Now that the spooky season is getting closer, there are many options out there for anyone wanting to get spooked on Halloween night. If you love the Halloween spirit and want maximum spooky vibes but have children you don’t want to terrify or traumatise, don’t worry. Many unique, spooky, Halloween-inspired movies are great for the whole family and even for kiddies of different age groups. Here are the 30 best family-friendly Halloween movies. Be warned that some movies on this list could be considered scary, so always refer to ratings and parental guidance suggestions when choosing what movies to watch on family movie night. We’ve updated this list for Halloween 2026, which falls on Saturday, October 31, so every entry now includes where to watch it in the US and its Rotten Tomatoes score. If you only have time for a few, our top five picks are Hocus Pocus, Coraline, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, Goosebumps and ParaNorman.
RELATED: The 26 Best Horror Movies To Watch On Netflix This Halloween
Coco (2017): A Dia de los Muertos Halloween Movie the Whole Family Can Watch
| Age rating | Director | Starring |
| PG | Lee Unkrich, Adrian Molina | Anthony Gonzalez, Gael García Bernal, Benjamin Bratt |
The Disney Pixar movie follows the journey of young Miguel, an aspiring musician on a mission to understand why his family has an ancestral ban on music. Covering topics like Dia de los Muertos and his family history and culture, Miguel travels to the Land of the Dead to find the legendary singer he believes is his great-great-grandfather.
Starring incredible voices like Alanna Ubach as Mamá Imelda, Anthony Gonzalez as Miguel, Benjamin Bratt as Ernesto de la Cruz, and Gael García Bernal as Héctor, the movie is an idol for Mexican culture and great for the whole family.
Where to watch: Disney+. [Rotten Tomatoes: 97%]
Scare rating: 2/5 (Mild). Skeletons and the Land of the Dead.
Coraline (2009): Spooky Stop-Motion Fantasy for Older Kids
| Age rating | Director | Starring |
| PG | Henry Selick | Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, Jennifer Saunders |
Stop-motion is charming and quite spooky when done right, and that is precisely what is achieved in Coraline. The movie follows a young 11-year-old girl named Coraline (voiced by Dakota Fanning), who is adventurous and finds herself moving between the boring real world and an idealised version of it, only to find that what is ideal might be a façade hiding something more sinister.
The movie features a few friendly ghosts, an alternate dimension, and a beautiful black cat that can talk but isn’t really about Halloween. Sometimes, the vibes are there even though the holiday isn’t, and that’s okay! It might be a bit on the scary side, but it’s still an amazing and family-friendly Halloween movie. Arguably Laika’s best movie, and based on what many consider Neil Gaiman’s masterpiece, Coraline is a legitimately scary film that will stick with you long after you’ve watched it, so don’t be surprised if the kids suddenly want to sleep with the lights on for a while.
Where to watch: Peacock and HBO Max. [Rotten Tomatoes: 91%]
Scare rating: 4/5 (Scary). The button-eyed Other Mother is genuinely creepy.
Corpse Bride (2005): Tim Burton’s Gothic Stop-Motion Romance
| Age rating | Director | Starring |
| PG | Tim Burton, Mike Johnson | Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Emily Watson |
It would be impossible not to have a Tim Burton film thrown onto a list like this, so the first film is Corpse Bride. A shy groom (Johnny Depp) has an arranged marriage set up. While practising his wedding vows, he accidentally marries a deceased young woman who returns to life. Tim Burton’s stop-motion films are a classic around the Halloween season, providing some scares, being perfect if you have older kids, and still entertaining for parents, making it a great family-friendly Halloween movie.
Where to watch: Rent or buy on Prime Video, Apple TV and other digital retailers. [Rotten Tomatoes: 85%]
Scare rating: 3/5 (Spooky). Skeletons and death themes in a gothic setting.
Curious George: A Halloween Boo Fest (2013): A Gentle Halloween Movie for Younger Viewers
| Age rating | Director | Starring |
| Not rated (TV-Y) | Scott Heming, Andrei Svislotski | Frank Welker, Jeff Bennett, Rino Romano |
This adorable Halloween-inspired movie is a great way to include everyone in the festivities, mainly if your family includes younger viewers, as the film is unrated and described as perfect for the whole family. We follow our favourite adventurous monkey, Curious George, in his first-ever spooktacular adventure, learning to carve pumpkins, watching costume contests, and all the Fall festivities we all love.
Where to watch: Rent or buy on Prime Video. [Rotten Tomatoes: no Tomatometer score yet]
Scare rating: 1/5 (Gentle). A mild mystery about a hat-stealing scarecrow.
Double, Double Toil and Trouble (1993): A Witchy Olsen Twins Halloween Classic
| Age rating | Director | Starring |
| TV-Y7 (ages 7+) | Stuart Margolin | Mary-Kate Olsen, Ashley Olsen, Cloris Leachman |
This cult classic Halloween adventure stars the Olsen twins, Mary-Kate and Ashley, playing Kelly and Lynn, as they go on an adventure to stop their evil aunt from claiming their family’s home. The adventure occurs on Halloween night as the twins must save their parents and combat their evil aunt’s magic. Still, luckily, they get some help from some mysterious and spooky best friends along the way.
Where to watch: Rent or buy on Prime Video. [Rotten Tomatoes: no Tomatometer score yet; Popcornmeter 57%]
Scare rating: 2/5 (Mild). A witchy aunt and a few spooky moments.
Frankenweenie (2012): Tim Burton’s Black-and-White Frankenstein Story Starring a Dog
| Age rating | Director | Starring |
| PG | Tim Burton | Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short, Martin Landau |
Bringing you yet another Tim Burton stop-motion adventure, we see the story of young Victor Frankenstein, whose beloved dog has passed away. We all know the story of Frankenstein and how it goes. Still, this reenactment of the classic tale has Victor bringing his animal best friend to life through the science experiment that created his monster in the original story. If you love the classic Mary Shelley book and want to share it in a family-friendly way, this is the one for you. The film deals with heavy themes for any kid, including the death of a beloved pet (see our look at Hollywood’s pet-death trope), but it handles them with a healthy dose of dark comedy and a heartwarming ending.
Where to watch: Disney+, and airing on Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween. [Rotten Tomatoes: 87%]
Scare rating: 3/5 (Spooky). Monster-movie imagery.
Goosebumps (2015): A Jack Black Monster Adventure for Slightly Older Kids
| Age rating | Director | Starring |
| PG | Rob Letterman | Jack Black, Dylan Minnette, Odeya Rush |
Jack Black and Dylan Minnette collaborated to bring the middle-grade horror series by R.L. Stine to life. Teenage Zach (Minnette) teams up with R.L. Stine’s daughter when the characters and monsters from his books come to life. This is an excellent option if you have slightly older children, and bonus points if they have read the books like we did growing up. Although it doesn’t revolve around Halloween specifically, the spooky nature of it makes it a perfect family-friendly Halloween movie. It’s a love letter to everything that made the books so good, and it brings back childhood memories for anyone who grew up reading them every October.
Where to watch: Netflix. [Rotten Tomatoes: 78%]
Scare rating: 3/5 (Spooky). Monsters and jump scares.
Gremlins (1984): A Genre Classic for Halloween and Christmas
| Age rating | Director | Starring |
| PG | Joe Dante | Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Hoyt Axton |
Director Joe Dante hit it out of the park by releasing a family-friendly horror movie that could be watched on both Halloween and Christmas with Gremlins. The story of some furry critters that terrorize an entire town once fed after midnight has become a true cinema classic, one that, somehow, still hasn’t received a remake of some sort. The Gremlins are adorable creatures under normal circumstances, but even their more mischievous side won’t be enough to haunt most kids. Aside from a few scenes, Gremlins is a great flick to introduce the younger family members to horror films. In fact, it is one of the best Halloween movies ever made.
Where to watch: Rent or buy on Prime Video, Apple TV and other digital retailers. [Rotten Tomatoes: 86%]
Scare rating: 3/5 (Spooky). Mischievous creatures.
Halloweentown (1998): The Disney Channel Halloween Classic About a Young Witch
| Age rating | Director | Starring |
| TV-PG | Duwayne Dunham | Debbie Reynolds, Judith Hoag, Kimberly J. Brown |
Halloweentown is a Halloween cult classic film that tells the story of a young girl who finds out that her mother has secretly been a witch the whole time. After finding out about the witchy nature of her mother, the young girl realises that she is also a witch. Once this revelation happens, she learns that she must help her grandmother (also a witch) save Halloweentown from the evil forces threatening it. Halloweentown, and all the movies that followed it, are great options for family-friendly Halloween movies.
Where to watch: Disney+. [Rotten Tomatoes: 83%]
Scare rating: 2/5 (Mild). Witches and a warlock.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001): A Magical Family Movie Night Pick
| Age rating | Director | Starring |
| PG | Chris Columbus | Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson |
Never let anyone tell you that you can’t watch Harry Potter, no matter the holiday or season. With magic and creatures, what better way to celebrate Halloween than to get your kids hooked on the movie series that has captivated the hearts of many generations? On the off chance that you don’t know what Harry Potter is, it all starts when an orphaned boy gets a letter telling him he has been enrolled in a school of wizardry. He finally learns about his family history and the dark wizard behind his parents’ deaths. HBO’s new Harry Potter series, which adapts the first book as Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, is set to premiere on HBO Max on December 25, 2026, so this is also a great time for a rewatch.
Where to watch: Peacock. [Rotten Tomatoes: 80%]
Scare rating: 2/5 (Mild). A troll and a dark forest, but mostly a magical adventure.
Hocus Pocus (1993): The Sanderson Sisters’ Halloween Classic
| Age rating | Director | Starring |
| PG | Kenny Ortega | Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy |
Hocus Pocus 2 came out in 2022 (and Hocus Pocus 3 is officially in development), but you can only start your family off by watching the 1993 original! Hocus Pocus follows the story of a young boy named Max (Omri Katz) and his little sister who move to Salem. Through a series of events, Max accidentally awakens the Sanderson sisters (Sarah Jessica Parker as Sarah, Kathy Najimy as Mary, and Bette Midler as Winifred), a trio executed three hundred years ago for practising dark witchcraft. Now that the sisters have awakened, their goal is to ensure they stay that way. Max and his sister need to ensure that doesn’t happen, involving a black cat, a black flame candle, and a prophecy. It has everything you need for an unforgettable Halloween (witches, ghosts, ghouls, a catchy soundtrack and even a talking cat), and the Sanderson sisters’ banter has made them some of the most iconic characters in Halloween movies.
Where to watch: Disney+. [Rotten Tomatoes: 42%]
Scare rating: 2/5 (Mild). Witches and a zombie, played mostly for laughs.
Hotel Transylvania (2012): A Funny Monster Movie for Young Kids
| Age rating | Director | Starring |
| PG | Genndy Tartakovsky | Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez |
This is another animated film series that is the perfect way to start sharing the legend of Bram Stoker’s Dracula with your kids in a fun and PG way. Hotel Transylvania is a sweet comedy that features many of our favourite Halloween monsters and unique comedy voices like Adam Sandler as Count Dracula, Andy Samberg as Jonathan (the human), Kevin James as Frankenstein, and Selena Gomez as Mavis (Dracula’s daughter), telling the story of Count Dracula, who runs a hotel in Transylvania as a safe place for monsters away from the human world, and how his world falls apart when his daughter falls in love with a human boy who finds the resort. As a story that itself has a lot to do with families, even in the monster world, the Hotel Transylvania film series is a perfect family-friendly movie option for you this Halloween.
Where to watch: Hulu and Paramount+. [Rotten Tomatoes: 45%]
Scare rating: 1/5 (Gentle). Cartoon monsters and slapstick.
It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966): The Classic Halloween Cartoon
| Age rating | Director | Starring |
| Not rated (1966 TV special) | Bill Melendez | Peter Robbins, Christopher Shea, Sally Dryer |
We are really throwing it back for this one, all the way to the 1960s, to one of the classics of the cartoon world, Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang. This is a super kid-friendly and family-friendly way of sharing the Halloween spirit with your littles as Linus waits in the pumpkin patch for the Great Pumpkin while the other kids go trick-or-treating.
Where to watch: Apple TV. [Rotten Tomatoes: 90%]
Scare rating: 1/5 (Gentle). Gentle and nostalgic.
Monster House (2006): A Spooky Animated Movie for Older Kids
| Age rating | Director | Starring |
| PG | Gil Kenan | Steve Buscemi, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Mitchel Musso |
This would be a total nostalgia trip if you were a kid in the early 2000s. Still, if you have started your own family, it might be time to bring them into the fold of what was one of the best but very spooky movies of our childhoods. Starring some big names like Mitchel Musso, Spencer Locke and even Steve Buscemi, Monster House sees three kids figuring out that the terrifying creepy house across the street, which they think is a haunted house, is, as the title says, a Monster House. Co-written by Rick and Morty co-creator Dan Harmon and executive produced by Robert Zemeckis and Steven Spielberg, it has that peculiar “Halloween vibe” that’s so hard to capture, from the autumn colour palette to the haunted house mystery and the occasional goofball humour.
Where to watch: Peacock. [Rotten Tomatoes: 75%]
Scare rating: 4/5 (Scary). A living house and genuinely creepy sequences, very spooky for kids.
ParaNorman (2012): A Stop-Motion Ghost Story About a Boy Who Talks to the Dead
| Age rating | Director | Starring |
| PG | Chris Butler, Sam Fell | Kodi Smit-McPhee, Tucker Albrizzi, Anna Kendrick |
You might be tempted to think that this one is by Tim Burton because it’s an excellent stop-motion, family-friendly, good Halloween movie. Still, it’s actually a stunning Chris Butler and Sam Fell film. Norman Babcock lives in Blithe Hollow and is an outcast who only has one friend, and it’s because no one believes that he can talk to the dead. Which he actually can. With the help of the dead, Norman must defend Blithe Hollow from a centuries-old curse that no one believes is true, just like his abilities. Laika has a near-monopoly on modern stop-motion, and it’s hard to find a movie more “Halloweeny” than this modern dark fantasy tale.
Where to watch: Rent or buy on Prime Video, Apple TV and other digital retailers. [Rotten Tomatoes: 89%]
Scare rating: 3/5 (Spooky). Ghosts and a witch’s curse. Critics say it could frighten even older children.
Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie (2005): A Gentle Halloween Movie for Young Pooh Fans
| Age rating | Director | Starring |
| G | Elliot M. Bour, Saul Andrew Blinkoff | Jim Cummings, Jimmy Bennett, Kyle Stanger |
No, this isn’t the horror movie that has come out since Winnie the Pooh entered the public domain. It is the beautiful story of the babies of the Hundred Acre Wood, Lumpy and Roo, having their first Halloween adventure together as the group dresses up to go trick or treating with them.
Where to watch: Disney+. [Rotten Tomatoes: no Tomatometer score yet; Popcornmeter 58%]
Scare rating: 1/5 (Gentle). A pretend monster and a gentle Halloween scare.
RELATED: 10 Best Horror Movies For 13 Year Olds & Teens
Return to Oz (1985): A Darker Oz Sequel With Parental Guidance Recommended
| Age rating | Director | Starring |
| PG | Walter Murch | Fairuza Balk, Nicol Williamson, Jean Marsh |
This film is often considered the unofficial sequel of the 1939 classic musical fantasy film starring Judy Garland, The Wizard of Oz. Parental Guidance is recommended when watching this sequel, as after Dorothy has returned from Oz, she cannot forget about the beautiful place. Aunt Em thinks that Dorothy is struggling with depression, delusion, and acute insomnia, so she takes her to a particular doctor who tries to “fix” her with electroshock therapy. A mysterious girl rescues her and leads her back to Oz. This film is a little scarier, so parents use discretion here, but some people credit this film with their love of Halloween.
Where to watch: Disney+. [Rotten Tomatoes: 59%]
Scare rating: 4/5 (Scary). Dark imagery and an electroshock scene. Parental guidance is recommended.
Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island (1998): A Scooby-Doo Movie With Real Monsters
| Age rating | Director | Starring |
| Not rated (direct-to-video) | Jim Stenstrum | Scott Innes, Billy West, Mary Kay Bergman |
Scooby-Doo has always been a show about the evil deeds of landlords and real-estate scammers, but Zombie Island took the classic Scooby-Doo formula and turned it into a veritable horror flick. Animated in Japan by the same studio that produced the Men in Black animated series and Street Sharks, Zombie Island is Scooby-Doo at its finest. Unlike most episodes in the series’ original run, Zombie Island features real monsters, something that Scooby and the gang are certainly not prepared to deal with. This animated masterpiece serves as the perfect appetizer for Halloween, and it’s even better for die-hard Scooby-Doo fans.
Where to watch: Rent or buy on Prime Video, Apple TV and other digital retailers. [Rotten Tomatoes: 89%]
Scare rating: 3/5 (Spooky). Real monsters and a darker tone than usual for Scooby-Doo.
Spookley the Square Pumpkin (2004): A Sweet Halloween Movie About Being Different
| Age rating | Director | Starring |
| G | Bernie Denk | Sonja Ball, Rick Jones, Craig Francis |
This underrated Halloween movie tells a great story about Spookley, a pumpkin whose shape doesn’t match all the other round pumpkins around him, and how he gets teased and bullied for being different. The movie tells a fantastic story of how it is okay to be different from everyone around you and that you can still find friends, even if they differ from what you were expecting, like a Scarecrow, some bats, or maybe even some funny spiders.
Where to watch: Peacock, or rent or buy on Apple TV. [Rotten Tomatoes: no Tomatometer score yet]
Scare rating: 1/5 (Gentle). Mild storm peril and no real scares.
Super Monsters Save Halloween (2018): A Not-Too-Scary Netflix Special for Preschoolers
| Age rating | Director | Starring |
| TV-G | Steve Ball | Elyse Maloway, Vincent Tong, Erin Matthews |
This is mainly for younger children and is actually an episode of the Netflix show Super Monsters. This is a stunning 24-minute video on the streaming service to teach your children that it’s okay to get into the Halloween spirit and enjoy it without being scary. It’s also a time of fun festivities like dressing up, trick or treating and spooky decorations.
Where to watch: Netflix. [Rotten Tomatoes: not listed]
Scare rating: 1/5 (Gentle). Made for preschoolers and designed to make Halloween less scary.
The Addams Family (1991): The Spooky, Kooky Classic (Rated PG-13)
| Age rating | Director | Starring |
| PG-13 | Barry Sonnenfeld | Anjelica Huston, Raúl Juliá, Christopher Lloyd |
There are very few lovers of Halloween that still need The Addams Family ready to go. The concept of the spooky and kooky family has been around since black and white New Yorker cartoon days, but the 1991 iconic film stars Anjelica Huston as Morticia Addams, Carel Struycken as Lurch, Christina Ricci as Wednesday Addams, Christopher Lloyd as Uncle Fester Addams, Jimmy Workman as Pugsley Addams, and Raúl Juliá as Gomez Addams. This adaptation of the story is one of the most loved, and it shows the story of three con artists trying to con the Addams family out of their family fortune by faking bringing their long-lost uncle back. Note that this live-action version is rated PG-13, so it’s best for older kids.
Where to watch: Paramount+, and airing on Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween. [Rotten Tomatoes: 67%]
Scare rating: 2/5 (Mild). Dark humor rather than scares, but it is rated PG-13.
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949): An Underrated Disney Halloween Classic
| Age rating | Director | Starring |
| G | Jack Kinney, Clyde Geronimi, James Algar | Bing Crosby, Basil Rathbone, Eric Blore |
If you’re in the mood for one of the most underrated Disney Halloween classics, then you can’t miss The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. While the whole Mr. Toad part is optional, The Adventures of Ichabod remains one of the best versions of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow I’ve ever seen. With music from the legendary Bing Crosby, watching The Adventures of Ichabod has become a Halloween tradition of mine each year. It’s rather short, but it’s a more family-friendly Halloween alternative than watching Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow movie.
Where to watch: Disney+, and airing on Freeform on Saturday, October 24. [Rotten Tomatoes: 89%]
Scare rating: 3/5 (Spooky). The Headless Horseman chase is intense for a 1949 cartoon.
The Boxtrolls (2014): A Laika Stop-Motion Adventure With Parental Discretion Advised
| Age rating | Director | Starring |
| PG | Anthony Stacchi, Graham Annable | Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Elle Fanning, Ben Kingsley |
When a young boy is abandoned as a baby, he is found and raised by underground cave-dwelling creatures lovingly known as box trolls. Their life underground is disrupted when a terrifying man named The Snatcher goes around town, acting as an exterminator, trying to make the town seem much better than it actually is. This is another stunning Laika film with a Tim Burton-esque theme with a claymation stop-motion feel. As with most Laika movies, parental discretion is advised.
Where to watch: Peacock. [Rotten Tomatoes: 78%]
Scare rating: 3/5 (Spooky). A menacing villain and some peril; parental discretion advised.
The Haunted Mansion (2003): Eddie Murphy’s Disney Ride Movie
| Age rating | Director | Starring |
| PG | Rob Minkoff | Eddie Murphy, Terence Stamp, Nathaniel Parker |
On this one, we aren’t talking about the one that came out in 2023 that is actually pretty scary, but rather the 2003 classic starring Eddie Murphy as Jim Evers, Jennifer Tilly as Madame Leota, Marsha Thomason as Sara Evers, and Terence Stamp as Ramsley. The film follows Murphy’s character, a realtor who brings his wife and children to the mansion he has been summoned to, only to discover it is haunted. Like Pirates of the Caribbean, The Haunted Mansion is inspired by the iconic ride at Disneyland. It will give your family the spooks without travelling.
Where to watch: Disney+. [Rotten Tomatoes: 14%]
Scare rating: 2/5 (Mild). Comic ghosts and little real fear.
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993): A Halloween and Christmas Movie in One
| Age rating | Director | Starring |
| PG | Henry Selick | Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Catherine O’Hara |
The best thing about this 1993 classic from Tim Burton, directed by Henry Selick, is that it works for both Halloween and Christmas, so it doesn’t matter if you don’t get time for it this Halloween because there is always Christmas! The Nightmare Before Christmas takes us to Halloween Town, where one of the most recognisable entities of Halloween, Jack Skellington. Jack stumbles upon Christmas Town and tries to bring Christmas to Halloween Town, even standing in as Santa Claus, confusing the citizens and the season. (Here’s why Tim Burton gets all the credit.)
Where to watch: Disney+. [Rotten Tomatoes: 95%]
Scare rating: 2/5 (Mild). Skeletons and creepy imagery, but playful and musical.
The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008): A Magical Creatures Adventure for Young Fantasy Fans
| Age rating | Director | Starring |
| PG | Mark Waters | Freddie Highmore, Sarah Bolger, Mary-Louise Parker |
Based on the classic children’s novel series, The Spiderwick Chronicles tells the tale of three siblings, twins Jared and Simon Grace (both played by Freddie Highmore) and their sister Mallory (Sarah Bolger), who move into the run-down Spiderwick Estate with their mother, only to find that their new home is connected to the world of fae, faeries, goblins and mythical creatures thanks to the studies of Arthur Spiderwick (David Strathairn). Although it might not have specific Halloween elements, magical creatures are one hundred per cent perfect for young children and show that the holiday isn’t just about scares but is also about all things magical.
Where to watch: Rent or buy on Prime Video, Apple TV and other digital retailers. [Rotten Tomatoes: 81%]
Scare rating: 3/5 (Spooky). Goblins and monster attacks.
The Witches (1990): Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Brings Roald Dahl to Life
| Age rating | Director | Starring |
| PG | Nicolas Roeg | Anjelica Huston, Mai Zetterling, Jasen Fisher |
Not to be confused with the 2020 remake, the 1990 version of The Witches might be rated PG, but the outstanding work done by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop on the prosthetics turns this film into a decent horror flick, even for adults. The Witches follows the same story as the classic tale by Roald Dahl: a young kid on vacation meets face-to-face with a coven of witches plotting to turn all the children of the world into mice. At least that’s better than what happened to the kids in Dahl’s other classic, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Where to watch: Rent or buy on Prime Video, Apple TV and other digital retailers. [Rotten Tomatoes: 94%]
Scare rating: 4/5 (Scary). Frightening transformations and effects, scary even for adults.
Toy Story of Terror! (2013): A 22-Minute Spooky Pixar Special
| Age rating | Director | Starring |
| TV-G | Angus MacLane | Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack |
Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and Joan Cusack reunite again as Woody, Buzz Lightyear and Jessie for a spooky adventure. The gang start worrying when they spend time at a roadside motel when gang members start disappearing. Not only do they need to find the other toys, but they also need to get to the bottom of the mystery of why they are experiencing the terror. This short film is perfect for spending 22 spook-filled minutes with your little kids.
Where to watch: Disney+. [Rotten Tomatoes: 94%]
Scare rating: 2/5 (Mild). Spooky but comic, and only 22 minutes long.
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005): Aardman’s Spooky Claymation Comedy
| Age rating | Director | Starring |
| G | Nick Park, Steve Box | Peter Sallis, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter |
I once had a high schooler tell me they have no idea who Wallace and Gromit are and have yet to see The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. I have never felt more need to remind the world that this classic claymation, spooky but family-friendly movie exists.
While there is a rich world of Wallace and Gromit that can be explored, this spooky addition to the collection has Wallace and his loyal best friend, who is also a dog, Gromit, trying to figure out what is causing all the damage to the gardens of the village that they reside in. The village is getting ready to have its annual giant vegetable growing contest. If you still haven’t gathered from the title, a massive rabbit is causing issues, so who better to call than the rabbit catchers?
Where to watch: Rent on Prime Video. [Rotten Tomatoes: 95%]
Scare rating: 2/5 (Mild). Cartoonish were-rabbit chills in a G-rated film.
Casper (1995): The Friendly Ghost Movie for the Youngest Viewers
| Age rating | Director | Starring |
| PG | Brad Silberling | Christina Ricci, Bill Pullman, Cathy Moriarty |
Not every Halloween film has to be a scary horror movie. The 1995 live-action Casper is the perfect flick for those looking for an alternative. Based on the classic friendly-ghost cartoon character, the films follows the beloved character, Casper, a young, lonely ghost who haunts a mansion in Maine. All Casper wants is a friend, but, sadly, it seems impossible, until… a ghost specialist, Dr James Harvey (Bill Pullman), and his teenage daughter Kat (Christina Ricci) arrive to deal with the house’s spirits. While critics weren’t exactly friendly to the film, it’s nostalgic and does enough to warm the hearts of all those watching.
Where to watch: Peacock. [Rotten Tomatoes: 59%]
Scare rating: 1/5 (Gentle). A friendly ghost with a few mildly spooky moments.
RELATED: The Only Ghosts the Ghostbusters Couldn’t Catch
As with every recommendation, we hope there is something here for everyone: those who want a wholesome Halloween season and those who want to share creepy vibes with their children without terrifying them too much. Without further ado, go forth. Share the Halloween spirit with families of all sizes and ages. It will be okay if they fall in love with the holiday after watching some of the best Halloween movies suitable for the entire family.
Once the little ones are asleep, check out our picks for the best classic horror movies worth watching this Halloween. Tell us, what are some of your favourite family-friendly horror movies to watch on Halloween?
