Not Too Scary: The Top 10 Family Halloween Movies

Everyone loves Halloween, but sometimes the thrills and chills of the late October holiday can be a bit too much for the littlest among us. (Just ask any parent who’s walked a terrified toddler through a Home Depot display of Halloween animatronics.) Fortunately, there are plenty of ways out there to celebrate the Halloween holiday as a family, from trick-or-treating to pumpkin patches to a good old fashioned night in on the couch, watching a spooky—but not too scary—Halloween movie.
We’ve put together a list of 10 (unranked) great, family-friendly Halloween movies, all guaranteed to thrill and chill without giving everyone too many nightmares. These movies have witches and warlocks plus ghouls and ghosts a-plenty, making them appropriately festive for the season but still safe (and fun!) enough to be enjoyed by the whole family. Grab some popcorn, light your jack-o’-lantern, and settle in with a cozy blanket.

“Hocus Pocus” (1993)

A Halloween classic for over 30 years, “Hocus Pocus” stars Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy as the Sanderson sisters, three 17th century Salem witches who didn’t fare too well in their city’s famous trials. Accidentally resurrected by a group of kids — who they then try to kill, but in a way that’s more comical than frightful — the trio are cartoonish and ridiculous, with their pointy hats, brooms, and witchy warts. There’s a reason this fantasy film has delighted so many for so long, even spawning a sequel in 2022. It’s perfect Halloween fare: Silly, spooky, and positively delicious.

“The Nightmare Before Christmas” (1993)

While one could argue that “The Nightmare Before Christmas” is, as the title would suggest, a Christmas movie, we think it definitely veers more toward Halloween than ho-ho-ho. A stop-motion animated film from the twisted mind of Tim Burton, “The Nightmare Before Christmas” tells the story of Jack Skellington, the pumpkin king of Halloweentown, who accidentally discovers the concept of Christmas. After falling under the spell of its whimsical allure, he decides to take the holiday for himself, kidnapping Santa and mystifying families everywhere. Kids and parents alike will find themselves humming the songs contained in this movie for weeks—if not months—after every viewing.

“The Addams Family” (1991)

“The Addams Family” has a long legacy. First created by Charles Addams for a series of New Yorker cartoons, “The Addams Family” was then adopted into a bizarre ’60s sitcom before becoming a live-action movie in the ’90s. (The original source material also spawned a pretty good animated movie in 2019 before inspiring a much-lauded Netflix spin-off, “Wednesday”.)

The original 1991 film is the place to start, though, with Raul Julia and Anjelica Huston starring as Gomez and Morticia Addams, a delightfully spooky family settled in the far-too-normal New Jersey suburbs. Christopher Lloyd is also a joy as Uncle Fester and Christina Ricci is unforgettable as Wednesday. And luckily, if your kids love the original movie as much as you probably did as a kid, there are multiple sequels to follow up with—plus all that other Addams-related material.

“Casper” (1995)

Another Christina Ricci classic, “Casper” is a comic book adaptation about a friendly, peaceful ghost who haunts a mansion, only to have his life turned upside down when a new family moves in and tries to interject itself into his life. What ensues is a little weird — with Casper falling in love with Ricci’s Kate — but it’s also cute and charming in equal measure.

“Coco” (2017)

A beloved Pixar animated movie about the Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos, “Coco” tells the story of Miguel, a young man who dreams of becoming a successful musician. His family doesn’t approve and as he struggles to prove himself, he ends up stumbling into the land of the dead. It’s there that he meets a charming skeleton, Héctor, and learns a little more about his family history — and what may be keeping them from fully getting on board with his love for song. Like “The Nightmare Before Christmas”, “Coco” is filled with beautiful visuals and incredibly catchy tunes as well. Pair the film with a lesson for your kids about its holiday inspiration for a nice little cross-cultural moment.

“Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit” (2005)

Another spooky but absolutely non-threatening animated film, “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit” comes courtesy of England’s beloved Aardman Studios. Known for their incredible claymation work, Aardman has spent decades cultivating and crafting the world of Wallace & Gromit to great success. “The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit” is a cute take on monster movies, with the title characters investigating the mysterious creature ravaging their village’s gardens and threatening its veggie-growing competition. A number of British film luminaries pop up as voices, too, including Helena Bonham-Carter, Mark Gatiss, and Ralph Fiennes.

“Hotel Transylvania” (2012)

There’s nothing to be scared of in “Hotel Transylvania”, a delightfully kooky animated movie about Dracula, a single vampire dad-turned-inn owner who’s dead-set on protecting his daughter Mavis. (Adam Sandler voices Drac, while Selena Gomez plays his offspring.) When a hapless American tourist played by Andy Samberg stumbles into the hotel, Drac’s world is turned upside down, much to his dismay and Mavis’s delight. Other famous monsters add to the film’s sight gags and depth, many of whom are voiced by longtime Sandler buds like Steve Buscemi and David Spade. Three sequels have since followed, all of which are also well-worth a watch. Movie marathon anyone?

“Zombies” (2018)

A Disney channel musical in the vein of “Descendants” or “Camp Rock”, “Zombies” is about a small, almost too boring town forced to adapt when a group of fun teenage zombies from a neighboring town are transferred to their school. All the zombies have “Z” names, like lead Milo Manheim’s Zed, who quickly falls in love with cheerleader and all around good girl Addison, played by Meg Donnelly.

“Zombies” isn’t really spooky at all — the film’s titular characters never eat brains and they’re 1000 percent less scary than the “normal” (and small-minded) original residents of the town — making it the perfect entrance point for kids who might be intrigued by the idea of otherworldly creatures but who don’t want to delve too heavily into actual fear. With multiple sequels and bangin’ cast recordings released in the years since, “Zombies” is also great for kids who love a good rewatch.

“The Witches” (1990)

Adapted from a deliciously bizarre Roald Dahl book, “The Witches” stars the aforementioned Anjelica Huston as Miss Eva Ernst, the chairman for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. It’s all a farce, of course: The perfectly put-together Huston is actually a Grand High Witch in charge of an ancient society of child-hating witches, all of whom don wigs and use spells to hide their true identities. Intent on turning all of England’s children into rodents until their plan is thwarted by a brave kid-turned-mouse named Luke, the film’s witches are wild and funny, weird and eccentric. There’s a 2020 remake starring Anne Hathaway in Huston’s role, but you really can’t beat the original.

“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” (2001)

While “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” isn’t strictly a Halloween movie per se, it’s got plenty of Halloween-like elements, including spells, magical animals, and witchy intrigue. (There are also huge pumpkins!) Starring the great Daniel Radcliffe as Harry, the film tells the now incredibly well-known story of an orphaned boy who — on his 11th birthday — discovers his true wizard heritage.

Whisked away to a magical school full of other young wizards, Harry embarks on a lifetime of adventure, all of which plays out over a series of books and a run of subsequent film adaptations. While later movies in the Potter series can be a bit spooky for younger kids given Voldemort’s evil, noseless nature, “The Sorcerer’s Stone” goes down smooth, especially if you’ve got a kid who’s already mixing up their own magical potions.

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