Best Kid-Friendly Halloween Movies

Halloween movies tend to be a mixture of silly and scary. When you have small children, it isn't always easy to strike the right balance between the two. I find that as my children have gotten older, they like movies that are a little bit scary, but not overly graphic or creepy. I also find that, as an adult, I often forget about parts of Halloween movies that don't strike me as scary or creepy. but that can be pretty overwhelming for a younger (or more sensitive) child.

So here's my list of the top Halloween movies that are appropriate for even younger or more timid children, but still fun and interesting for older ones (and for Mom and Dad)!

Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971)

This lesser-known Disney classic stars Angela Lansbury as Eglantine Price, an apprentice witch who takes in three young children who are evacuated from London during World War II. Eglantine puts a spell on a bedknob which allows the bed (and its occupants) to travel wherever they wish. The children, Eglantine, and her magic professor (played by David Tomlinson, who is recognizable as Mr. Banks from Mary Poppins) have all kinds of adventures as they search for a magic book and use magic to foil the Nazis. The movie includes a clever mixed live action and animation segment (similar to the sequence in Mary Poppins) and lots of cheesy special effects (watch for visible strings and wires as items "magically" move),

There is a battle scene involving machine guns and swords, but there is no blood and no-one is killed or even hurt. The movie depicts witches as ordinary people rather than black-hatted, cackling evildoers. The Nazi issue is handled gently and subtly (the children do not seem frightened by the war, although it is mentioned that they have lost their parents in the war), and should not raise uncomfortable issues with youngsters, although the setting of the film can be a good kick-off for a discussion of World War II and its effect on children and families, as well as those who actually fought.

Hotel Transylvania (2012)

This animated film tells the story of Dracula (voiced by Adam Sandler) and his half-vampire, half-human daughter Mavis (voiced by Selena Gomez). After the death of his wife, Dracula built a "monsters-only" hotel, filled with funny monsters (mummies, invisible men, ghosts, vampires, Frankenstein monsters, werewolves, etc.) who act as aunts and uncles to Mavis. In the midst of planning Mavis' 118th birthday party (although she looks only 18), somehow a human named Jonathan (Andy Samberg) stumbles into the hotel and all kinds of hijinks ensue as Drac attempts to hide him and avoid panic among the monsters. When Mavis unexpectedly falls for Jonathan, and Drac realizes that not only is his daughter growing up, but that she belongs to both the human and the monster world.

This unexpectedly sweet movie touches on parent-child relationships, extended family relationships, romantic relationships, and finding your own identity. The monsters are silly rather than scary (although Drac makes a brief but scary face when he gets angry), and there is no violence or gore. It is an Adam Sandler film, so expect some poop and fart jokes, but nothing too offensive. Overall, it's a cute movie that shows monsters as being just like the rest of us.

The sequel, Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015), deals with Mavis and Jonathan's son and his relationship with Drac, and Drac's struggle with accepting that his grandson, like his daughter, is part of both the human and the monster world. A second sequel, Hotel Transylvania 3, is scheduled for release in 2018.

The Book of Life (2014)

The gorgeous, colorful animation in this movie, as well as the setting, is based on the traditional Mexican celebration of "Dia de los Muertos," or "Day of the Dead," similar to Halloween. The plot is somewhat convoluted, but it involves a young man, Manolo, traveling to the Land of the Remembered (the afterlife) in order to reunite with his love, Maria, but he discovers she is not really dead and must find his way back to the land of the living. The film celebrates the love of family and how those we love are always with us, even after death.

There are a few intense battle scenes and a bullfight, but nothing graphic. The dead appear as skeletons but in brightly colored clothing, and are not scary.

Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)

You'll recognize many of the voices in this beautifully-told story, including Charlize Theron, Ralph Fiennes, Matthew McConaughey, and George Takei. Although not really a "Halloween" movie, Kubo and the Two Strings features witches and spirits, so it can be considered a "spooky" movie. The film opens on a young woman capsizing in a boat and hitting her head. When she wakes, we see she has with her a small baby with only one eye: Kubo. We jump ahead ten years and see that Kubo is now caring for his mother, who is nearly catatonic with only brief moments of lucidity. We learn that Kubo's father was a bold samurai named Hanzo, and he goes on a quest to find Hanzo's magical armor, but is pursued by two witches, whom he later discovers are his mother's sisters. With the help of his parents, who sacrifice themselves for love of him, Kubo defeats his grandfather, the Moon King (who took his eye), stripping the King of his power, but becoming a great storyteller who passes down the story of his heroic parents and his grandfather to the next generation.

The themes in the story include the relationship of a mother and son, courage, and teamwork. There are a few battle scenes that can be a little intense, and some injuries are depicted (but not graphically), and there are a few deaths (but again, nothing graphic). My sensitive almost-8-year-old loves this film.

Monsters, Inc. (2001)

Featuring the voices of John Goodman and Billy Crystal as big blue furry monster Sully and his best friend, giant walking eyeball Mike Wazowski, respectively, this film depicts monsters as regular workaday guys. Sully and Mike work in a scream factory, generating energy for their city, until a chance encounter with a little girl names Boo changes their way of thinking about "toxic" humans. The plot is a fun twist, making humans the scary ones and monsters boring and ordinary. This definitely falls on the "silly" end of the "silly vs. scary" continuum.

This film is actually a great one for getting kids over their fear of monsters, as it depicts the "monsters under the bed" as not only being harmless and even silly, but as being terrified of humans. There's very little here to scare even the littlest of viewers.

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

If you're not already familiar with the Wallace and Gromit shorts, you're in for a treat with their first feature-length film. This British Claymation film features a man and his dog attempting to solve the mystery of who (or what) is destroying all the entries in the local giant vegetable-growing contest.

Very little ones might find the transformation of the rabbit into a were-rabbit (although done mostly in shadow) a bit intense, but not likely too frightening. A few folks pursue the were-rabbit with guns and garden implements, but there's no real violence. And in the end, it all works out happily.

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)

This gem features the voice talents of none other than Basil Rathbone and Bing Crosby narrating two different stories: First, The Wind in the Willows (by Kenneth Grahame) and then a version of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (by Washington Irving). In the first story, Mr. Toad gets into trouble with his desire for a newfangled car, and is saved by his friends Mole, Rat, and Badger. In the second, mousy schoolmaster Ichabod Crane falls in love with a beautiful young woman, and the town bully, Brom Bones, uses a creative (and cruel) way to send the message that Crane is not good enough for her.

The violence is cartoony and slapstick in the usual style of cartoons of that era, and the vast majority of the film is not scary or even "Halloween-y" at all.

Casper (1995)

Very loosely based on the cartoon series of the same name, Christina Ricci (was there any spooky movie in the 1990s that she didn't star in?) stars as Kat, the daughter of a paranormal researcher (Bill Pullman). The two are hired by a wealthy heiress (a delightfully scenery-chewing Cathy Moriarty) to cleanse her newly-inherited mansion of ghosts. They move into the mansion and Kat meets the friendliest resident ghost, Casper, who's delighted to interact with humans, and Casper's three uncles, who are determined to drive the "fleshies" away. Kat and her father work together, with Casper's help, to assist all the ghosts in crossing over to the other side.

This sweet and charming movie is not particularly frightening, but there is some talk of the death of parents and loss of loved ones, there are some scenes of bullying, and there is a theme of young romantic love that may be "squicky" for kids of a certain age. However, overall, it's a wholesome, fun movie that can be enjoyed by the whole family.


What's YOUR favorite spooky family movie?