on, but if your kids have watched other Adam Sandler movies like Billy Madison, Water Boy, and Grown Ups, you will have a good time watching this one together (Stream on Netflix). If they are younger, Adam Sandler is featured in the Hotel Transylvania series.
LEGO Starwars Terrifying Tales (2021): If you have seen any of the Lego movies, they have comedic quickness that is hard to beat. This one has bonus references to classic horror movies like The Lost Boys, The Shinning, and the Twilight Zone (Stream on Disney+)
The Monster Squad (1987) The Goonies for horror movies. The 80s didn’t quite do children’s films as they do now. Some scenes may be too intense for young viewers, some scenes of bullying, and some minor language. I would watch the opening scene before deciding on it for a movie night. This movie does feature all of the classic horror movie icons, so fitting for a Halloween movie night (Streaming on Paramount+, Pluto TV/Free, Amazon Rental)
Hocus Pocus (1993) A Halloween staple that just came out with a sequel. Tame enough for the whole family and worth seeing at least once (Streaming on Disney+, Amazon/Apple+ rental)
Scoobie-Doo 2 Monsters Unleashed: This live-action movie fits the Halloween theme better than the first live-action one since that one is set on an island (Streaming Netflix, HBO Max). If you’re looking for a classic cartoon version, Scooby-Doo Zombie Island (1998) is Streaming on Amazon Prime.
E.T. and The Karate Kid: These movies are not Halloween movies, but both feature a costume scene. Worth revisiting with your kids. E.T. is streaming on Peacock, and the Karate Kid is streaming on Paramount+ or a rental on Amazon.
Enjoy!
Tell us what your favorite Halloween movies are in the comment section below!
