The month of October is one of the most exciting months of the year, for kids and adults. There is so much fun to be had during this festive time. The celebrations generally kick off with pumpkin hunting, corn mazes, hayrides, and haunted houses.
While all of those activities are fun, it’s the big Candy Rush at the end, that the kids are really looking forward to!
They get to dress up as silly or ghoulish creatures, act unruly, and get rewarded for it all , with heaping piles of chocolate!
It’s not just the treats that excite the kids, though. It’s also the 30 days of fear leading up to that fun candy rush.
Let’s face it…nothing will get your adrenaline pumping more, than sheer fright! Kids may be aware that monsters don’t really exist. However, the small nagging voice of uncertainty in their heads, gives them pause to wonder if some of the spooky tales may in fact, be true. That doubt is what makes Halloween so thrilling!
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Halloween Chills & Thrills
Of course, adults have their own strategies for getting into the Halloween spirit every year. We attend costume contests and Halloween parties, while filling in the gaps with some good old fashioned horror flicks.
We might know the truth about monsters, but realistic serial killers and paranormal events do make up for the lack of belief we have in mythical creatures.
This brings me to the topic of this post…Scary movies.
A couple of weeks ago, I put together a list of super creepy thrillers that come highly recommended for adults. Many of those movies are not at all suitable for younger children…Lol!
So, I thought I’d do a little digging on behalf of our younger Halloween fans. It turns out there are more kid friendly “scary – not so scary” movies out there, than I thought!
Below, is just a small sample of family Halloween movies I came across…all very popular and kid appropriate. They are all perfect for giving our kiddos a bit of a thrill, without giving them nightmares! Some are older classics you will recognize and some are more recent films that have risen to the top of the list. All of them are certain to provide a chilling and fun Halloween ambiance for your next family movie night!
I have included trailers for each movie, along with it’s description and where you can watch it. (The last five movies listed are more appropriate for tweens, while the others are suitable for all ages.)
The Spiderwick Chronicles
Description: Upon moving into the run-down Spiderwick Estate with their mother, twin brothers Jared and Simon Grace, along with their sister Mallory, find themselves pulled into an alternate world full of faeries and other creatures. (Watch on Prime Video, Paramount, IMDb)
Monsters, Inc.
Description: In order to power the city, monsters have to scare children so that they scream. However, the children are toxic to the monsters, and after a child gets through, two monsters realize things may not be what they think. (Watch on Prime Video, IMDb, Disney Plus)
Hubie Halloween
Description: Despite his devotion to his hometown of Salem (and its Halloween celebration), Hubie Dubois is a figure of mockery for kids and adults alike. But this year, something is going bump in the night, and it’s up to Hubie to save Halloween. (Watch on IMDb, Netflix)
Spirited Away
Description: During her family’s move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches and spirits, a world where humans are changed into beasts. (Watch on Prime Video, IMDdb, HBO Max, Apple Tv)
We Have A Ghost
Description: Finding a ghost named Ernest haunting their new home turns Kevin’s family into overnight social media sensations. But when Kevin and Ernest investigate the mystery of Ernest’s past, they become a target of the CIA. (Watch on IMDb, Netflix)
It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
Description: The Peanuts gang celebrates Halloween while Linus waits for the Great Pumpkin. (Watch on Prime Video, Youtube)
CHUPA
Description: While visiting family in Mexico, teenage Alex gains an unlikely companion when he discovers a young chupacabra hiding in his grandpa’s shed. To save the mythical creature, Alex and his cousins must embark on the adventure of a lifetime. (Watch on Prime Video, IMDb, Netflix)
The Secret of NIMH
Description: To save her ill son, a field mouse must seek the aid of a colony of rats, with whom she has a deeper link than she suspected. (Watch on Prime Video, IMDb, Apple Tv)
Lego Star Wars Terrifying Tales
Description: Dean, Poe and BB-8 must face their fears, stop an ancient evil from rising, and escape to make it back to their friends. (Watch on IMDb, Disney Plus)
Gnome Alone
Description: When Chloe discovers that her new home’s garden gnomes are not what they seem, she must decide between the pursuit of a desired high school life and taking up the fight against the Troggs. (Watch on Prime Video, IMDb, Netflix)
Poltergeist (1982) or Remake (2015)
Description: A family’s home is haunted by a host of demonic ghosts. (Watch on Prime Video, IMDb, HBO Max, Disney Plus, Hulu, Netflix)
The Addams Family
Description: Con artists plan to fleece an eccentric family using an accomplice who claims to be their long-lost uncle. (Watch on Prime Video, Paramount Plus, IMDb, HBO Max, Hulu)
The Goonies
Description: A group of young misfits called The Goonies discover an ancient map and set out on an adventure to find a legendary pirate’s long-lost treasure. (Watch on Prime Video, IMDb, HBO Max, Apple Tv)
The Witches
Description: A young boy and his grandmother have a run-in with a coven of witches and their leader. (Watch on Prime Video, IMDb, HBO Max, Apple Tv)
Coco
Description: Aspiring musician Miguel, confronted with his family’s ancestral ban on music, enters the Land of the Dead to find his great-great-grandfather, a legendary singer. (Watch on Prime Video, IMDb, Disney Plus, Apple Tv)
Hocus Pocus
Description: A teenage boy named Max and his little sister move to Salem, where he struggles to fit in before awakening a trio of diabolical witches that were executed in the 17th century. (Watch on Prime Video, IMDb, Apple Tv, Disney Plus, Hulu)
Casper
Description: An afterlife therapist and his daughter meet a friendly young ghost when they move into a crumbling mansion in order to rid the premises of wicked spirits. (Watch on Prime Video, Peacock, IMDb, HBO Max, Hulu, Apple Tv, Netflix)
ParaNorman
Description: A misunderstood boy takes on ghosts, zombies and grown-ups to save his town from a centuries-old curse. (Watch on Prime Video, IMDb, HBO Max, Apple Tv, Starz, Hulu)
Hotel Translyvania
Description: Dracula, who operates a high-end resort away from the human world, goes into overprotective mode when a boy discovers the resort and falls for the count’s teenaged daughter. (Watch on Prime Video, IMDb, HBO Max, Hulu, Netflix, Apple Tv)
Beetlejuice
Description: The spirits of a deceased couple are harassed by an unbearable family that has moved into their home, and hire a malicious spirit to drive them out. (Watch on Prime Video, IMDb, HBO Max, Apple Tv)
The Haunted Mansion
Description: A single mom named Gabbie hires a tour guide, a psychic, a priest and a historian to help exorcise her newly bought mansion after discovering it is inhabited by ghosts. (Watch on Prime Video, IMDb, Disney Plus, Apple Tv)
Frankenweenie
Description: When a boy’s beloved dog passes away suddenly, he attempts to bring the animal back to life through a powerful science experiment. (Watch on Prime Video, IMDb, Disney Plus, Apple Tv)
Monster House
Description: Three teens discover that their neighbor’s house is really a living, breathing, scary monster. (Watch on Prime Video, IMDb, Apple Tv, Hulu)
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Description: Jack Skellington, king of Halloween Town, discovers Christmas Town, but his attempts to bring Christmas to his home causes confusion. (Watch on Prime Video, IMDb, Disney Plus, Apple Tv)
The Adventures Of Ichabod & Mr. Toad
Description: An animated adaptation of “The Wind in the Willows” followed by an adaptation of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”. (Watch on Prime Video, IMDb, Disney Plus, Apple Tv)
Coraline
Description: An adventurous 11-year-old girl finds another world that is a strangely idealized version of her frustrating home, but it has sinister secrets. (Watch on Prime Video, IMDb, HBO Max, Hulu, Apple Tv)
Ghostbusters (1984)
Description: Three parapsychologists forced out of their university funding set up shop as a unique ghost removal service in New York City, attracting frightened yet skeptical customers. (Watch on Prime Video, Peacock, IMDb, Hulu, Apple Tv)
Gremlins
Description: A young man inadvertently breaks three important rules concerning his new pet and unleashes a horde of malevolently mischievous monsters on a small town. (Watch on Prime Video, IMDb, HBO Max, Apple Tv)
The Corpse Bride
Description: When a shy groom practices his wedding vows in the inadvertent presence of a deceased young woman, she rises from the grave assuming he has married her. (Watch on Prime Video, IMDb, HBO Max, Apple Tv)
The House With A Clock In It’s Walls
Description: A young orphan named Lewis Barnavelt aids his magical uncle in locating a clock with the power to bring about the end of the world. (Watch on Prime Video, IMDb, Apple Tv)
Goosebumps (tweens)
Description: A teenager teams up with the daughter of young-adult horror author R.L. Stine after the writer’s imaginary demons are set free on the town of Madison, Delaware. (Watch on Prime Video, IMDb, Disney Plus, Apple Tv, Netflix)
Fun Size (tweens)
Description: Wren’s Halloween plans go awry when she’s made to babysit her brother, who disappears into a sea of trick-or-treaters. With her best friend and two nerds at her side, she needs to find her brother before her mom finds out he’s missing. (Watch on Prime Video, IMDb, Apple Tv, Starz)
A Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting (tweens)
Description: A babysitter embarks on a mission to save a child who’s been abducted by monsters. (Watch on IMDb, Apple Tv, Netflix)
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (tweens)
Description: On Halloween 1968, Stella and her two friends meet a mysterious drifter, Ramón, and uncover a sinister notebook of stories. (Watch on Prime Video, IMDb, Apple Tv, Peacock, Hulu)
Twitches (tween)
Description: Two teen witches who were separated at birth and were adopted by two different families meet on their 21st birthday and must use their powers to save the world in which they were born, where their birth mother still lives. (Watch on Prime Video, IMDb, Disney Plus, Apple Tv)
Final Thoughts
The platforms I listed above are just the most popular ways of watching these movies, However, a lot of them can also be accessed through Google Play or Roku device. A few of them can even be watched on Youtube, in full. If your kiddos become absolutely consumed by one or more of them like my son did, it might be wise to purchase the film so it can provide chills for years to come 😉
Don’t forget to share this article and suggest it to friends and family in need of a kid friendly Halloween movie night!
Adam’s family has become one of our favorites.
That’s a great movie. Have you seen “Wednesday” Yet? It’s a pretty good Netflix series 🙂